How to Clear the File Explorer Search and Address Bar History in Windows 10 - MUO - MakeUseOf

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Windows File Explorer saves your past search terms and address paths for quicker suggestions in the future. It's a handy feature designed to help you find things quickly, but if you are not a fan of apps keeping track of your search history, you can delete the search and address bar history in File Explorer.

There are multiple ways to delete search and address bar history in File Explorer, so let's explore all the methods you can use to clear your tracks off of Windows 10.

How to Delete the Address Bar and File Path History

You can delete the address bar history in File Explorer using the built-in Delete History option.

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To do this, press Win + E to open File Explorer. Next, right-click on the address bar and select Delete History. This should clear all the address bar history from File Explorer.

If you want peace of mind, click again on the address bar to double-check if it is cleared. If everything worked correctly, you should no longer see your history in the address bar.

How to Delete the Address Bar History Using the Registry Editor

The Windows Registry Editor allows you to view and modify keys and entries in the Windows registry database. Clearing the address bar history using Delete History will delete all items. To delete specific history items, you can use the Registry Editor.

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To delete your address bar history using the Registry Editor:

Press the Win + R to open Run.
Type regedit and click OK to open the Registry Editor.
Next, navigate to the following location: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\TypedPaths
On the right-pane, you will see address bar history as url1, url2, or url3 values. Check the Data column to identify the URL you want to delete.
Right-click on the value you want to remove and select Delete.

How to Delete Specific Search Terms in File Explorer

If you want to delete a specific entry from File Explorer's search history, you can do it from the search bar. To do this, open File Explorer and click on the search bar to bring up saved search terms.

Right-click on the search term you want to delete and select Remove from device history. Alternatively, press the X icon beside the search term to remove it.

How to Delete All Search History in File Explorer

If you would rather delete all of your search history, you can do so from Folder Options. Here’s how:

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Launch File Explorer and open the View tab. Next, click on the Options button in the top-right corner.
In the Folder Options window, locate the Privacy section. Then, click the Clear button to clear File Explorer history.
If you want to hide Recently used files and Frequently used folders in Quick Access, uncheck the appropriate options and click Apply > OK.

How to Remove Your Search History in File Explorer Using the Search Tools

The Search Tools tab in File Explorer offers advanced search options, including the Clear recent searches feature. On the newer version of Windows, you may not see this tool in File Explorer unless you search for something using the search bar.

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To clear history using Search Tools:

Open File Explorer, type search-ms: in the search bar, and hit the Enter key. This will force open the Search Tools tab in File Explorer.
Click on Recent Searches in the Options section and select Clear search history.
Click on the search bar to confirm if the search history is cleared.

How to Delete All Search History Using the Registry Editor

You can also delete all search history in File Explorer by tweaking your Registry Editor to remove a few binary values. Here's how to do it.

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Press Win + R to open the Run dialog box. Type regedit and click OK.
In the Registry Editor that opens, navigate to the following location: Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\WordWheelQuery
In the right pane, you will see multiple binary entries under the WordWheelQuery section.
Drag the cross-hair to select all the entries with the blue icon, and hit the Delete key on your keyboard. When the prompt appears, click on Yes to confirm the action.
Close the Registry Editor after the binary values are deleted.
Right-click on the Taskbar and select Task Manager.
In Task Manager, locate and right-click on the File Explorer process.
Click on Restart. Your screen will dim or go blank for a moment as the File Explorer restarts.

How to Disable File Explorer Search History Using the Group Policy Editor

Group Policy Editor (GPE) is a Management Console to help you manage policy settings on your PC. For example, you can use GPE to disable and prevent File Explorer from saving any File Explorer search history. Group Policy Editor is only available on Windows 10 Pro and above versions. But you can enable the Group Policy Editor on Windows 10 Home with a few tweaks.

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To disable search history in File Explorer using Group Policy Editor:

Press Win + R to open Run.
Type gpedit.msc and click OK to open Group Policy Editor.

Next, navigate to the following location:

User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > File Explorer

In the right pane, locate and right-click on Turn off display of recent search entries in the File Explorer search box policy and select Edit.
In the window that appears, select Enabled. Click Apply and OK to save the changes.

How to Disable File Explorer Search History Using the Registry Editor

Registry Editor can help you prevent File Explorer from showing your search history. Here's how to do it.

Type regedit in the Windows search bar and click on Registry Editor.

In Registry Editor, browse the following path:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\

Under the Windows key, check if the Explorer key exists. If not, right-click on the Windows > New > Key. Rename it as Explorer.
Select and right-click on the Explorer key and go to New > DWORD (32-bit) value.
Rename the DWORD value as DisableSearchBoxSuggestions.
Double-click on the DisableSearchBoxSuggestions value and enter 1 in the Value data field. Click OK to save the changes.

Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer. It is required to apply the changes. After the restart, you will not see any search history in File Explorer's search bar.

Delete Address Bar and Search History in File Explorer

The address bar and search history in File Explorer are handy features to navigate between frequently used files and folders. However, if you prefer to leave no records behind, Microsoft has given plenty of options to clear search and address bar history. Additionally, you can tweak your Group Policy Editor or Registry Editor to turn off the search history option in File Explorer.

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About The Author

Tashreef Shareef (21 Articles Published)

Tashreef is a technology writer at MakeUseOf. With a bachelor's degree in Computer Applications, He has over 5 years of writing experience and covers Microsoft Windows and everything around it. When not working, you can find him tinkering with his PC, trying some FPS titles or explore animated shows and movies.