Netflix is built in with some handy features that are designed to cater to your viewing habits. One of these is the ‘Continue Watching’ section that automatically saves where you’re up to in a series and/or movie, so you can pick up from where you left off straight from your Netflix homepage.
However, if you’re on a joint account and don’t want spoilers – or just want to start something from the beginning – then this feature may be a bit of an annoyance. Fortunately, there is a way remove shows and films in this section both on the app and on your desktop. Keep on reading to find out how.
If you’re searching for more Netflix tips and tricks, we have guides on hosting a Netflix Party, streaming Netflix in 4K and how to watch American Netflix here in the UK.
Clear your Netflix watch history
The easiest way to get shows off your watch screen is to clear your Netflix watch history. Note that you can only do this on your phone or on the desktop website – you can’t directly do this on your smart TV or streaming device. The process does differ ever so slightly depending on the device you have.
How to clear your Netflix watch history on desktop
Head to the Netflix website on your PC and undertake the following steps:
- Got to the top right of your screen and hover your mouse over the downward arrow on the profile icon, and click ‘Account’ (or click here to go directly)
- Scroll down, expand the profile you wish to edit and click ‘Viewing Activity’
- You will now see the most recent things you watched – find which one you wish to delete and hover over the icon that is the circle with the diagonal line
- If removing an episode of a TV series, you’ll have the option to ‘Hide Series’ which will erase the entire show from your watch list
How to clear your Netflix watch history on Android
On Android, you can actually remove shows from directly within the app. Here’s how:
- On the main homepage, scroll down to the ‘Continue Watching’ section
- Find the title you wish to delete and tap the three-dotted button next to it
- Select ‘Remove From Row’, and then confirm your choice
How to clear your Netflix watch history on iOS
If you’re doing this on iOS (or another system besides Android) then you’ll have to go into your account on your mobile browser – but you can do this directly from the app. Here’s how:
- Tap the profile icon and then tap ‘Account’ on the drop down menu (or go straight to your account settings by clicking here)
- Scroll down, expand the profile you wish to edit and click ‘Viewing Activity’
- You will now see the most recent things you watched – find which one you wish to delete and hover over the icon that is the circle with the diagonal line
- If removing an episode of a TV series, you’ll have the option to ‘Hide Series’ which will erase the entire show from your watch list
Clear ‘Continue Watching’ list by changing profiles
If you’re on a joint account and haven’t done so yet, you may want to consider adding your own individual profile to your Netflix account so your ‘Continue Watching’ list is curated just for you.
You can get up to five different profiles on one Netflix account. If you want to create a new one, here’s the basic steps you need to know:
- Click on the profile button in top right corner
- Choose ‘Manage Profiles’
- Click ‘Add Profile’
- Name the profile and set your preferences, such as the image and whether you want it to be filtered for kids content etc
If you have a profile you need to delete to make room, hover over the existing profile avatars in the ‘Manage Profiles’ section and click on the edit button. From there, you’ll be able to delete a profile.
Via Techadvisor