How To Delete My Browser History If It Is Grayed Out & Blocked?

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How to Delete My Browser History If it Is Grayed Out & Blocked? By Mike Benson Fact Checked Techwalla may earn compensation through affiliate links in this story. Learn more about our affiliate and product review process here.

Microsoft Windows provides administrators with the ability to restrict users from accessing certain tools and features of Windows and installed software. These features are in place to protect the stability of the computers within the domain. Unfortunately, malicious code found in malware often uses these restrictions to make it harder for home users to clean and troubleshoot their computer. If you are unable to delete your browsing history, you can disable this restriction through the Group Policy or Registry editors.

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Through Group Policy

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Step 1

Click "Start." Type "Gpedit.msc" in the Search box and press "Enter." This opens the Local Group Policy editor in a new window on your screen.

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Step 2

Navigate to "Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Internet Explorer" on the left pane. This loads a relatively large list of policies on the right pane.

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Step 3

Double-click the "Delete Browsing History" folder. This displays a list of policies related to Internet Explorer's browsing history.

Step 4

Double-click the "Turn off Delete Browsing History Functionality" policy. This opens an Edit Policy window on the screen.

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Step 5

Change from "Enabled" to "Disabled" and click the "Apply" button at the bottom. This disables the policy allowing access to the option.

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Step 6

Close the policy editor and restart your computer.

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Through Registry Editor

Step 1

Click "Start." Type "Regedit" in the Search box and press "Enter." Click the "Yes" button on the UAC dialog. This opens the Windows Registry Editor.

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Step 2

Navigate to "HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software\ Policies \ Microsoft \Internet Explorer" on the left pane. This loads a list of policy restrictions that have been created on the right pane.

Step 3

Right-click "History" on the right pane and click "Delete." Click "Yes" on the confirmation dialog.

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Alternatively, if you wish to leave the policy option available, right-click history and click "Modify." This opens a properties dialog. Change the value from "1" to "0" and click the "OK" button to disable the policy.

Step 4

Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer.

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references

• Microsoft Windows: Group Policy Management for IT Pros
• Microsoft TechNet: Configure the Registry

Techwalla may earn compensation through affiliate links in this story. Learn more about our affiliate and product review process here.