How to Clear Your Reddit History (What Reddit Lets You Do)

When someone asks me how to clear their Reddit history, I always ask which history they mean. There's the trail of posts you've looked at, the communities you've visited recently, and the stuff you've written yourself. Reddit treats each of them differently, and one tidy button for everything doesn't exist in its help pages.

I'll go through what Reddit's help centre does describe, so you know where each list lives and what you can do about it. Where I can't confirm an exact button, I'll say so rather than guess.

What Reddit history covers

Reddit history is really three different things, and mixing them up is why so many guides disagree.

• Things you've viewed: the Recent Posts list and the recently visited communities.
• Things you've searched for, which the app can show you as suggestions.
• Things you've written: the posts and comments on your profile, which other people can see.

Clearing the first two only tidies what you see on your own screen. It doesn't remove anything you've posted publicly, and it doesn't reset what Reddit recommends to you.

Finding your Recent Posts list on the Reddit website

On a computer, Reddit's help says the Recent Posts list sits on the right side of your home feed. Scroll down on that side of the page and you'll find the posts you've opened lately. It's a convenience feature, so you can get back to something you were reading.

If you want it gone, look for a clear option on that box itself. The exact wording can change as Reddit updates the site, so I'd rather you look at the box than rely on me naming a button.

Recently visited communities in the Reddit app

In the mobile app, the community drawer opens from the menu icon at the top left. Reddit's help says it includes a Recently Visited section listing the communities you've been in lately. It's there to help you jump back quickly.

The help article on managing communities explains how the drawer works, but it doesn't describe a clear button for that list. Menus vary by app version, so open Settings in your app and look for any privacy or history option that your version offers.

Browsing Reddit without leaving history using Anonymous Browsing

If your real aim is to stop a trail building up, Anonymous Browsing is the option Reddit documents. It's available in the mobile app, and it keeps your searches and the communities you view away from your account while you use it.

Reddit's help also says that when you leave Anonymous Browsing, the search and browsing history from that session is cleared. So it's a way to look around without leaving a trace on your account, rather than a way to wipe what you did before.

1. Open the Reddit app and switch into Anonymous Browsing (menus vary by app version, so look through your account options).
2. Browse and search as normal.
3. Leave Anonymous Browsing when you're done, and the session's history clears.

Why clearing your Reddit history won't reset your feed

Reddit's help on content recommendations says its suggestions use your activity, including communities you've visited recently. So even if you clear a list, your feed may keep leaning towards what you've looked at before. To steer it, change what you join, follow and interact with.

Deleting your own Reddit posts and comments

If by history you mean everything you've ever written, that lives on your profile. Reddit shows your post and comment history in the Posts and Comments tabs, and you can delete items one at a time from there. Reddit also lets you request access to your data and information, which is useful if you want a record of what you've shared before you start deleting.

• Open your profile and choose the Posts or Comments tab.
• Open an item you want to remove and look for its delete option (menus vary by app version).
• Repeat for anything else you'd like to clear.

It's slow for a long-time account, but it's the only way I know of that Reddit's own help describes for removing what you've published. Deleting your whole account is a different step, and it leaves your posts behind unless you delete them first.

Think about who you're hiding from before you spend an evening on this. If it's a curious family member glancing at your phone, tidying the lists you can see is plenty. If it's a privacy worry about what Reddit itself holds, the data access article and your privacy settings are the places to start.

Clearing Reddit history on a shared phone or computer

If other people use your device, the safest habit is to log out when you finish, and to use a private browser window for anything you'd rather not leave on screen. That keeps your account's lists from showing in the next person's session.

For businesses, Reddit research is part of normal work, and I wouldn't worry about a visible trail. If you're researching communities for customers, my write-up on brands that built a Reddit following shows why reading before posting matters. And if you're also tidying other apps, here's how to clear the Snapchat cache.

Frequently asked questions

How do I clear my Reddit history?

Reddit's help doesn't describe one button for everything. Look for a clear option on the Recent Posts box on the website, check Settings in the app, or delete your own posts and comments from your profile.

Where is my Reddit Recent Posts list?

Reddit's help says that on reddit.com it sits on the right side of your home feed.

Does Anonymous Browsing clear history?

Reddit says that when you leave Anonymous Browsing in the mobile app, the search and browsing history from that session is cleared.

Will clearing history change what Reddit recommends?

Probably not much. Reddit says recommendations use your activity, including communities you've visited recently, so change what you join and interact with.

Can I delete my Reddit posts and comments in one go?

Reddit's help describes deleting items individually from your profile. Deleting your account doesn't remove them, so delete first if you want them gone.