What clearing Reddit history actually does
Clearing your Reddit history removes the record of posts and comments you have viewed, as well as your search queries. It does not delete the posts or comments you wrote — those stay on your account unless you delete them individually. It also does not log you out or change your password. What it does is erase the trail of what you looked at, so when you open Reddit again, your home feed and search bar start fresh.
Reddit stores this information in two places: your browser's local cache (what your device remembers) and Reddit's servers (what Reddit remembers about your account). You can clear one, the other, or both, depending on what you want to hide and from whom.
Key Takeaways
- Clearing your Reddit history on the website removes your view history and searches from your account across all devices, but does not delete posts you wrote.
- Clearing your browser history removes Reddit data stored on your device, but does not affect what Reddit's servers know about you.
- The Reddit app on phone and desktop has a separate history feature that works independently from your browser history.
- Clearing history does not prevent Reddit from tracking future activity — it only erases the past record.
How to clear your view and search history on Reddit.com
Open Reddit in a web browser and log into your account. Click your profile icon in the top right corner, then select "Settings" from the dropdown menu. On the left sidebar, click "Privacy and safety". Scroll down to the section labeled "Data and privacy" and look for the option "Clear history". Click it, and Reddit will ask you to confirm. Once you confirm, your view history and search history are removed from your account.
This clears what Reddit knows about what you looked at. The change takes effect immediately and applies to all devices where you are logged into that account. If you use Reddit on your phone, your laptop, and a tablet, this single action clears the history across all three.
How to clear history in the Reddit mobile app
Open the Reddit app and tap your profile icon at the bottom right. Tap "Settings" (the gear icon). Scroll down and tap "Privacy and safety". Look for "Clear history" and tap it. Confirm when prompted. The app will clear your view and search history from that device.
The mobile app's history clearing works the same way as the website version — it removes what you viewed and searched for. However, if you use the app on multiple phones, you need to clear history on each phone separately. The website version clears it everywhere at once.
How to clear your browser history to remove Reddit data from your device
Clearing your browser history removes Reddit cookies and cached data stored on your computer or phone. This is separate from clearing your Reddit account history. Open your browser settings and look for "Clear browsing data" or "Clear history" (the exact name varies by browser). Select the time range — "All time" removes everything, or you can choose the last hour, day, week, or month. Check the boxes for "Cookies" and "Cached images and files". Then click "Clear data" or "Clear browsing data".
This removes what your device remembers about Reddit, but does not change what Reddit's servers know. If you log back into Reddit, your account history is still there. This step is useful if you share a device with someone else and do not want them to see what you looked at when they use the same browser.
The difference between clearing history and private browsing
Private or incognito mode prevents your browser from storing history while you are in that mode, but it does not hide your activity from Reddit itself. When you use private browsing and visit Reddit, Reddit still logs what you view and search for on your account. Private browsing only hides the activity from other people who use your device.
If you want Reddit not to know what you are looking at, private browsing alone will not do it. You would need to either use a VPN (which masks your internet traffic) or clear your Reddit account history after browsing. Private browsing is useful for keeping your device clean, but it does not provide privacy from Reddit or your internet service provider.
What does not get cleared when you clear history
Clearing your Reddit history does not delete posts or comments you wrote. Those remain on your profile and on Reddit's servers unless you delete them one by one or use a third-party tool designed for bulk deletion. Clearing history also does not remove upvotes and downvotes you gave — those stay attached to your account. It does not change your saved posts or your subscribed communities.
If you want to remove a specific post or comment you wrote, you need to find it on your profile, click the three-dot menu, and select "Delete". If you want to remove your upvotes and downvotes, you have to undo them manually — there is no bulk option for that.
Why Reddit might not show a clear history option
If you cannot find the "Clear history" button in your settings, check that you are logged in and that you are in the right section. Go to Settings, then Privacy and safety, then scroll all the way down. The button should be there. If it is not, you may be using an older version of the app — update it from your device's app store.
On the website, if you use old Reddit (old.reddit.com) instead of the redesigned version, the clear history option may be in a different location or not available at all. Switch to the standard Reddit.com to access the full settings menu. If you still cannot find it after checking both, try logging out and back in, or clear your browser cache and reload the page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does clearing my Reddit history delete my posts and comments?
No. Clearing history only removes the record of what you viewed and searched for. Posts and comments you wrote stay on your account and on Reddit unless you delete them individually. To remove a post, find it on your profile, click the menu, and select delete.
If I clear my history, can Reddit still see what I looked at before?
No. Once you clear your history, that record is gone from Reddit's servers. Reddit will not show you recommendations based on old posts you viewed. However, Reddit will start tracking your activity again as soon as you browse after clearing.
Does clearing browser history remove my Reddit account history?
No. Clearing your browser history removes data stored on your device, but Reddit's servers still know what you looked at. You need to clear your Reddit account history separately through your Reddit settings to remove that record.
Can I clear history for just one day or one week instead of everything?
Reddit's clear history option removes all of your view and search history at once — you cannot select a date range. If you want to delete only recent activity, you would need to clear your browser history for that time period instead, which only affects your device.
What happens if I clear my history and then log out?
Clearing your history and logging out are two separate actions. Clearing history removes what you viewed. Logging out ends your session but does not erase your history. If you log back in later, your account history will still be gone because you cleared it, not because you logged out.