How To Clear Recently Watched TV Shows, Movies, & Apps from Amazon Fire TV Stick

The Amazon Firestick is pretty great for streaming, but honestly, that “Recently Watched” section can get cluttered fast. Sometimes you binge a show, and it stays there forever, or maybe you just want to keep some of that stuff private. Whatever the reason, cleaning that list isn’t always straightforward. Here’s what I’ve found works—mostly.

Step 1: Clear Recently Watched Titles in Prime Video

First off, if the issue is with Prime Video, that’s usually the easiest. Open the Prime Video app, then navigate to Your Account & Settings (gear icon usually in the top right). From there:

Go to Watch History or Viewing Activity. This is where Prime keeps track of everything you’ve recently watched.
Scroll through and pick the title(s) you want to remove. Sometimes this feels like clicking into a black hole because not all titles can be hidden, but if there’s an option to Remove from Watch History, hit that.
Confirm, and abracadabra—you’d think it’s gone, but sometimes, it takes a few minutes to update. On some setups, I’ve seen a reboot be necessary.

Why it helps: Because Prime’s server side keeps your watchlist, and removing from there often clears that sticky “Recently Watched” item. When it works, it’s pretty much instant, but not always. Expect some lag and maybe a reboot if it’s not updating immediately.

Step 2: Tackle Other Streaming Apps (Netflix, Hulu, Disney+)

Not everything is in Prime, of course. For Netflix or Hulu, the process is similar but varies a bit. Open the app, then head to the profile or settings area.

Netflix: Settings > Profile > Viewing Activity. Here, you can hide titles; just check the box next to the ones you don’t want to see again.
Hulu: Navigate to My Stuff > Watch History. From there, you usually get an option to remove or hide specific titles.

On some apps, removing titles from the watch history only affects that app’s internal list. The item might still appear elsewhere, like in the Firestick’s recent apps, which is annoying.

Step 3: Clear App Data to Hide Apps from Recent Row

Want to hide an app from that quick-access recent row in the Firestick? That’s a bit trickier. Your best bet is to clear the app data, but beware—you’ll lose preferences and might need to log in again.

Go to Settings > Applications > Manage Installed Applications.
Select the app you want to hide.
Hit Clear Data. This resets its history and almost always removes it from recent apps.
Then, relaunch the app; if it still shows up, repeat this. Sometimes you gotta do it twice for it to stick.

Why do I do this? Usually because I don’t want the app hovering in that recent row, especially if I don’t plan to use it again soon. Again, remember, this resets app settings too, so if you’re particular about that, maybe skip this step.

Step 4: Hide Items From the Firestick Home Screen

This is kinda limited, but if you’re trying to get rid of certain titles from the stream “Recently Watched” row:

Navigate to that row, highlight the item.
Press the Menu (three lines) button on your remote, then see if Remove from Recent or Hide appears. Not always there, though, and depends on the app or Fire OS version.
If nothing shows up, your best bet is to clear app data or watch history as discussed above.

Not super reliable, but worth a shot. Sometimes, just removing when it’s available clears things up.

Step 5: Sign Out & Sign Back In

If everything else fails or seems too complicated, signing out of the streaming apps and signing back in can help reset some cached history. For Prime Video, go to Settings > Your Account > Sign Out. Same with Netflix, Hulu, or whichever app.

Expect to re-enter your credentials, but often that refreshes the watch history cache enough for recent titles to disappear. Sometimes, this alone does the trick.

Extra Tips & Common Issues

Just a heads up, not every app lets you tweak the watch history on your end—some are locked down unless you contact support. Also, clearing app data resets your preferences, so prepare to re-set things if you do that.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I permanently delete my watch history?

Mostly, yes, but some titles might reappear if you accidentally watch them again. Not everything is fully resettable.

Will clearing app data wipe out my login details?

Kind of—yes. You’ll need to log back in. The app resets to default, so set your preferences again.

Why doesn’t the option to remove items show up?

That’s probably because of app limitations or Fire OS version. Some things just aren’t exposed, no matter what.

Summary

Checking each app’s watch history helps then hiding or removing titles.
For quick removal from recent apps, clearing app data usually gets rid of them from the recent row.
Sometimes signing out and back in resets things better than anything else.
Expect some trial and error, especially with app and firmware quirks.

Hopefully this shaves off a few hours for someone. Sometimes, Firestick’s design makes simple things ridiculously complicated—because of course, it has to make it harder than necessary.