Delete Recently Watched Movies or Shows on Netflix

After many years, Netflix finally introduced the ability to delete movie and shows from the "recently watched" list on your Netflix account. Rejoice, Netflix viewers, no one will discover your shameful secret. Going forward, you can also use the "Profiles" feature to keep your "recently watched" list separate from other people who use the account.

Unfortunately, deleting recently watched movies or shows is not possible on Netflix's mobile app. You'll need to log onto Netflix using a computer browser in order to edit recently watched media.

Steps

Deleting Recently Watched Movies and Shows

1. Log onto the Netflix website, not the app. On a computer or tablet, log on to https://www.netflix.com with your internet browser. According to Netflix customer service, the mobile apps cannot access this option, but a mobile internet browser can.
   • If your mobile device doesn't have a browser, log on using a computer. Changes you make on one device will spread to all other devices within 24 hours.
2. Select your profile. If a list of names pops up after log-in, select your profile. Each profile has a separate viewing activity list.
   • If no list appears, check the top right corner of your screen for a name and square image (usually a face). If this isn't your profile, click this image and select your profile icon.
3. Visit your Viewing Activity page. Visit https://www.netflix.com/WiViewingActivity to see a list of your recent shows. You can also get here by clicking the square profile icon in the top right, selecting Your Account from the drop-down menu, then scrolling down and clicking Viewing Activity in the My Profile section.
   • If you are using Netflix on any device besides a computer, and your Recently Watched page is empty, try turning off the device and turning it on again.
4. Click the grey "X" on the right of a movie name. This will clear that specific movie from your "recently watched" history. It may take up to 24 hours to disappear from other devices, but it will usually vanish much sooner.
5. Remove an entire television series. Click the X next to any episode in that series. The message that appears should include a link for Remove series?; click this button and the entire series should be removed from your history within 24 hours.
   • This refers to "series" in the North American sense, meaning every episode across multiple years of the television show.

Managing Viewer Settings with Profiles

1. Visit the profile page using a supported device. You'll need a computer, PS3, PS4, or the Windows 8 Netflix app. Log into Netflix and hover over the square profile image and name in the top right. Click Manage Profiles and you'll be taken to the settings described below. Once you make a change, it should apply to all devices, although you may need to restart them before they take effect.
2. Use profiles to separate viewing history. Create a new profile for each member of your household (up to five profiles) by clicking Add Profile and entering a name. Netflix will now prompt you to select a profile each time you log in, and keep your ratings and viewing history for that profile separate from all the other profiles.
   • Profiles are not password protected, so they are easy to switch between. This method is great for maintaining useful "Recently Watched" lists that only include what you personally watched, but it is not a reliable way to hide information if your family looks for it.
3. Create a temporary profile to avoid adding to recently watched. Before you watch a show you wish to keep private, create a new profile by clicking Add Profile or the large plus sign next to it. Once you are done watching, return to the profile management page and click Edit next to the temporary profile's name, then Delete Profile. Click Delete Profile again in the popup message to confirm that this is intentional.
   • Note that you can only have five profiles active at a time.
4. Wipe your entire Netflix history by moving to a new profile. This will remove all your ratings and "My List" content, so be certain you don't want any of your old content to survive before you take this step. Create a new profile using the Add Profile button, then delete your old profile.
5. Create a child's or teen's profile. Click Edit next to a profile for your child. The word Adults should now become a drop-down list. You can select Teens, Older Kids, or Little Kids, then click Done to save the change. Anyone using that profile will now see only movies and shows appropriate for that age, as determined by national rating systems and Netflix's own judgement.
   • There is no way to password-protect a profile, so it is still possible for a kid to log onto another person's profile and watch mature content there.
   • In Germany, but in no other country, you can also create a password that must be entered before viewing mature (FSK-18) movies and shows.

Tips

• If none of these methods work, you can try watching a few seconds each from many movies, to push old movies off the list. It may take a hundred or more movies to clear your "recently watched" list completely, but ten or twenty snippets may be enough to make your embarrassing view history less obvious at a glance.
• Netflix may be testing a "privacy mode" where movies do not get added to your "recently watched" history, but it is currently only available to a selection of users. If you'd like a chance to use new Netflix features before they are widely released, log on using a computer, go to Your Account, then click Test Participation. Click the button that pops up to switch it to the "On" position.

Warnings

• Deleting a profile will also delete all of that profile's ratings and "My List" selection of films.
• Profiles are not password protected. Even a child may easily find out how to switch to a different profile and watch movies he would not be allowed to on his own profile.

Sources and Citations

See also

• Change the Country on Netflix on a PC or Mac
• Change the Country on Netflix on Android
• Change the Country on Netflix on iPhone or iPad
• Create Separate Netflix Profiles
• Cancel Netflix
• Get Netflix For Free
• Watch Movies Online With Netflix
• Change Netflix Preferences
• Access Netflix on PlayStation 3
• Download Shows from Netflix

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