Netflix lets you delete your entire viewing history or remove individual titles, and the process takes less than a minute

Your Netflix account keeps a record of everything you watch — not just to recommend shows, but also to resume playback where you left off. If you share your account with family members, want to hide what you've been watching, or simply prefer a clean slate, you can remove titles from your history one at a time or wipe the entire record. Netflix stores this history on their servers, so deleting it from your device doesn't remove it from your account.

The steps differ slightly depending on whether you're using a phone, computer, or TV, but the settings are in the same place: your account menu.

Key Takeaways

  • You can delete individual titles from your history by clicking the X next to them in your viewing activity, or remove everything at once through account settings.
  • Deleting your history does not affect your recommendations or saved list — Netflix keeps those separate from your viewing record.
  • If you share your account, deleting your history removes only your own viewing record, not other people's watch activity.
  • Titles you delete from history will no longer appear in your "Continue Watching" row, but Netflix may still recommend similar content based on your past viewing.

Delete individual titles from your history on any device

The fastest way to hide a single show or movie is to remove it from your viewing activity. On your phone or computer, go to your profile icon in the top right corner and select Account. Then click Profile & Parental Controls, choose your profile name, and select Viewing Activity. You'll see a list of everything you've watched, with the most recent at the top.

Find the title you want to remove and click the circle with an X next to it. Netflix will ask you to confirm, and once you do, that title disappears from your history immediately. The show or movie won't appear in your "Continue Watching" section anymore, and it won't factor into your recommendations going forward — though Netflix may still suggest similar content based on other things you've watched.

You can delete titles one at a time this way, but if you want to remove many at once, clearing your entire history is faster.

Clear your entire viewing history at once

To wipe your complete history, go to your profile icon and select Account. Click Profile & Parental Controls, choose your profile, and select Viewing Activity. At the bottom of the page, you'll see a link that says Clear all viewing activity. Click it, and Netflix will remove every title from your history in one action.

This is permanent — Netflix doesn't ask you to confirm or give you a way to undo it. Once you clear your history, your "Continue Watching" row will be empty, and your recommendations will reset. If you share your account with others, clearing your history removes only your own viewing record. Other people's profiles keep their own separate histories.

What happens to your recommendations and saved list

Deleting your viewing history does not affect your saved list or your ratings. If you've marked shows as "Thumbs Up" or added them to "My List," those remain. Netflix also keeps a separate record of your ratings and preferences, which it uses for recommendations alongside your viewing history.

This means that even after you clear your history, Netflix may still recommend shows similar to ones you've watched before. If you want to change your recommendations more directly, you can rate individual titles with a thumbs up or down, or remove them from your saved list. You can also delete individual ratings by going to Account > Profile & Parental Controls > your profile > Ratings, though Netflix doesn't offer a way to clear all ratings at once the way it does with history.

Hiding history on shared accounts

If multiple people use the same Netflix account, each profile has its own separate viewing history. Deleting your history removes only the shows and movies you've watched under your profile name — it doesn't affect anyone else's record. This means you can clear your history without erasing what other family members have watched.

However, if you want to prevent other people from seeing what you're watching in real time, clearing your history won't help. Netflix doesn't have a private browsing mode or a way to hide what you're currently watching from other profiles. The only way to keep your viewing completely separate is to use a different account, which requires a separate email address and password.

Why Netflix keeps your viewing history

Netflix uses your viewing history to power its recommendation engine, to let you resume shows where you left off, and to populate your "Continue Watching" row. The company also uses aggregate viewing data — information about what millions of people watch — to decide which shows to renew and which to cancel, though this data is anonymized and doesn't identify you personally.

Your individual viewing history is tied to your account and stored on Netflix's servers. Even if you clear your browser history or cookies, Netflix's record of what you've watched remains in your account. This is why deleting from your device doesn't remove it — you have to go through Netflix's settings to actually remove it from their system.

When you might want to delete your history

People delete their viewing history for different reasons. Some want to hide embarrassing shows from family members who share the account. Others are preparing to sell or give away a device and want to remove their personal data. Some simply prefer not to have a permanent record of their viewing habits stored online.

If you're concerned about privacy more broadly, clearing your Netflix history is one step, but it doesn't prevent Netflix from collecting other data about you — like when you watch, how long you watch, and what device you use. Netflix's privacy policy explains what data they collect and how they use it. If you want to limit data collection, you can adjust your privacy settings in your account, though Netflix requires certain data to function.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does deleting my history stop Netflix from recommending similar shows?

Clearing your history resets your recommendations, but Netflix may still suggest similar content based on your ratings and saved list. If you want to change your recommendations more directly, rate individual shows with thumbs up or down, or remove them from your saved list.

Can I delete my history on a TV or tablet?

Yes. Go to your profile icon, select Account, then Profile & Parental Controls, choose your profile, and select Viewing Activity. The steps are the same on any device, though the layout may look slightly different on a TV remote.

If I delete a title from my history, will it still appear in my "Continue Watching" row?

No. Once you remove a title from your viewing activity, it disappears from "Continue Watching." If you want to watch it again, you'll have to search for it or find it through your saved list.

Does clearing my history affect other people's profiles on my account?

No. Each profile on a Netflix account has its own separate viewing history. Clearing your history removes only your own record, not anyone else's.

Can I see when I watched something after I delete it from my history?

Once you delete a title from your viewing activity, Netflix no longer shows you when you watched it. The deletion is permanent and cannot be undone.