Whenever you use your computer, it keeps tabs of your activity. It keeps track of how long you were using your computer, when, and for what purpose. It may not outwardly display these details, but they can be accessed from the system for anyone whose looking for them. If you have lent out a computer to someone or sent it for repair somewhere you do not trust and are looking to see how the person you sent it to was using it, you can easily access your computer’s usage history to see its recent usage information. You may want to use this to keep tabs on your children or family members’ usage or for other personal reasons as well. Whatever your reason, there is a way to go about this and we are going to break it down step by step in this article.

Now that you know that you can access your computer’s usage information, you must know that this means that someone can access your usage information and see how you have been using your device as well. If you would like to remove traces of your usage information so that anyone else that knows how to access this information does not see your usage activity, you can go about removing that too. That is another thing that we will be breaking down further in this article step by step. We will teach you how to keep tabs on device usage and how to be one step ahead in protecting your own privacy when it comes to device usage history on Windows PC devices.

Checking Usage History

To check your Windows PC’s usage history, carry out the following steps:

  1. Type “run” in the search box on the bottom left of your screen and hit enter. You can also access this by pressing the Windows Key and the R key simultaneously. Running Command Prompt Through The RUN Command Line.
  2. Type “CMD” in the field beside “Open” and click “OK.” A command window will pop up.
  3. In the command prompt window, type in “systeminfo” and hit enter.
  4. You can scroll down the information that follows and have a look at System Boot Time to see when the computer was started up.

For further details, carry out the following steps:

  1. Head back into the “run” window by searching for it in the search bar or pressing the Windows and R keys simultaneously. Launching The Event Viewer Application Through The RUN Command Line.
  2. Type in “eventvwr.msc” in the field beside “Open:” and press “OK.”
  3. An event viewer window will pop up on your screen.
  4. In the left side directory panel, under Event Viewer (Local) > Windows Logs, click on “System.” This will open up the detailed system log. In here, you will be able to see all of the recent activity of your computer including any error messages, warning messages, permissions granted, or general information generated on your device. A date and time column will also specify when exactly that event was carried out.

Removing Traces Of Usage History

If you would like to remove traces of your usage history from the event viewer logs shown above, you can carry out the following steps:

  1. Launch the event viewer application by starting up “run,” typing in “eventvwr.msc”, and clicking on “OK.”
  2. Head into the system log by entering Event Viewer (Local) > Windows Logs > System. This will bring you to where all of your system logs are visible
  3. In the ribbon across the top of the window, click on “Action” and then click on “Clear Log.” The window will now prompt you to either save the logs before clearing them or to clear them directly. Based upon what you prefer, you can choose either and then have the logs cleared.

If anyone were to enter the Event Viewer application and try to scavenge your system logs, they would not be able to find any information from here after your logs are cleared.

However, clearing logs does not remove complete traces of your usage activity. Windows tends to keep tabs on what you are doing, which applications you are using, and what your preferences are so that it can recommend those in quick access areas. These preferences can be seen to gauge your usage history. For example, if you access a particular file often, it will come up in the recommendations in your Windows File Explorer under recently viewed files. If you would like to hide this trace and other such traces of your applications and general computer usage, carry out the following steps:

  • To Clear your Application Usage History: The Task Manager Showing Application Usage & The Option To Delete App Usage Data.
  1. Find the Windows Key at the bottom left of your Windows 10 desktop screen. Right click on this and then click on “Task Manager.” This will launch your Windows task manager application. You can also access this by pressing Ctrl + Alt + Del and then clicking on “Task Manager” or simply pressing Ctrl + Shift + esc to launch it directly. Head into the App History tab and then click on Delete usage history displayed at the top under this tab. This will clear your application usage information.
  • To Clear your File Usage History in the Windows File Explorer: Accessing Folder Options To Wipe File and Folder Usage History. Launch the File Explorer application. You can search for this in the search bar at the bottom left of your screen. Click on “View” at the top application ribbon. Click on “Options” in the right side of this bar. This will open up folder options. Folder Properties Window. Click on the “General” tab. In the “Privacy” section, untick “Show recently used files in Quick Access” and “Show frequently used folders in Quick Access” to stop Quick Access from keeping tabs on your file access activity and displaying it. To clear the preferences stored up until now, click on the “Clear” button in this section. Click “Ok” and exit the file properties dialogue box to implement these changes. They will be effective immediately.
  • To Clear your Start Menu Search History: Accessing Cortana’s Settings To Wipe Search History. Click on the round ring beside the search bar. This is the Cortana assistant’s button. In the left panel of this menu, click on the gear icon to access its settings. In the Cortana settings, click on “Permissions & History” and disable device history to prevent further recording if you would like. To clear the history saved up until this point, click on “Clear my device history.”

Final Thoughts

Your Windows PC stores a lot of information on your usage and preferences to tailor your experience and make it seamless based on your clicks, decisions, choices, and activity. To view general computer usage information, you can head into your system logs via the Event Viewer or take a look at system boot up from the command prompt. To clear the detailed system logs in the Event Viewer, you can access the clear logs option from within the application as well. Beyond this, Windows keeps track of the files and folders you open, the things you search for in the start menu, and your app usage history. The procedures outlined above discuss how to clear these traces. You can also clear browser search history for your particular browser but with these tips above, you’ll clear your Windows Operating System of your traces properly.

How to Fix “Printer is in an error state” Issue?

The “ Cannot change fingerprint or PIN ” problem in Windows 11 happens when the options to change these settings are greyed out in Settings → Accounts → Sign-in options. Even if you are the administrator, you can’t update your Windows Hello credentials. You might also see a message like “ This option is temporarily unavailable. ”

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Can’t disable PIN or Fingerprint on Windows 11

This usually happens because Windows Hello’s stored data (in the Ngc folder) is damaged or not in sync. Other reasons include security rules set by your workplace or school, connected work accounts, or restrictions set in the registry or group policy.

Now that you’re aware of the potential causes, let’s go through some steps that have helped other users fix or work around this problem:

1. Change the PIN or Fingerprint the Conventional Way

If your goal is to remove the fingerprint or PIN without setting up another sign-in method, please note that this is not possible on Windows 11.

Windows 11 requires you to have at least one Sign-in option enabled. The Remove button will remain grayed out if you only have one active sign-in method.

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Can’t disable PIN or Fingerprint on Windows 11

For example, the Remove button for your PIN will stay unavailable until you add a different sign-in option (like Facial Recognition, Fingerprint, or a Security Key).

If you want to stop using your PIN or Fingerprint, you’ll need to set up an additional way to sign in.

Below are step-by-step instructions to set up a new sign-in option and then remove your current one:

  1. Press Windows key + I to open the Settings menu in Windows 11.
  2. Inside the Settings menu, click on Accounts from the vertical menu on the left. Accessing the Accounts menu Note: If the left menu is hidden by default, click the menu button (top-left corner) to reveal it.
  3. Once in the Accounts menu, move to the right-hand section of the screen and select Sign-in options. Accessing the Sign In Options menu
  4. Now, choose which sign-in method you’d like to set as a fallback. Sign-in Options Note: Your available options depend on your device. If your PC doesn’t support facial recognition or you don’t have a security key, you can switch between PIN and fingerprint.
  5. After you pick your new sign-in method, follow the on-screen instructions to set it up.
  6. Once your second sign-in option is set, you’ll be able to click the Remove button to get rid of your previous sign-in method. You can also choose Change PIN or Change Fingerprint to update, rather than remove, your sign-in credentials. Modify the current PIN or remove one of the configured sign-in options

2. Remove PIN or Fingerprint Requirement by Using a Local Account

If you want to completely remove all sign-in options like PIN or Fingerprint, you will have to switch to a local account .

We generally don’t recommend this unless you really need to, as it can limit the functionality of some built-in Windows features (like Windows Update and the Microsoft Store).

If you still want to remove your PIN or Fingerprint sign-in, you’ll need to set up a local account with a password instead. Keep in mind, this means you’ll need to stop using your Microsoft account on your PC.

Important: This method isn’t available if you’re enrolled in the Windows Insider program.

To change from a Microsoft account with PIN or fingerprint to a local password, follow these steps:

  1. Press Windows + I to open the Settings menu in Windows 11.
  2. In the Settings menu, click on Accounts from the menu on the left. Accessing the Accounts menu Note: If you don’t see the left menu, click the menu icon (top-left corner).
  3. Inside Accounts , click on Family & other users on the right-hand side. Accessing the Family and other users tab
  4. In the Family & other users tab, check for any accounts listed under Other users. If you find any, remove them before moving on.
  5. Next, return to the main Accounts menu and click on Your info on the right. Accessing the Your Info tab
  6. Scroll down to Account Settings and click on Sign in with a local account instead . Sign in with a local account instead
  7. On the next screen, click Next .
  8. When prompted, enter your current PIN or use your fingerprint as requested. Inserting the PIN
  9. Then, you’ll be asked to create a username and password for your new local account, along with a password hint in case you forget. Configure the local account
  10. Finally, click Sign out and finish to complete the switch.