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How to Hide Your Orders on Amazon

by Suzanne Kantra on December 11, 2023

Updated on 12/11/2022 with the latest screenshots.

Want to keep your more personal purchases private from a nosy spouse or child when shopping on Amazon? Amazon leaves your purchase history readily accessible through the “Returns & Orders” tab at the top of every page. But you can easily hide orders on Amazon from prying eyes by archiving them. 

When you archive an order, it doesn't show up in your regular orders list on the Your Orders page. Your archived orders are stored on the Your Account page instead. The option to archive an order is only available when browsing Amazon on your computer or by using your phone’s web browser in desktop mode. You can’t use an app or Alexa device to perform this function.

1. On your computer, go to Amazon.com (see instructions below on how to view a desktop version of the Amazon website on your phone).

2. Click on 'Returns & Orders' in the menu bar in the upper right.

3. Find the item you want to hide in your orders list.

4. Below the order with the item you want to hide, click on 'Archive order.' Note that you can only archive a whole order, or, if items were shipped in more than one box, a whole box of items in an order.

Screenshot of Amazon Your orders page with the Account & Lists menu item in a red box and the Archive order option under an order circled in a red.

5. In the pop-up window, click “Archive order” again.

Once your order has been archived, it won’t appear under 'Returns & Orders.' If you need to find your order, click on 'Account & Lists' in the menu bar in the upper right and select 'Archived Orders.' You can choose to 'Unarchive Order' if you want to return your order to your regular order list. Amazon limits you to archiving 500 orders.

Screenshot of Amazon Your Account page showing the Returns & Orders menu item in a red circle and the Archived orders section in the main screen in a red circle.

How to request a desktop website on your iPhone

To view a desktop version of a web page on your iPhone (using the Safari browser app), tap on the 'AA' in the URL bar and you’ll see 'Request Desktop Website.' When you click on a link in desktop mode, you will continue to see the desktop version of the site.

Screenshot of Safari app showing the menu bar with the option to Request Desktop Website in a red circle and the toolbar icon in a red circle at the bottom.

How to request a desktop website on your Android phone

To view a desktop website on your Android phone, tap the Menu icon (triple dots) in the upper right of the screen of the Chrome browser app to open the menu. Then tap on 'Desktop site.' When you click on a link in desktop mode, you will continue to see the desktop version of the site.

Screenshot of Chrome app with the dropdown menu open and the option Desktop site in a red box.

[Image credit: Shopping on Amazon via BigStockPhoto, screenshots via Techlicious]

For the past 20+ years, Techlicious founder Suzanne Kantra has been exploring and writing about the world’s most exciting and important science and technology issues. Prior to Techlicious, Suzanne was the Technology Editor for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and the Senior Technology Editor for Popular Science. Suzanne has been featured on CNN, CBS, and NBC.

Topics

Tips & How-Tos, Shopping


Discussion loading

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From Mac Rebant on June 18, 2021 :: 1:56 pm


This doesn’t work for me. I don’t have “Returns and Orders”, only “Your Orders” listed under my account dropdown. And when I go to my orders there is no option to archive orders.

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From Josh Kirschner on June 21, 2021 :: 9:51 am


You can get to your orders list either way - via “Your Orders” or through your Account dropdown. Though are you sure you’re screen isn’t zoomed in so that the left side of pages isn’t getting cut off? The Returns & Orders options should be there.

Once you get to Orders, you don’t see the archive option under the image of what you purchased, like you see in the screenshot in step 2 above?

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From D. A. on July 11, 2021 :: 11:24 pm


I can’t find a single thing on how to disable Amazon from listing the contents on the box.  Supposedly, if you select “gift”, it shouldn’t.

Doesn’t matter. It still lists contents, enough that someone can guess exactly what you’re buying. This sucks for actual gifts, or any type of privacy, and there doesn’t seem to be any way of dealing with it. This is much more in your face than the order on the account!

Please, can anyone recommend a solution? Amazon’s support, as always, is beyond worthless.

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From Josh Kirschner on July 21, 2021 :: 3:54 pm


For our Amazon orders, the items are used shipped in a brown cardboard box or padded envelope and I don’t see contents listed on the outside, except in rare cases when there is a shipping warning (e.g., it contains Lithium batteries). I checked four boxes I have to confirm. Are you seeing something different?

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From D. A. on July 21, 2021 :: 3:57 pm


On mine, Amazon literally lists what’s inside the brown cardboard box, on the white printing label. If I order hand sanitizer, for example, it lists the exact brand and full title. For every item.

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From Josh Kirschner on July 22, 2021 :: 12:54 pm


I checked with our mailroom (we live in a very big building in NYC) and none of the Amazon packages have content listings. So if you are seeing items on the label, it must be dependent on the specific warehouse or shipping method that fulfills orders in your area. Of course, this could also vary based on whether you are ordering directly from Amazon or the product is being shipped by a third-party seller. Where are you located? In the US?

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From D. A. on July 22, 2021 :: 2:22 pm


For some reason I can’t respond to your other reply. 

I’m in the U.S., and it’s really weird. Thank you for sharing; the fact that this _isn’t_ standard is encouraging. 

This didn’t used to be the case.  I’ll note that I have a business account; maybe I disabled something, and now it’s switched to a default. Thank you again for your responses; it lets me know this is _not_ typical, and therefore, something I can continue to dig into. (Like, taking pictures of the label, for one thing, on my next order, and uploading that to show what I mean.)

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From ben on August 24, 2021 :: 11:16 pm


hhahaa this is great now i can buy stuff for my wife without her knowing. good tip

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From David W Clark on September 27, 2021 :: 12:13 pm


Yes, archiving prior orders on Amazon does work and prevents others from viewing prior purchases. However, of you go into review items all of your previous purchases do show up, even if you have archived them. How do you eliminate that from happening?

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From Josh Kirschner on September 29, 2021 :: 12:26 pm


I’m having trouble finding the area you’re talking about where you can review all of your prior purchases that is separate from the prior orders page. Can you point me in the right direction so I can research further?

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From KT on December 02, 2021 :: 1:09 pm


Instead of hiding purchases from yourself as recommended here, each person in a household or organization should have their own account and password, which protects the privacy of their orders, their wish lists, address book, payment info, browsing history, etc.

Archiving your orders will likely only lead to frustration when you can’t find the order you need to reference or return later.

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From M$.🅚UИṮ on October 26, 2022 :: 4:40 am


Thanks for the information I hate when I order a gift and my husband sees it !!

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From Trevor Parker on November 10, 2022 :: 6:33 am


Why is it that you can only archive 500 orders. That amount seems ridiculous. This needs to be “upped”.

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