How to Delete Screen Time History on iPhone, iPad, and Mac

Screen Time is Apple's built-in usage tracking system, and it records a detailed log of everything you do — which apps you opened, how long you used them, how many times you picked up your device, and even which websites you visited. Whether you're resetting a device for someone else, starting fresh on your own habits, or simply want a clean slate, understanding what "deleting" Screen Time history actually means — and what it doesn't — matters more than most guides let on.

What Screen Time History Actually Stores

Before wiping anything, it helps to know what you're dealing with. Screen Time logs:

• App usage — time spent per app, per day, broken down by category
• Pickups — how often you lift or wake your device
• Notifications — which apps sent alerts and how many
• Website visits — domains visited through Safari and some third-party browsers
• Device activity — synced data if Screen Time is shared across iCloud-connected devices

This data is stored locally on the device and, if you're signed into iCloud with Screen Time sync enabled, across all devices under the same Apple ID. That distinction matters when you're trying to clear it completely.

The Direct Way: Turn Screen Time Off and Back On 🔄

Apple does not offer a dedicated "clear history" button inside Screen Time. The most reliable method for resetting usage data is to turn Screen Time off entirely, which wipes the accumulated history, and then turn it back on if you still want monitoring active.

On iPhone or iPad:

1. Open Settings
2. Tap Screen Time
3. Scroll down and tap Turn Off Screen Time
4. Confirm when prompted

This resets all usage statistics. When you re-enable Screen Time, the counter starts from zero.

On Mac:

1. Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS)
2. Click Screen Time
3. Select your user account from the sidebar if applicable
4. Toggle Screen Time off

The same wipe-and-restart logic applies. After turning it off, your usage graphs clear and historical data is no longer accessible from the Screen Time dashboard.

What Happens to Website History in Screen Time

Screen Time's website data is separate from your Safari browsing history. Clearing one does not automatically clear the other.

If your goal is privacy across the board, you'll likely need to address both Screen Time and Safari history independently.

Family Sharing and Parental Controls: A Different Scenario

If you're managing Screen Time for a child's device through Family Sharing, the process involves a passcode and behaves differently. A Screen Time passcode — separate from the device passcode — is required to make changes. If you've forgotten it, Apple provides a recovery path through your Apple ID credentials.

Clearing a child's Screen Time history follows the same toggle-off method, but you'll need to:

• Enter the Screen Time passcode when prompted
• Be the Family Organizer or have the correct parental role
• Understand that disabling Screen Time on a managed child account may remove any content and communication limits currently in place

Resetting history on a family-managed device affects only that device's local data — it doesn't automatically affect other devices on the same family plan.

iCloud Sync and the Multi-Device Problem 📱

If Screen Time sync is enabled across devices, usage data aggregates from every connected Apple device. Turning off Screen Time on one device clears that device's local history, but data may still appear in reports pulled from other synced devices.

To fully remove synced Screen Time data:

1. Go to Settings → [Your Name] → iCloud
2. Check whether Screen Time data is being synced
3. Turn off Screen Time on all devices under the same Apple ID
4. Re-enable it fresh on whichever devices you want monitored going forward

The sync behavior is one of the most commonly overlooked factors when people find their history persisting after a reset.

Scheduled Resets vs. Manual Wipes

Screen Time automatically resets its weekly and daily usage counters on a rolling schedule — weekly reports reset on Sundays by default. This is not the same as deleting history. Those rolling resets just move older data out of the active view; the underlying logs may still exist until a full Screen Time reset is performed.

If you only need to clear the visible stats without fully disabling Screen Time, there is currently no Apple-native option to selectively delete individual app entries or specific date ranges. It's all or nothing. 🗑️

The Variables That Shape Your Situation

How straightforward this process is depends on several factors:

• Whether Screen Time is passcode-protected — adds a required authentication step
• Whether iCloud sync is active — means clearing one device may not clear all views
• Whether you're on a managed family account — parental control roles affect what you can change
• Your iOS/macOS version — the exact menu labels and paths have shifted between major OS releases
• Whether you want Screen Time active afterward — determines whether you toggle it back on or leave it off

The steps above cover the core mechanics, but the right sequence for your situation depends on which of these variables apply to your specific device setup, account configuration, and reason for clearing the data.