Yes. Microsoft Edge handles several different kinds of information, not one undifferentiated stream of “personal data.” Microsoft describes required and optional diagnostics, browsing activity used for personalization, data synchronized to a Microsoft account, search queries sent to the default search provider, and information used by features such as Password Monitor. Each flow has different purposes, controls and, where Microsoft states one, a different retention period. Your practical task is to disable the specific flows you do not want rather than rely on a single privacy switch.
What information does Edge send, and why?
Microsoft’s Edge privacy guidance and Privacy Statement describe separate data flows. The table below keeps those flows distinct and shows where each is controlled.
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| Data flow | Examples Microsoft gives | Purpose | User choice and control | Retention stated by Microsoft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Required diagnostic data | Device connectivity and configuration, software setup and inventory information | Security, updates, troubleshooting, reliability and normal operation | Required for the browser’s operation; separate diagnostic controls apply where available | Aggregated data with personal identifiers removed: up to two years |
| Optional diagnostic data | Use of Edge features, page navigation and website content | Improve Edge and related products and services | Windows diagnostic settings on applicable Windows versions; an Edge setting on other platforms | Not stated as a separate period |
| Browsing activity for personalization | History, favorites, usage data, viewed web content and device information | Personalize Edge, Bing, Shopping, Microsoft News/MSN, ads, search results and recommendations | Permission is required; turn off the Edge personalization setting | History sent for this purpose is retained on secure servers for up to 180 days |
| Sync | Favorites, history, extensions and data, settings, open tabs, autofill entries, passwords and payment information | Make selected browser data available on signed-in devices | Choose categories in Edge sync settings | Not stated as one period; deletion while synced propagates to signed-in devices |
| Search and site suggestions | Queries, standard device data and, if enabled, location | Real-time suggestions and search results from the default search provider | Turn off Search and site suggestions or change the search-provider setting | Not stated |
| Password Monitor | Saved credentials transformed into hashed, encrypted data for a breach check | Check whether credentials appear in known breaches | Enable or disable Password Monitor | Microsoft says the data is not retained after the check completes |
These categories can overlap in a single browsing session, but they are not interchangeable. Turning off personalized advertising, for example, does not automatically disable search-result or news personalization, and clearing a local history list does not necessarily remove a separate account copy.
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Required diagnostics keep Edge functioning
Microsoft says Edge collects required diagnostic data to keep the browser secure, current and operating properly. Its examples—connectivity and device configuration, software setup and inventory—describe the browser environment rather than a complete record of every page you read. Microsoft presents this collection as necessary for security updates, reliability, troubleshooting and normal operation.
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Optional diagnostics can include feature and site-use information
If the applicable setting permits it, Edge can send additional information about how features are used and about websites visited. Microsoft’s examples include page navigation and website content. The control depends on the platform: Windows 10 and later use the relevant Windows diagnostic settings in applicable cases, while other platforms expose a control in Edge settings.
For users in the European Economic Area, Microsoft says Edge diagnostics are separate from Windows diagnostics on Windows 10 version 22H2 and newer and Windows 11 version 23H2 and newer. That separation took effect on March 6, 2024. It means changing Windows diagnostic settings and changing an Edge-specific diagnostic choice can be separate actions on those versions.
Does Edge use browsing history to personalize experiences?
It can, but Microsoft documents conditions that must all be met. The user must be signed in to a non-child Microsoft account, must have granted permission, must not be blocked by an organizational policy, and must be browsing in a normal window rather than InPrivate or Guest mode. When enabled, the activity may include browsing history, favorites, usage data, viewed web content and device information.
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That policy description is about Microsoft’s stated handling. It is not an independent measurement of every network request made by every Edge version, and settings or eligibility rules can change as the browser is updated.
What does Edge sync to a Microsoft account?
When you sign in to Edge and enable sync, Microsoft says you can synchronize selected categories across signed-in devices. Available categories include:
- Favorites and browsing history
- Extensions and associated extension data
- Settings and open tabs
- Autofill form entries
- Saved passwords
- Payment information
Sync is an account feature, not the same thing as sending every local browser record for advertising. You choose categories, so a privacy-conscious setup can leave passwords, payment information or history unsynchronized while retaining less sensitive items such as favorites. Because synchronized data exists on more than one device, deleting a category while sync is active can have a wider effect: Microsoft says deleting synced browser data deletes it across signed-in devices.
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With Search and site suggestions enabled, Edge can send your query, standard device data and—if the setting allows it—your location to the default search provider. This transmission supports real-time suggestions and results as you type. The provider may be Microsoft or another service you selected; the setting follows the provider configured in Edge.
Microsoft also describes a separate setting for collecting web-search activity to improve Microsoft services. Do not treat that setting as identical to the live-suggestions feature: one concerns sending information for immediate suggestions and results, while the other concerns use of search activity for service improvement. Review both controls if you want to minimize query sharing.
How to stop Edge using browsing activity for personalization
Microsoft’s support instructions use this path (labels can vary slightly by release):
- Open Edge and select Settings and more (the three-dot menu).
- Choose Settings, then Privacy, search, and services.
- Open the Privacy area.
- Turn off the setting that allows Microsoft to save your browsing activity for personalization.
This switch addresses the browsing-activity personalization flow. It does not by itself disable required diagnostics, optional diagnostics, sync, or query transmission for live suggestions.
How to control personalized advertising separately
For account-level advertising controls, use Microsoft’s privacy dashboard and the setting labeled See ads that interest you. Microsoft’s explanation on browsing activity for personalized advertising and experiences makes an important distinction: turning off personalized ads does not stop browsing activity from being used to personalize search results, news feeds or other Microsoft experiences. If you want to stop those uses, change the Edge privacy setting described above as well.
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How to clear local history and account history
Clear data stored in the browser
- In Edge, open Settings and more > Settings.
- Select Privacy, search, and services.
- Under the browsing-data section, choose Clear browsing data and select a time range.
- Choose the categories to remove—such as browsing history, cookies or cached files—and confirm.
This removes the selected local copy from the browser profile. It is not automatically proof that a Microsoft-account copy or a search provider’s record has been deleted.
Review the Microsoft-account copy
Signed-in users can use Microsoft’s Browsing history on the privacy dashboard page to view and clear browsing history associated with the account. If sync is enabled, deleting synchronized data also removes it from the signed-in Edge devices covered by that sync setting.
Understand the diagnostic-data limit
Microsoft says aggregated diagnostic data with personal identifiers removed can be stored for up to two years. It also says this diagnostic data cannot be viewed or deleted through the Microsoft privacy dashboard. That makes diagnostic controls—rather than the dashboard—the relevant place to reduce future optional collection.
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How to reduce optional diagnostics
On Windows 10 and later, check the operating system’s diagnostic-privacy controls when Edge directs you there. In the European Economic Area on the Windows versions covered by Microsoft’s March 6, 2024 change, Edge diagnostics are handled separately from Windows diagnostics, so review both the Windows setting and Edge’s own privacy options if you are trying to minimize optional data.
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On other platforms, open Edge’s Settings > Privacy, search, and services and look for the diagnostic-data option. Because Microsoft can rename or move controls between releases, confirm the current label in your installed version before relying on a setting change.
Does InPrivate stop all data collection?
No. Microsoft says browsing information from InPrivate and Guest sessions is not sent in the ways covered by its browsing-activity personalization documentation, and those sessions do not sync to the Microsoft account. This protects the normal history-and-sync path: pages from the session should not become your account’s ordinary browsing history through Edge sync.
However, Microsoft also states that the optional diagnostic-data toggle applies to InPrivate and Guest. Therefore, InPrivate is not an all-purpose promise that no information is handled anywhere. Site operators, network providers and the configured search provider have their own data practices, and Edge’s separate diagnostic controls still matter.
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- Keep required diagnostics enabled so Edge can update and remain secure.
- Disable optional diagnostics if you do not want feature- and site-use data sent for improvement.
- Enable sync only for categories you actually need on multiple devices.
- Turn off browsing-activity personalization and personalized ads if you prefer non-personalized experiences.
Shared or work-managed computer
- Use a separate browser profile or Guest mode instead of signing a shared profile into your account.
- Check whether an organization policy controls personalization or diagnostics; a local switch may be unavailable or ineffective.
- Do not enable password, payment or autofill sync on a device other people can access.
Research or sensitive session
- Use InPrivate or Guest to keep that session out of Edge history sync and the documented browsing-personalization path.
- Review Search and site suggestions if query terms themselves are sensitive.
- Remember that InPrivate does not override optional diagnostics or the independent practices of websites, networks and search providers.
What Edge’s privacy controls cannot tell you
Microsoft publishes policy descriptions, purposes and settings, but those pages do not provide a single total number for how much data every Edge user generates. They also do not make one retention period applicable to all categories. The “up to 180 days” period applies to browsing history used for personalization; “up to two years” applies to aggregated diagnostic data with personal identifiers removed. Neither figure should be generalized to synchronized data, search-provider records or every local browser item.
For the most accurate result, identify the destination first: local profile, Microsoft account, Microsoft service, default search provider or website. Then change the control belonging to that destination and verify the result on each device where you use Edge.
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