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This walkthrough uses Edge’s current desktop menu wording. Labels and available controls can differ by Windows, macOS, mobile platform, Edge release, or organization policy.
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Know where Edge data can exist
Before changing anything, identify the storage location you are trying to control. Edge can keep information in the current browser profile, copy selected information to other devices through sync, and associate activity with a Microsoft account when relevant settings are enabled.
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- Current profile and device: browsing history, download history, cookies, cached files, saved passwords, autofill data, and site permissions can be stored locally.
- Synced devices: history and other selected profile data can be synchronized, so clearing a synced category may affect other devices using that profile.
- Microsoft account services: activity shown in the privacy dashboard is a separate account-level location. It may include Edge browsing activity when history sync or personalized advertising and experiences for Microsoft services are enabled.
- Websites and search providers: pages can receive cookies, permissions, and information entered in the address bar. Edge settings do not prevent a site from collecting data it is otherwise allowed to receive.
These locations explain why changing one control does not control every data flow. For example, disabling optional diagnostic data does not disable history sync, and deleting local cookies does not remove activity already associated with an account.
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Open Edge’s privacy controls
- Open Microsoft Edge.
- Select Settings and more (…) in the upper-right corner.
- Select Settings.
- Open Privacy, search, and services.
Start at the top of this page and work through each group instead of relying on a single privacy preset. Microsoft notes that diagnostic choices can be managed by an organization, and some options vary by platform. If a switch is unavailable or marked as managed, your administrator’s policy takes precedence.
Choose a tracking-prevention level
Tracking prevention controls how Edge handles known or suspected trackers, especially those embedded by a different site. Microsoft identifies Balanced as the Recommended level in its guidance, but the right choice depends on whether you prioritize compatibility or limiting cross-site tracking.
| Level | What Edge blocks | Personalization and compatibility |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | Potentially harmful trackers; most other trackers remain allowed, including trackers used for content and ad personalization. | Most site behavior and personalization continue to work. It provides the least tracking protection of the three levels. |
| Balanced (Recommended) | Potentially harmful trackers and trackers from sites you have not visited. | Preserves more useful site behavior than Strict while reducing common cross-site tracking. |
| Strict | Most cross-site trackers. | Provides the least personalization, but some pages may not work as expected or may not allow sign-in. |
To change the level, go to Settings and more (…) > Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Tracking prevention, then choose Basic, Balanced, or Strict. Strict is not automatically “best”: blocking a resource that a page relies on can break embedded content, payment flows, comment systems, or authentication.
Inspect a site when something breaks
On a page that behaves incorrectly, select the site-information icon at the left of the address bar and inspect the trackers Edge reports as blocked. If the page is one you trust, you can create a site exception from the tracking-prevention controls. An exception allows that site’s trackers, including potentially harmful ones, so use it as a troubleshooting measure rather than a general setting. Remove the exception after the site works without it, or when you no longer need it.
Limit information sent to Microsoft and search providers
Edge’s privacy controls cover different categories of sharing. Review each one rather than assuming that a single privacy switch applies to all of them.
Optional diagnostic data
Microsoft says Edge stores browsing history locally and, depending on your choices, some history or usage information may be sent to Microsoft. To review optional diagnostic sharing, open Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Privacy, then find Send optional diagnostic data to improve Microsoft products. Turn it off if you do not want to provide that optional information. The control may be unavailable when Windows or an organization manages diagnostic policy.
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Address-bar search suggestions
When search suggestions are enabled, characters entered in the address bar are sent to your default search provider so suggestions can appear while you type. To change this behavior, open Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Search and connected experiences > Address bar and search > Search suggestions and filters. Disabling suggestions limits this particular transmission, but it also removes the convenience of immediate predictions.
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History sync
History sync is separate from optional diagnostics. If enabled, it can synchronize browsing history across devices signed in to the same Edge profile. Check the profile’s sync settings and disable history if you do not want that category copied to other devices. Turning off sync does not retroactively erase every copy; clear the relevant local data and review account-level activity separately.
Connected and personalized experiences
Microsoft documents sharing browsing history for connected or personalized experiences as another distinct choice. Review those settings in the Privacy, search, and services page and in your Microsoft account privacy controls. Do not treat this setting as an alias for diagnostic data or history sync: each governs a different purpose and destination.
For Microsoft’s explanation of these categories, see Microsoft Edge, browsing data, and privacy.
Review cookies and stored site data
Cookies can support sign-in, shopping carts, preferences, security checks, and embedded services as well as tracking. Blocking or deleting them can therefore change how a site works and usually signs you out of most sites.
- Go to Settings > Privacy, search, and services.
- Under Cookies, select See all cookies and site data.
- Search for a domain to inspect or remove its stored data, or use the available blocking controls for a specific site.
- If you want Edge to remove cookies whenever it closes, configure the automatic-clear option and add any sites that must remain signed in as exceptions where supported.
Blocking all cookies is a blunt solution and can disable essential functionality. A more precise approach is to remove data for a troublesome or unwanted site, block that site’s cookies, and leave other sites unchanged. Microsoft’s cookie guidance is available at Manage cookies in Microsoft Edge.
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Audit site permissions
Site permissions determine what an individual site can access through Edge. Review them from Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Site permissions, then choose a category such as location, cookies, pop-ups, or media autoplay. Change only permissions you do not want a site to have; broad browser-wide blocks can disable features you rely on.
Location
Grant precise location only to sites that need it. Before allowing access, read the site’s privacy policy and consider whether an approximate result or manual location would work instead. You can revoke permission later from the same settings area or through the site-information panel on the page.
Pop-ups, autoplay, and other capabilities
Restrict pop-ups and media autoplay when they are disruptive, and use per-site exceptions for services that genuinely require them. Review permission lists periodically: a permission granted months ago can remain active until you remove it.
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Clear only the local data you intend to remove
Use Edge’s built-in deletion dialog when you want to remove information from the current profile. This is a selective operation, so do not choose every category unless you understand the consequences.
- Open Settings > Privacy, search, and services.
- Under Clear browsing data, select Choose what to clear.
- Choose a Time range, such as the last hour, last 24 hours, last seven days, four weeks, or all time, according to the options shown in your release.
- Check only the data types you want to remove.
- Select Clear now.
| Data type | What clearing it does | Important consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Browsing history | Removes the visited-page list for the chosen range. | If history sync is enabled, selected history may be cleared across synced devices. |
| Download history | Removes the list of downloaded files from Edge. | It does not delete the downloaded files themselves from your computer. |
| Cookies and other site data | Removes stored cookies and site data for the chosen range. | Most sites will sign you out; carts, preferences, and other site state may disappear. |
| Cached images and files | Removes locally cached copies used to load pages faster. | Pages may load more slowly until the cache is rebuilt. |
| Passwords | Deletes saved sign-in credentials selected in the dialog. | You will need another way to sign in; do not select this category accidentally. |
| Autofill form data | Removes saved names, addresses, and other form entries. | Frequently used form information will no longer be offered automatically. |
| Site permissions | Resets permissions you granted to websites. | Sites may ask again for location, notifications, camera, microphone, or other access. |
You can clear history and cookies while leaving passwords and autofill unchecked. Read every selected category before confirming. For Microsoft’s current list of deletion options, see View and delete browser history in Microsoft Edge.
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Understand sync before deleting history
If history sync is active, clearing a synced category can remove it from other devices using that profile. If you need to preserve another device’s local record, turn off the relevant sync category first and confirm where you want the deletion to apply. This does not erase information held elsewhere by a website, search provider, or Microsoft account service.
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InPrivate changes what Edge stores in the browsing profile after the window closes. Microsoft says InPrivate and guest mode turn off automatic suggestions and do not add visited sites to normal browsing history. They do not make you anonymous.
- Websites can still observe activity during the session and can use their own tracking technologies.
- Your network, employer, school, internet provider, or security tools may still be able to see or log connections.
- Some usage information may still be collected depending on Windows diagnostic settings or Edge privacy settings.
- Files you download and bookmarks you create can remain after the InPrivate window closes.
Microsoft states: “Websites may still track your activities even when a Do Not Track request is sent.” Read the full explanation in Microsoft Edge, browsing data, and privacy. Do Not Track is a request to sites, not a technical barrier that forces them to stop collecting data.
Review Microsoft account activity separately
The Microsoft privacy dashboard lets you view or clear activity associated with Microsoft products and manage settings such as advertising choices. It is a different location from the data stored in the current Edge profile.
- Open Microsoft’s privacy dashboard and sign in to the relevant Microsoft account.
- Review available activity categories, including browsing activity when Edge history sync or personalized advertising and experiences for Microsoft services are enabled.
- Use the dashboard’s deletion controls for account-associated records you want to remove.
- Return to Edge’s local Clear browsing data dialog if you also need to remove the profile’s local copy.
Clearing one location does not automatically clear the other. Microsoft’s documentation on browsing history on the privacy dashboard explains when Edge activity can appear there.
Verify that your changes took effect
After making changes, verify each control in the place where it operates:
- Reopen Tracking prevention and confirm the selected level and any site exceptions.
- Check Send optional diagnostic data to improve Microsoft products and note whether the setting is enabled, disabled, or organization-managed.
- Review Address bar and search to confirm whether search suggestions are enabled.
- Open your profile’s sync settings and verify whether browsing history is selected.
- Search See all cookies and site data for a domain you removed; sign-in state may have changed as expected.
- Inspect Site permissions for location, notifications, camera, microphone, pop-ups, and autoplay.
- Run a narrowly scoped clear operation and confirm that passwords or autofill remain if you left those boxes unchecked.
- Check the privacy dashboard separately when your goal includes Microsoft account-associated activity.
Fix common privacy-control problems
A site stops working after selecting Strict
Open the site-information panel and inspect blocked trackers. If the domain is trusted and the failure is clearly caused by blocking, add a temporary exception, test the page, and remove the exception when it is no longer needed. Alternatively, return to Balanced, which Microsoft recommends as a general compromise between protection and compatibility.
You were signed out of many websites
Cookies or other site data were probably included in the clear operation, or automatic cookie deletion ran when Edge closed. Sign in again, then review the cookie settings and add only essential sites to an exception list. Do not clear saved passwords unless you intentionally want to delete them.
History still appears after clearing Edge
Check whether history is syncing to other devices or whether you are viewing account-level activity in the privacy dashboard. Clear the appropriate location, and verify that you are using the same Edge profile and Microsoft account whose data you intended to change.
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An organization may manage diagnostic, sync, or other browser policies. Edge will show a managed state or disable the control. In that case, only the administrator can change the policy; changing unrelated local settings will not override it.
You want suggestions but not address-bar sharing
Suggestions require the characters you type to be sent to the default search provider. Disable Search suggestions and filters if limiting that transmission matters more than predictive results. You can still type a complete query and submit it manually.
Practical privacy profile choices
- Compatibility-first: use Balanced tracking prevention, keep only necessary site permissions, and clear cookies selectively so sign-ins and essential functions continue to work.
- Lower cross-site tracking: use Strict, expect occasional breakage, disable address-bar suggestions, review connected experiences, and permit exceptions only for trusted sites you have tested.
- Shared or temporary computer: use InPrivate for the session, avoid saving passwords, and clear local data afterward if you used a regular profile.
- Account-focused cleanup: clear the intended local categories, check sync, and then use the privacy dashboard for Microsoft account-associated activity.
Revisit these choices after major Edge updates or when a site’s behavior changes. Privacy settings are a set of separate decisions: the most reliable result comes from matching each setting to the specific data flow you want to limit.
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