# How to Clear History of File Explorer in Windows 10 OS **URL:** https://www.compsmag.com/blogs/how-to-clear-history-of-file-explorer-in-windows-10-os/ **Author:** Ayushi Chauhan **Published:** 2022-10-19 **Updated:** 2022-10-19 **Categories:** Blogs **Tags:** Blogs Daily, Computer Guides, Computers Tips and Tutorials, guiderobert, Guides and Tutorials, guiding12, How To Guide, How To Guides, Software tips and tutorials, Tips, Tricks, Windows 10, Windows Tips **Reading Time:** 7 min --- This tip is about the how to Clear History of File Explorer in Windows 10 OS. So read this free guide, How to Clear History of File Explorer in Windows 10 OS step by step. If you have query related to same article you may contact us. ## How to Clear History of File Explorer in Windows 10 OS - Guide The Windows File Explorer search utility is truly valuable feature to locate files and folders. You can use it to find each of the files with a specific extension in a folder. You can search for files that resemble a specific string for the filename, however, you may not have noticed that File Explorer also stores a history of all your searches. In case, for unknown reasons, you need to delete this history set, you can do so in just a few clicks. To start with, you wanted to open the File Explorer. To do this, press the Windows key, type “File Explorer” and at that point press Enter. At this point, you need to look for something in any folder. Just type anything into the search bar and press Enter, it doesn't make any difference what you type. Once on the query items page, you can see the query appliances in the top bar. The first tool in a good subsegment is “Recent Searches”. On the chance that you click on “Recent Searches”, a dropdown box will appear showing your hunting history. At the bottom of this drop-down box is the option “Clear search history”. Click “Clear Search History” to clear your search history. ## How to Delete address bar and file path history You can delete address bar history in File Explorer using the built-in Delete History option. To do this, press Win + E to open File Explorer. Then right-click on the address bar and select Delete History. This should clear all File Explorer address bar history. If you want to rest easy, click again on the address bar to make sure it's unchecked. If everything worked correctly, you should no longer see your history in the address bar. ## How to Delete address bar history using Registry Editor Windows Registry Editor allows you to view and modify keys and entries in the Windows registry database. Clearing address bar history using Delete history will delete all items. To delete specific items from history, you can use Registry Editor. To delete address bar history using Registry Editor: Press Win + R to open Run. Type regedit and click OK to open Registry Editor. Then browse to the following location: HKEY_CURRENT_USER Software Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion Explorer TypedPaths In the right pane you will see the address bar history as url1, url2 or url3 values. Check the Data column to identify the URL you want to exclude. Right-click the value you want to remove and select Delete. ## How to Exclude specific search terms in File Explorer If you want to delete a specific entry from the File Explorer search history, you can do so in the search bar. To do this, open File Explorer and click on the search bar to bring up up saved search terms. Right-click the search term you want to delete and select Remove from device history. Alternatively, press the X icon next to the search term to remove it. ## How to Delete all search history in File Explorer If you'd prefer to delete your entire search history, you can do so in Folder Options. See how: Start File Explorer and open the View tab. Then click Options button at the top right corner. In the Folder Options window, locate the Privacy section. Then click on the Clear button. button to clear the File Explorer history. If you want to hide ​​recently used files and folders most used in Quick Access, uncheck the appropriate options and click Apply > OK. ## How to Remove your search history in File Explorer using search tools The Search Tools tab in File Explorer provides advanced search options, including Clear recent searches feature. On the latest version of Windows, you might not see this tool in File Explorer unless you search for something using the search bar. To clear history using the search tools: Open File Explorer, type search-ms: in the search bar and press the Enter key. This will force open the Search Tools tab in File Explorer. Click Recent Searches in the Options section and select Clear Search History. Click on the search bar to confirm the search history has been cleared. ## How to Delete All Search History Using Registry Editor You can also delete all search history in File Explorer by adjusting Registry Editor to remove some binary values. Here it is how to Knife. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog. 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 several binary entries in the WordWheelQuery section. Drag the crosshair to select all entries with the blue icon and press the Delete key on your keyboard. When the prompt appears, click Yes to confirm the action. Close Registry Editor after the binary values ​​are deleted. Right-click on the taskbar and select Task Manager. In Task Manager, locate and right-click the File Explorer process. Click Restart. Your screen will dim or go blank for a moment while File Explorer restarts. ## How to Disable File Explorer search history using Group Policy Editor The address bar and search history in File Explorer are helpful features to navigate between frequently used files and folders. However, if you prefer not to leave any records behind, Microsoft has offered several options for clearing your address and search bar history. In addition, you can set Group Policy Editor or Registry Editor to disable the search history option in File Explorer. 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. Then navigate to the following location: In the right pane, locate and right-click Turn off showing 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 your changes. ## How to Disable File Explorer search history using Registry Editor Registry Editor can help prevent File Explorer from displaying your search history. Here it is how to Knife. Type regedit in the Windows search bar and click Registry Editor. In Registry Editor, navigate the following path: In the Windows key, check if the Explorer key exists. Otherwise, right click on Windows > New > Key. Rename it Explorer. Select and right click on the Explorer key and go to New > DWORD value (32 bit). Rename the DWORD value to DisableSearchBoxSuggestions. Double-click the DisableSearchBoxSuggestions value and enter 1 in the Value data field. Click OK to save your changes. Close Registry Editor and restart your computer. It is necessary to apply the changes. After restarting, you will not see any search history in the File Explorer search bar. ## Delete the address bar and search history in File Explorer The address bar and search history in File Explorer are helpful features to navigate between frequently used files and folders. However, if you prefer not to leave any records behind, Microsoft has offered several options for clearing your address and search bar history. In addition, you can set Group Policy Editor or Registry Editor to disable the search history option in File Explorer. ## Final note I hope you like the guide How to Clear History of File Explorer in Windows 10 OS. In case if you have any query regards this article you may ask us. Also, please share your love by sharing this article with your friends. --- *End of Article*