Where to find and clear your browser history
The steps to clear your history depend on which browser you use. Most Android phones come with Chrome, but you might also have Firefox, Samsung Internet, or another browser installed. Open whichever browser you want to clear, then look for a menu button — usually three vertical dots in the top right corner.
Tap that menu, then look for "History" or "Settings." From there, you'll find an option to clear browsing data. Chrome calls it "Clear browsing data," while Firefox calls it "Clear private data." The exact wording varies, but the concept is the same across all browsers.
When you tap the clear option, a dialog box appears asking what time range you want to clear. You can choose "Last hour," "Last 24 hours," "Last 7 days," "Last 4 weeks," or "All time." Below that, checkboxes let you choose what types of data to delete — usually browsing history, cookies, cached images, and files.
Key Takeaways
- Open your browser, tap the menu button (three dots), and select History or Settings to find the clear data option.
- You can clear data from the last hour, last day, last week, last month, or all time — you don't have to delete everything.
- Checkboxes let you choose whether to delete only history, or also cookies, cached data, and saved passwords.
- Clearing history in one browser does not affect history in other browsers on the same phone.
Clearing history in Chrome
Chrome is the default browser on most Android phones. To clear your history, open Chrome and tap the three-dot menu in the top right. Scroll down and tap "History," then tap "Clear browsing data" at the top of the screen.
A window appears with a time range dropdown at the top. Select how far back you want to clear. Below that, you'll see checkboxes for "Cookies and site data," "Cached images and files," and "Browsing history." Make sure "Browsing history" is checked, then tap "Clear data" at the bottom. Chrome will delete your history within seconds.
Clearing history in Firefox
Firefox stores history separately from Chrome. Open Firefox and tap the three-line menu button at the bottom right of the screen. Tap "Settings," then scroll down and tap "Delete browsing data."
You'll see checkboxes for "Browsing history," "Cookies," "Cached images and files," and other data types. Check the boxes for what you want to delete, then tap "Delete browsing data" at the bottom. Firefox will clear your selections immediately.
Clearing history in Samsung Internet
If you use Samsung Internet (the default browser on Samsung phones), tap the three-dot menu at the bottom right. Tap "Settings," then tap "Privacy." Scroll down and tap "Delete browsing data."
A dialog appears with options for what to delete. Check "Browsing history" and any other data you want removed, then tap "Delete." You can also set Samsung Internet to clear your history automatically every time you close the browser — look for "Clear browsing data on exit" in the Privacy settings and toggle it on.
What gets deleted and what stays
When you clear your browsing history, you remove the list of websites you've visited. However, clearing history does not sign you out of websites or delete your saved passwords — those are stored separately. If you want to remove saved passwords, you need to go into your browser's password settings and delete them individually.
Cookies and cached data are separate from history. Cookies remember your login information and preferences on websites. Cached data stores images and files from websites so they load faster next time. You can delete these at the same time you clear history, or leave them alone. Clearing cookies will sign you out of most websites, while clearing cache just frees up storage space.
Clearing history in one browser does not affect the other browsers on your phone. If you use both Chrome and Firefox, you need to clear history in each one separately.
Setting up automatic history clearing
Most Android browsers let you set them to clear history automatically. In Chrome, open the menu, tap "Settings," then tap "Privacy and security." Look for "Clear browsing data" and toggle on "Delete browsing data on exit." From then on, Chrome will clear your history every time you close the app completely.
Firefox has a similar option. Go to Settings, tap "Privacy," then look for "Delete browsing data on quit" and toggle it on. Samsung Internet also offers this feature in Privacy settings under "Clear browsing data on exit."
Keep in mind that automatic clearing happens only when you fully close the browser app — minimizing it to the home screen does not trigger the clearing. You need to swipe it away from your recent apps or force close it.
Clearing search history from Google
Your browser history is separate from your Google Search history. If you search on Google.com through your browser, those searches are stored in your Google account, not just on your phone. Clearing your browser history will not remove them.
To clear your Google Search history, open a browser and go to myactivity.google.com. Sign in with your Google account if prompted. You'll see a list of everything you've searched for and every website you've visited through Google. You can delete individual items or delete everything from a specific date range. This clears the history from your Google account across all devices, not just your phone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does clearing history delete my saved passwords?
No. Passwords are stored separately from history. When you clear browsing data, you can choose to delete cookies (which sign you out of websites) but your saved passwords remain unless you delete them manually in your browser's password settings.
Will clearing history on my phone affect my history on other devices?
Only if you use the same browser account across devices. If you're signed into Chrome on both your phone and computer, clearing history on your phone may sync across devices depending on your sync settings. To check, open your browser settings and look for "Sync" or "Account" options.
Can I recover history after I delete it?
Once you clear your browsing history, it cannot be recovered from your phone. However, if you're signed into a Google account, your Google Search history may still be stored at myactivity.google.com even after you clear your browser history.
What's the difference between clearing history and clearing cache?
History is the list of websites you visited. Cache is the temporary files (images, scripts, data) that websites store on your phone to load faster. Clearing cache frees up storage space but does not hide where you've been. Clearing history hides your browsing activity but does not free up much storage.
Why would I clear history from only the last 24 hours instead of all time?
Clearing a shorter time range lets you remove recent browsing without losing older history you might need. For example, you might clear the last day before someone borrows your phone, but keep older history for your own reference.