Windows 11 includes a deeply integrated tracking feature known as “Activity History” (formerly known in Windows 10 as the Timeline). This background service acts as an invisible keylogger for your workflow; it tracks exactly which documents you open, which websites you visit in Microsoft Edge, and which applications you use, logging the exact time and date of every action.
While Microsoft designed this feature to help you quickly jump back into tasks you were working on yesterday, many users find it highly invasive. If you share a computer with family or coworkers, you likely do not want Windows maintaining a permanent, searchable database of your every click. You can easily erase this historical data and prevent Windows from collecting it in the future.
How to Completely Erase Windows 11 Activity History
You must wipe the local SQLite database via the Privacy & Security menu in the Settings app.
- Click the Start button and select the gear icon to open Settings.
- In the left-hand navigation sidebar, click on Privacy & security.
- Scroll down the main window to the “Windows permissions” section and click on Activity history.
- First, you should permanently disable the tracking feature so you do not have to do this again. Locate the toggle switch labeled Store my activity history on this device and click it to turn it Off.
- Next, you must wipe the data that has already been collected. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to the section labeled “Clear activity history for this account.”
- Click the Clear button.
- A confirmation pop-up will appear warning you that you cannot undo this action. Click the blue Clear button again.
A small checkmark will appear next to the button, confirming the database has been physically deleted from your hard drive. Windows 11 has now erased your entire workflow timeline and will no longer monitor which files or applications you open moving forward.