How you can archive your Amazon order history to keep it private
- Amazon does not allow you to permanently delete your order history, but you can archive it and obscure it enough to render it effectively cleared.
- Deleting browsing history is another good way to protect your privacy on Amazon, whether hiding gifts from a spouse or separating your personal life from your workplace.
- To keep your Amazon order history private, the best approach is to either archive your orders or open an account that only you will use.
Here's the bad news: you can't actually delete your Amazon order history. In fact, even if you deactivate your account, the company will still have a record of everything you bought from them. So try not to get online at two a.m. after three too many vodka tonics, because everything you order will be a part of your digital record in perpetuity.
The good news is that it's pretty easy to hide past Amazon orders, even if you can't make them go away completely. All you have to do is archive them.
As Amazon's customer service describes it: "You can archive orders that you’re no longer interested in referencing, hide items from immediate view that may be embarrassing, or keep gifts secret if you share an account with your children or significant other."
Here's how to archive your orders.
How to archive an Amazon order
First, make sure you are signed into your Amazon account, and then go to the home page. (There are a few ways to navigate to the point of archiving an order, but we'll use the most direct approach.)
1. At the top right corner of the Amazon homepage, click the word "Orders."
2. You will be taken to a list of your past orders, each separated by date. Note the bottom of the boxes stacked up on the right side of each order that reads "Archive order."
3. On the order to be hidden, click "Archive order."
4. In the next popup window, click the yellow button reading "Archive order."
Archived orders will no longer display when an order page is visited. To view them, you (or someone snooping after you) must go to the dropdown menu at the top of the "Your Orders" page and click on the box with the default setting "past 6 months." At the bottom of the menu that appears, note the option for "Archived Orders."
How to clear Amazon browsing history
If you really don't want someone to find out about your Amazon searches, consider doing your browsing from a private (or incognito) window and without logging into your account.
If it's too late for that, it's not hard to clear your browsing history. Log into Amazon and let's get started. Head to the homepage.
1. To clear a single item from your recent search history, find the words "Browsing History" near the top right of the screen
2. When you click on "Browsing History," a list of all your recent searches will pop up; just hit "Remove from view" to have Amazon forget about an item.
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How to cancel your Amazon Prime membership
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How to cancel an order on Amazon
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How to contact Amazon for help when you have a problem with your account
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How to start selling items on Amazon — a step-by-step guide