How to Clear Recently Watched on Roku

With Roku, you gain access to a wide variety of channels, more than 3,000 of them at the moment of this writing. Naturally, you might wonder how to delete the list of recently watched shows and channels.

Unlike YouTube, Netflix, or Amazon Prime Video, Roku doesn’t have a ‘Recently Watched’ section where you can view all of the content you’ve watched in the past. The most popular channels (such as those mentioned previously) do have the option to view and delete your watch history.

So, if you’ve been streaming content on a Roku device or Roku account how do you remove all trace evidence?

Keep reading for the explanation, as well as tips on how to add and remove channels.

Clearing the Recently Watched History

Although Roku is likely taking notes on what you’re watching, this information is not public and there is no such thing as “recently watched” or “watching history” on Roku devices. All you can do is remove a channel and nobody will know that you’ve ever watched something on it.

Why Add Channels?

The answer to this is rather simple: to use your Roku device to its full potential. If you don’t install the Showtime channel, you won’t be able to stream Showtime content. If you don’t install HBO Now, you won’t be able to view the content that’s available on HBO Now.

The same goes for any other streaming service, Hulu, Amazon Video, Sling, even YouTube. As mentioned before, it’s literally like installing apps on your smartphone.

Adding a Channel

There are multiple ways to add the desired channel. The most simple and straightforward way would be navigating to Home, using your Roku Remote, and browsing through the available list of channels, right there.

You’ll probably see the most popular ones instantly and you’ll likely have to scroll down to find the ones that are less popular. The downside to this method is that not all channels will be displayed here and you won’t be able to type in the one that you’re looking for.

Another way to add a channel is to navigate back to the Home screen and scroll down until you get to the Streaming Channels entry. This is the best way to browse channels on Roku. There are multiple available categories, such as Featured, New, 4K UHD Content Available, Top Free, Most Popular, Roku Recommends, etc. You can also browse channels by genres, such as Movies & TV, Games, News, etc.

On this list, you’ll find the Search Channels option. If you can’t find the channel that you’re looking for, select this option and type the name in question.

Once you’ve found the desired channel, highlight it, and then select Add channel. This should automatically install the channel on your Roku player. If you’ve created a pin for your Roku device, you’ll be prompted to enter it. Enter it if necessary and select ‘Add channel.’ You should be able to see the added channel on your Home screen.

You can also add a channel using your mobile Roku app. Go to the Channel store and find a channel that you’d like to add. Select Add channel and that’s it!

Removing a Channel

Removing a channel is much simpler than adding it. Simply go to your Home screen, select Home, and find the channel that you’d like to remove by scrolling through the list. Now, instead of simply entering the channel, press the asterisk or * button on your Roku Remote. Scroll down to the Remove channel option and select it. Confirm and the channel will be removed.

If you’re subscribed to a channel, you’re going to have to unsubscribe first and then remove it. To do this, you should navigate to the channel in question and press the asterisk (*) key on your remote. Go to Manage subscription, then select Cancel subscription, and confirm. Once you’ve canceled the subscription, press the asterisk button again and refer to the instructions about removing the channel from above.

Lists and Channels

Adding and removing Roku channels is fairly basic and straightforward. Removing them is even easier. This is one of the reasons why Roku is so popular – it is very simple and it doesn’t give you any headaches. Also, there are no pesky “recently watched” lists that might tell your family that you’ve binged Sex and the City last weekend.

Unfollow Movies and Shows

One of the neat things about the Roku platform is that all of your content is in one place, but to add to that, the system will allow you to follow your favorite artists, movies, and entertainment too.

Roku’s ‘My Feed’ section will show you all of the content you’ve followed. If you want to remove these items using the remote and head over to the ‘My Feed’ section. Scroll through the list and when you tap on a movie you need to scroll some more to click the ‘Unfollow this movie’ selection.

You can also perform a search for the content you’ve searched in the past. Use the search option to locate an artist, title, director, or whatever you’ve looked for, once you’ve clicked on the relevant selection click the unfollow button.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Roku keep track of my viewing history?

While we can’t be sure whether Roku actually keeps track of your viewing history, they certainly don’t display it for anyone else to see. If you’d like to delete your viewing history you would need to go to the channel you watched it on and delete it from there.

Can I remove the recently watched channels?

If you use the Roku app as a remote or if you turn on your Roku device you’ll probably notice a recently watched channels option. Unfortunately, there is no way to delete this outside of just deleting the channel altogether.

Have you ever experienced any issues with adding or removing a Roku channel? How do you like your Roku experience so far? Discuss this and anything else Roku-related in the comments section below.