What Does Ctrl+Shift+Delete Do? Clear Browsing Data Explained

The Ctrl+Shift+Del (or Ctrl+Shift+Delete) keyboard shortcut is most commonly used to open the “Clear browsing data” window in your web browser. Below, we’ll cover what this shortcut does, along with related tips and troubleshooting.

In major browsers like Chrome, Edge, and Firefox, pressing Ctrl+Shift+Delete opens the “Clear browsing data” window, letting you quickly wipe your private data and history.

What to do when Ctrl + Alt + Del doesn’t work (Windows login screen)

On Windows, you can enable a setting that requires pressing Ctrl + Alt + Del before signing in, as an added security measure.

In rare cases, though, this shortcut can stop working entirely, locking you out of signing in.

This guide walks through what to try, step by step, when that happens.

1. The easiest fix: try System Restore

Start by trying System Restore.

If Windows won’t boot at all, you can run the restore from a bootable USB drive instead.

Steps:

  1. On another PC, create Windows 10 installation media (from the official Microsoft site, using “Create installation media” under the download tools).
  2. Insert the USB drive into the affected PC.
  3. Power on the PC and immediately press your manufacturer’s boot menu key (e.g., F12, Esc) to select the boot device.
  4. Choose “Repair your computer” → “Troubleshoot” → “Advanced options” → “System Restore.”
  5. Pick a restore point and follow the prompts to finish.

2. Editing the registry externally (advanced)

If System Restore doesn’t fix the issue, you can edit the registry directly to disable the setting.

Even if you can’t sign in normally, you can still make this edit externally using the installation media.

Steps:

  1. Boot from the installation USB, just like above.

  2. Choose “Repair your computer” → “Troubleshoot” → “Advanced options” → “Command Prompt.”

  3. Mount and edit the registry.

  4. Navigate to the key, for example:

    plaintext
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System

    Set the DisableCAD value to 0 (this restores the Ctrl+Alt+Del requirement).

  5. Save your changes and restart the PC.

3. If nothing else works: a clean install

If none of the above steps fix the problem, doing a clean install of Windows is the most reliable option.

It wipes out any leftover settings or issues and restores the system to its most stable state.

Overview of the steps:

  1. Create installation media from the official Windows download page.
  2. Boot from the USB drive and select “Install now.”
  3. Choose “Custom: Install Windows only,” delete the existing partitions, and reinstall.
  4. After installation, apply all drivers and Windows Updates.

🔒 A note before you start

  • Before making any edits or running a restore, it’s strongly recommended that you back up your data first.

💡 Summary

If Ctrl + Alt + Del stops working, the safest order to try things is:

1️⃣ System Restore → 2️⃣ Registry edit → 3️⃣ Clean install