By default, Microsoft Edge is configured to collect extensive diagnostic data to help Microsoft “improve their products and services.” One of the most invasive aspects of this telemetry collection is a setting that silently sends your complete browsing history—including the URLs of every website you visit, the time you visited them, and the search queries you typed—directly to Microsoft’s servers.
While Microsoft claims this data is anonymized and used strictly for identifying browser crashes and improving search algorithms, privacy-conscious users should absolutely disable it. Sending a real-time feed of your internet activity to a massive technology corporation is a severe breach of personal privacy.
You can adjust your privacy settings in Edge to completely sever this telemetry connection.
How to Stop Edge from Sending Your Browsing History
This setting is located in the Privacy, search, and services menu.
- Open the Microsoft Edge browser.
- Click the three horizontal dots in the top-right corner.
- Select Settings from the drop-down menu.
- In the left-hand navigation sidebar, click on Privacy, search, and services.
- Scroll down to the section labeled “Optional diagnostic data.”
- Look for a toggle switch labeled Help improve Microsoft products by sending optional diagnostic data about how you use the browser, websites you visit, and crash reports.
- Turn this toggle to the Off position.
- (Optional) While you are on this page, scroll down to the “Personalize your web experience” section and turn Off the toggle that allows Microsoft to use your browsing history for personalized advertising.
Once disabled, Edge will immediately stop transmitting your URL history. The browser will continue to function normally, but your internet activity will remain locally confined to your PC.