turn off delete history when edge closes

Question

How to turn off delete history when edge closes? No history appearing.

Answer 1

Hi Lyne Grantham,

I understand how inconvenient this can be, especially when you expect Edge to keep your browsing history but the History page stays empty.

At this point, I recommend that you review and try the steps provided in the AI generated answer on your thread. That reply typically include the most relevant checks for this scenario. If you have already turned off the Browsing history option there and the issue still continues, please check a few more things:

Could you confirm whether this happens in a normal Edge window, or only when using InPrivate/Guest mode? Also, is this a personal device, or is it managed by a work/school organization?

In the meantime, please try the following:

1. Make sure you are browsing in a normal Edge window, not InPrivate or Guest mode, because those modes do not keep browsing history after the window is closed.
2. Check if Edge is being controlled by a policy:
   • Open Edge and type edge://policy in the address bar.
   • Look for any policy related to clearing browsing data, such as ClearBrowsingDataOnExit.
   • If the device is managed by an organization and this policy is enabled, you may need to contact your IT administrator because the setting may be enforced.
3. Check your Edge profile:
   • Select your profile icon in the top-right corner of Edge.
   • If you have more than one profile, switch to the other profile and test whether history is saved there.
   • You can also create a new Edge profile temporarily to see if the issue is profile-specific.
4. Update Edge:
   • Go to Settings > About Microsoft Edge.
   • Let Edge check for updates, then restart the browser and test again.
5. If the issue still happens, try resetting Edge settings:
   • Go to Settings > Reset settings.
   • Select Restore settings to their default values.
   • This will not remove your favorites or saved passwords, but it will reset startup page, new tab page, search engine, pinned tabs, and disable extensions.

While my initial response may not fully resolve the issue, I truly appreciate your cooperation as we work together toward identifying the most effective solution. Thank you so much for your understanding.   

---

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.  

Answer 2

In Microsoft Edge, history can be deleted automatically when the browser closes if the “clear on exit” setting is enabled. To turn this off so history is kept:

1. Open Microsoft Edge.
2. Select Settings and more (three dots) > Settings > Privacy, search, and services.
3. Under Clear browsing data, select Choose what to clear every time you close the browser.
4. Find Browsing history and turn this toggle off.

After this, Edge will stop deleting history when it closes, and new browsing history should start appearing.

If history is still missing, also check that history isn’t being cleared manually:

1. In the same Privacy, search, and services page, under Clear browsing data, select Choose what to clear.
2. Make sure Browsing history isn’t being cleared unnecessarily when using this option.

Note: In Guest or InPrivate mode, history is never saved and is always cleared when windows are closed.

---

References:

• Jump list
• Use a screen reader to clear browsing data in Microsoft Edge
• User data and privacy in Microsoft Edge
• AllowDeletingBrowserHistory
• Microsoft Edge, browsing data, and privacy