How do i clear all browsing history

As you browse the Internet, most web page data is cached locally on your computer to help pages load faster, and to reduce the amount of data transferred over your Internet connection.

To help keep your browsing history private, and to free up disk space on your computer, you can clear your local browsing history. Select your Internet browser from the following list to get started.

Note

Once the history is deleted on your computer, it cannot be recovered.

• Microsoft Edge
• Microsoft Edge Legacy
• Mozilla Firefox
• Google Chrome
• Google Chrome on Android
• Google Chrome on iOS
• Opera
• Safari
• Safari on iOS
• Amazon Kindle Fire
• Microsoft Internet Explorer
• Netscape Navigator
• Additional Tips

Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge is the default browser that comes with Windows 10. It replaced what Microsoft is now calling "Edge Legacy" in January 2020.

• View Edge history
• Clear Edge history

View Edge history

1. Open the Microsoft Edge browser.
2. Click the Settings and more icon
   
   in the upper-right corner of the browser window.
3. In the drop-down menu, select History.

1. Select Manage history from the side menu.

Tip

Microsoft Edge users can also use the shortcut key combination Ctrl+H to open and view their browsing history.

Clear Edge history

1. Open the Microsoft Edge browser.
2. Click the Settings and more icon
   
   in the upper-right corner of the browser window.
3. In the drop-down menu, near the bottom, select Settings.

1. Under the Settings section on the left, click Privacy, search, and services.

1. Near the top of the Privacy, search, and services window, under the Clear browsing data section, click the Choose what to clear button.

1. In the prompt that appears, make sure the box next to Browser history is checked, then click the Clear now button.

Microsoft Edge Legacy

Microsoft Edge Legacy was the default browser in Windows 10, replacing Internet Explorer on new computers. However, in January 2020, it was replaced by a new version of Edge.

• View Edge Legacy history
• Clear Edge Legacy history

View your Edge Legacy browsing history

In a Microsoft Edge Legacy browser window, open the history menu using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+H. You can also access this menu with the following steps:

1. Click the Hub
   
   button in the upper-right corner of the window.
2. Click the History
   
   icon to open the history menu.

This menu lets you view the pages you've visited in chronological order.

Clear your Edge Legacy browsing history

1. Open the history menu as described above.
2. Click Clear history.
3. Check the box next to each type of data you want to clear. Browsing history is the first item listed, so make sure this is checked.
4. Click Show more for additional options. Select all you want to clear.
5. Click Clear to erase the selected data.
6. If you want the selected items to be cleared automatically when you close your browser, set Always clear this when I close the browser to On.
7. When you're done, click the Hub
   
   button.

Mozilla Firefox

There are several ways to view and edit your history in Firefox.

• View Firefox history
• Clear Firefox history

View your browsing history in Firefox

1. If you do not have a custom homepage set, you can click the view history, saved bookmarks, and more button in any browsing window. You may also press Ctrl+H.

1. Or you can always view your browsing history in the History sidebar. Open it by pressing Alt to show the menu bar, then choosing View → Sidebar → History.

1. You can also open your browsing history in the Firefox Library. To open this view, press Alt to show the menu bar, then choose History → Show All History. The keyboard shortcut for this view is Ctrl+Shift+H. When viewing your history here, you can highlight individual pages in your history and press Del to delete them. Right-click any item for more options.

Clear your browsing history in Firefox

1. Click the hamburger menu
   
   button.
2. Select Settings from the drop-down menu.
3. Click the Privacy & Security option in the left navigation pane.
4. In the History section, click the Clear History button.
5. In the Clear Recent History window, change the Time range to clear option to desired time frame.
6. Click the Clear Now button to clear browsing history data for the selected time frame.

You can also access this menu using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Del.

Google Chrome

• View Chrome history
• Clear Chrome history

View your browsing history in Chrome

1. In any Chrome window, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+H, or navigate to the URL chrome://history.

1. Or, click the Menu
   
   button, which is located near the top-right side of the browser window, and choose History, then History again.

Clear your browsing history in Chrome

1. Click the Menu button
   
   , choose More tools and then Clear browsing data. Or, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Del.

1. Select what data you'd like to clear from your history using the drop-down menu and check the appropriate boxes.

When you're ready to clear your history, click Clear data.

Google Chrome on Android phone or tablet

Viewing and deleting history

1. Open the Google Chrome browser on your Android phone or tablet.
2. Tap the More
   
   menu icon in the top-right corner of the screen next to the address bar.
3. In the drop-down menu, tap History.
4. Tap Clear browsing data... at the bottom of the screen.
5. Select the appropriate boxes.
6. Tap the Clear browsing data button.

Google Chrome on iPhone or iPad

1. Open the Google Chrome browser on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap the More
   
   menu icon in the top-right corner of the screen next to the address bar.
3. In the drop-down menu, tap History.
4. Tap Clear browsing data... at the bottom of the screen.
5. Select the appropriate boxes.
6. Tap the Clear browsing data button.

Opera

The Opera browser has a very straightforward interface for viewing and editing your history.

• View Opera history
• Clear Opera history

View your browsing history in Opera

In an Opera browser window, click the Opera menu button

Clear your browsing history in Opera

1. Open the History tab as described above and click Clear browsing data...
2. In the Obliterate the following items from drop-down menu, choose how far back in time you want to clear your history. To clear everything, choose the beginning of time.
3. Check the boxes next to the specific types of history you want to clear.
4. Click Clear browsing data.

Safari

Safari is the default web browser on Apple's macOS and iOS operating systems. Although it was previously available for Microsoft Windows, as of 2012, Apple no longer supports Safari on Windows.

• View Safari history.
• Clear Safari history.

View your browsing history in Safari

1. Open the Safari browser.
2. Click the History menu at the top of the screen. The menu lists recent pages from your browsing history, which you can navigate to by clicking them. To edit your history or view it in detail, click Show All History.

Clear your browsing history in Safari

1. Open the Show All History view. To delete individual history items, right-click them and select Delete, or press Delete to clear selected history items.
2. To clear everything, click Clear History.

1. Use the drop-down menu to choose how far back to delete your history.
2. Click Clear History.

Safari on iPhone and iPad

View or delete your browsing history on iOS

1. Open the Safari browser on your mobile device.
2. Scroll up until you see the address bar at the top of the screen and a toolbar on the bottom.
3. On the toolbar at the bottom, tap the fourth icon from the left that looks like a book.
4. Tap the History icon, which looks like a clock.
5. Tap Clear in the lower-right corner of the screen.

Amazon Kindle Fire

View your browsing history on a Kindle Fire

1. Open the Silk browser.
2. Tap the menu
   
   icon.
3. Select History from the drop-down menu that appears.

Clear your history, cache, or cookies

1. Open the Silk browser.
2. Tap the menu
   
   icon.
3. Select Settings from the drop-down menu that appears.
4. Tap Privacy.
5. In the Privacy section, tap the CLEAR BROWSING DATA button.

Tip

Below the CLEAR BROWSING DATA button are options with a checkbox next to them. They include Browsing history, Cache, Cookies, Site data, Saved passwords, and Autofill data. You can use these to clear specific cached data. Once you've made your selections, tap Clear at the bottom of the menu.

Microsoft Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer was Microsoft's Internet browser until 2015, when it was replaced by Microsoft Edge. If you are still using Internet Explorer on your computer, you can use the following steps to view or clear your browsing history.

• View Internet Explorer history
• Clear Internet Explorer history
• Older versions

Warning

Security updates are no longer provided for Internet Explorer, as Microsoft ended support on June 15, 2020. To ensure your browser is secure when browsing the Internet, we recommend using a different browser.

View your browsing history in Internet Explorer

Press Ctrl+H in any Internet Explorer browser window to view your history.

Clear your browsing history in Internet Explorer

1. Open an Internet Explorer browser window.
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+Del to open the Delete Browsing History window.
3. Check the boxes of the data you want to clear.
4. Click Delete.

View your browsing history (IE 7 and above)

1. In a Microsoft Internet Explorer browser window, click Tools
   
   in the upper-right corner.
2. Select Internet Options from the drop-down menu.

1. In the General tab, under Browsing history, click the Settings button.
2. On the Temporary Internet Files tab, click the View Files button.

Clear your browsing history (IE 7 and above)

1. Open a Microsoft Internet Explorer browser window.
2. Click Tools
   
   in the upper-right corner.
3. Select Internet Options from the drop-down menu.
4. On the General tab, in the Browsing history section, click the Delete button.
5. Check the boxes of the data you want to clear.
6. Click Delete.

View your browsing history (IE 6)

1. Open a Microsoft Internet Explorer browser window.
2. In the toolbar at the top of the screen, click Tools.
3. In the Tools drop-down menu, select Internet Options.
4. Click the Settings button.
5. Click the View Files button.

Clear your browsing history (IE 6)

1. Open a Microsoft Internet Explorer browser window.
2. In the toolbar at the top of the screen, click the Tools menu.
3. In the Tools drop-down menu, select Internet Options.
4. Click the Clear Browser History button.
5. Click the Delete Files button.
6. Click OK.

Clear your browsing history (IE 4)

1. Open a Microsoft Internet Explorer browser window.
2. Click the History icon.
3. Click Clear Internet History.
4. Click OK.

Clear your browsing history (IE 3 and below)

1. Open a Microsoft Internet Explorer browser window.
2. In the toolbar, click the View menu.
3. Click Options.
4. Open the Advanced tab.
5. Click the Settings tab.
6. Click the Empty Folder button.

Netscape

View your browsing history in Netscape Navigator

1. Open a Netscape Navigator browser window.
2. From the toolbar, click Edit, Preferences, History.
3. Locate the folder that Netscape is storing your files.
4. Double-click this folder within Explorer to view your browser history.

Clear your browsing history in Netscape Navigator

1. Open a Netscape Navigator browser window.
2. From the toolbar, click Edit, Preferences, History.
3. Click the Clear History button.

Additional Tips

If you clear your Internet browser history often, you may want to consider browsing in incognito mode.

Does clearing history delete everything?

Is it better to delete or clear history?