As you surf the Internet, your browser records information about the websites you have visited, information you have entered on web pages, what you searched on the Internet, what images and videos you have seen, what files you have downloaded, and more. In many cases browser history stored on your computer is useful as it speeds up Internet surfing, helps to automatically suggest information you have typed before, so you don't have to type it again, making computer experience more convenient. But it may seriously compromise your privacy as it contains details about each url you type in the Address bar, every search string you enter in a search engine, information you enter when filling web forms and other details you don't want others to see. In addition, browsing history may take up a lot of space that can cause your browser to operate slower than usual.
You should regularly delete history to keep your web browsing private, free up disk space and optimize your computer's performance. But deleting history tracks is a tedious and time consuming task.
Contents
How to Delete Internet browsing history
A good internet browser should allow you to clear your browsing history. A lot of internet browsers are available today, and each of them has its specific measure of flexibility when it comes to deleting browsing history. Be that as it may, each of them makes provision for clearing or deleting browsing history.
Some browsers allow you to browse incognito, which means they will not store your browsing history while you are surfing the internet; not all internet browsers have this feature though. The method to be followed for deleting or clearing browsing history differs from one type of internet browser to another. Be that as it may, the method seems similar for both the mobile and desktop versions of these browsers; there may be one or two changes here and there.
Continue reading to find out how you can clear your browsing history on the major internet browsers available today.
Internet Explorer
- From the Menu, click on the Favourite button
- Next, click on the history tab, then choose how you want to view the history by choosing Filter from the Menu. The list of sites will then be presented to you
- You can then right-select any of the sites you want to delete if you prefer to delete just some of the history.
- Afterward, click on Delete
- If you are having Internet Explorer 10 or 11, click on the Tool button, then click on Safety, then click on Delete.
- In Internet Explorer 9, click on Tools, then on Internet Options, then click on Delete under the Browsing History.
- If you are browsing with Internet Explorer 8, on the other hand, click on the Safety menu, then click on Delete Browsing History, then click on Delete.
Also, you can set Internet Explorer to delete browsing history automatically each time you close the browser. This can be done via the steps below:
- Click on Delete Browsing History on Exit
- Then click on the box against Delete.
Edge
- Click on Hub
- Then select History
- Next, select Clear all history
- Then, select the particular type of data to delete. Afterward, press Clear.
Are you using Cortana and want to delete browsing history stored in the cloud?
- Then click on Change what Microsoft Edge knows about me in the cloud.
- Next, click on Clear browsing history
After this, the URL of the websites you have visited will be deleted, along with the time and date in which you visited those sites. If you want, it can also delete your download history. The steps described above can also be used to delete your form data, passwords, media licenses, pop-up exceptions, cached data and files, cookies and saved website data, etc.
Mozilla
- First of all, visit the history panel on the browser.
- Then click on Clear browsing history, which can be found on the history panel
- Next, click on Ok for confirmation
The steps above will clear the entire browsing history. To clear specific items on your browsing history, follow the steps below
- Click on the Menu button. This can be located on the top-right or below the browsing screen on some devices
- Then, click on Settings. At times, you may need to click on More first.
- Afterward, click on Privacy, then Clear now.
- Next, you can mark the box against any of the items you want to clear off.
- Afterward, click on Clear data.
Aside from the methods described above, you can also delete items from Mozilla automatically; you can see the device to delete your browsing history immediately you close the browser. When you make such a setting, it will delete your saved password, search history, browsing history and bookmarks. Follow the steps below to do that
- Click on the Menu button; remember that it can be located at the top-right or lower part of the browser, depending on your device type.
- Next, click on Settings, which may require that you click on More first.
- Then, click on Privacy. Next, check the box next to "Always clear when quitting."
- A pop-up box will show up, in which you can select the particular type of data or information you would like to get deleted each time you close your browser.
- Next, select Set. This way, Mozilla Firefox will delete your selected browsing history each time you close the browser.
Google Chrome
Google Chrome saves the browsing data on your device for the past 90 days. It is programmed not to store pages from any secure website or pages you have visited via incognito mode. Any page you delete will also not be shown.
- Open Google Chrome on your computer
- Then click on More at the top right part of the browser.
- Next, click on History
- Click on Clear browsing data located on the left part of the screen, after which a box will come up.
- Then, select the duration of history you want to delete from the drop-down menu in that box. If you prefer o clear everything, you can click on the beginning of time.
- A list of browsing data type will be presented to you, from which you can choose the particular form you want to delete.
- Afterward, click on Clear browsing data.
To delete an item from your history, you can follow the steps below:
- Click on History by first clicking on the More tab located on the top right of the browser.
- Click on the box next to the items you prefer to delete.
- Then click on Delete located at the top right of the screen
- Next, click on Remove to confirm the delete action.
You can also remove images the sites you visit, open a new tab and point to the image you want to remove, after which you should click on Remove.
You can browse privately without the device saving the websites you visit; this is possible by browsing with incognito mode.
Opera
Open the browser and click on Menu from the main window
- Then, click on Tools, and next History
- Next, a window will open; click on History
- Next, select Clear
- A window will pop-up containing information warning you that you are about to clear your browsing history; you will also be asked to confirm if you want to continue with the process.
- If so, press Yes, which will delete your browsing history
- While browsing, certain files might have been downloaded on your device too. You can also delete those files to free some memory space on your device. This method works for both mobile and desktop versions of Opera browser.
Safari
- First of all, launch the Safari browser on your device
- Look for the back and forward buttons on the toolbar, then tap and hold the back button
- This will bring up the entire browsing you have opened recently
- Next, click on the Bookmarks button, which can be found on the toolbar.
- Then, select the Bookmark icon located on the upper left corner of the browser
- Next, tap on the History menu, and this will bring up your entire search history from all the open tabs.
- On the History menu, click on Clear, then select those items you want to clear. You can decide to clear your data in the past 48 hours or one hour. You can also choose to clear all the recorded history.
How to View and Clear Google Search History
Google has a tool that stores the searches and activity we do on all google applications. There you can view and erase individual items or all the activity. Check in the article how google history my activity works
If you are interested in manage google history check the article about How to Clear Google Search History on Android
YouTube
Another option is here where you can see how to view and clear Youtube Watch and Search History
If you find this article useful please share this page in your favorite social networks to help me. Thanks in advance.