How to Clear Outlook Search History (Recent Searches)

Open Outlook on the web, click the gear icon, then go to General > Privacy and data. Under Search history, click Delete history, then Continue. Give it a few minutes and your recent searches disappear.

In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to clear Outlook search history step by step, why the old searches can hang around for a bit, and what the button doesn’t remove.

Where your recent searches show up

Click the search box at the top of Outlook on the web and a dropdown opens. Under the All tab, your recent searches sit at the top with a little clock icon next to each one.

In the Microsoft 365 mailbox I use for my made-up business, Bluebird Landscaping Co., I had three: Riverside Cafe quote, mulch delivery and Hillcrest invoice. Below them, Outlook listed people and apps it suggests.

Searching is still the fastest way to dig up an old message, and it pairs well with sorting emails by size when you’re cleaning out a mailbox. You just might not want other people seeing what you looked for.

Clear Outlook search history on the web

This works for a personal Outlook.com account and a work or school Microsoft 365 account. The setting lives in the same place for both.

1. Click the gear icon at the top right of Outlook on the web.
2. In Settings, click General, then Privacy and data.
3. Scroll to Search history and click Delete history.

Outlook asks “Delete search history?” and warns that the history will be permanently deleted. Click Continue to confirm, or Cancel if you changed your mind.

There’s no undo here. Once the history is gone, Outlook starts building a fresh list from your next search, and it uses that list to put better results near the top again.

Pro tip: Want a copy first? The Export button next to Delete history saves your search history as a .csv file.

While you’re in Settings, it’s worth a quick look at how much storage your mailbox uses too.

Why recent searches stick around for a few minutes

Here’s the part that confused me. Right after I clicked Continue, I opened the search box and all three searches were still there. A hard reload didn’t change anything.

I waited and checked again about four minutes later. This time the clock-icon searches were gone, and only the people suggestions were left.

So if your searches don’t vanish right away, don’t click Delete history again. Close the dropdown, wait a few minutes, and check once more.

Can you delete one recent search at a time?

Not on the web. I hovered over each recent search looking for an X or a remove option, and nothing showed up. It’s all or nothing: Delete history wipes the whole list.

If one search keeps bugging you, it may be easier to tidy the mail itself. You can set up inbox rules to file messages away so you search less.

What Delete history leaves alone

• People suggestions. These aren’t search history. They come from a separate Suggested people setting on the same page, and I’d leave it on.
• Your email. Clearing search history doesn’t delete or move any messages.
• Other Outlook apps. I only tested Outlook on the web. I didn’t find a documented Delete history option in the mobile apps, so I’m not covering them here.

If someone else uses your computer, signing out matters more than the search box. Here’s how to remove an account from Outlook when you’re done.

More Outlook Online how-tos from my mailbox

• Forward several emails at once
• Change fonts in Outlook Online
• Save an HTML template in Outlook
• All Outlook Online tutorials

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