How to clear browser history depends on which browser you use and what device you're on
Every browser — Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge — stores a record of the websites you visit. Clearing this history removes that record from your device. The steps differ slightly between browsers and between computers and phones, but the process takes less than a minute on any of them.
Most browsers let you clear history, cookies, and cached files all at once, or pick and choose what to delete. You can also set your browser to delete history automatically when you close it, so you don't have to remember to clear it manually.
Key Takeaways
- Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge all have a keyboard shortcut to open the clear history menu: Ctrl+Shift+Delete on Windows and Linux, or Command+Shift+Delete on Mac.
- You can choose to clear history from the last hour, day, week, or all time, and select whether to delete cookies and cached files along with it.
- On phones and tablets, the steps are similar but accessed through the browser's settings menu rather than a keyboard shortcut.
- Setting your browser to clear history automatically when you close it means you won't have to do it manually.
Clearing history in Chrome on Windows and Mac
Open Chrome and press Ctrl+Shift+Delete on Windows, or Command+Shift+Delete on Mac. This opens the "Clear browsing data" window directly.
At the top, choose the time range: "All time" clears everything, while "Last hour," "Last 24 hours," "Last 7 days," and "Last 4 weeks" let you delete only recent history. Below that, checkboxes let you select what to delete. "Cookies and other site data" and "Cached images and files" are usually checked by default along with "Browsing history." Click "Clear data" and it's done.
Clearing history in Firefox on Windows and Mac
Open Firefox and press Ctrl+Shift+Delete on Windows, or Command+Shift+Delete on Mac. The "Clear Recent History" window opens.
Choose your time range from the dropdown menu at the top — "Everything" clears all history, or pick a specific range. Below that, "Details" expands to show checkboxes for what to delete: browsing history, download history, cookies, cache, and more. Check the boxes you want and click "Clear Now."
Clearing history in Safari on Mac
Open Safari and click "History" in the menu bar at the top of the screen. Select "Clear History" from the dropdown.
A small window appears asking how far back to clear: "the last hour," "today," "today and yesterday," or "all history." Pick your range and click "Clear History." Safari doesn't show separate options for cookies or cache — clearing history removes all of them together.
Clearing history in Edge on Windows and Mac
Open Edge and press Ctrl+Shift+Delete on Windows, or Command+Shift+Delete on Mac. The "Clear browsing data" panel opens on the right side of the screen.
Choose your time range from the dropdown at the top. Checkboxes below let you select browsing history, download history, cookies, cached images and files, and other data. Check what you want to delete and click "Clear now."
Clearing history on phones and tablets
On Chrome for Android: Tap the three-line menu icon in the top right corner, then tap "Settings." Go to "Privacy and security" and tap "Clear browsing data." Choose your time range and what to delete, then tap "Clear data."
On Chrome for iPhone or iPad: Tap the three-dot menu icon in the bottom right corner, then tap "Settings." Tap "Privacy" and then "Clear Browsing Data." Choose your time range and what to delete, then tap "Clear Browsing Data" again to confirm.
On Firefox for Android or iPhone: Tap the three-line menu icon, then tap "Settings." Go to "Privacy" and tap "Delete browsing data." Choose what to delete and tap the trash icon to confirm.
On Safari for iPhone or iPad: Go to Settings on your home screen, scroll down and tap "Safari," then tap "Clear History and Website Data." A menu appears asking what to delete — tap your choice to confirm.
Setting your browser to clear history automatically
Chrome: Open Chrome and press Ctrl+Shift+Delete (or Command+Shift+Delete on Mac). At the top of the window, click "On startup" from the dropdown menu. This clears history every time you close and reopen Chrome. You can also check "Cookies and other site data" and "Cached images and files" to delete those automatically too.
Firefox: Open Firefox and press Ctrl+Shift+Delete (or Command+Shift+Delete on Mac). At the top, click the dropdown next to "Time range for clearing" and select "Everything." Then click the dropdown that says "Use custom settings for history" and check "Always clear my private data when Firefox closes." Close the window — Firefox will now clear history on exit.
Safari: Safari doesn't have a built-in automatic clear-on-exit option. You have to clear history manually each time.
Edge: Open Edge and press Ctrl+Shift+Delete (or Command+Shift+Delete on Mac). At the top, click the toggle next to "Clear browsing data" to turn on "Choose what to clear every time you close the browser." Edge will now ask what to delete each time you close it.
What gets deleted when you clear history
Clearing "browsing history" removes the list of websites you've visited from your browser's history menu. This does not delete the websites themselves from the internet, and it does not hide your activity from your internet service provider or your network administrator.
"Cookies" are small files websites store on your device to remember you. Clearing them logs you out of most websites and removes saved preferences like language and theme settings. "Cached images and files" are copies of web pages and images your browser saved to load websites faster next time. Deleting cache frees up storage space but may slow down loading slightly until the cache rebuilds.
Clearing history does not delete files you downloaded, emails, or documents you created. It only removes the record that you visited certain websites.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does clearing browser history hide what I did from my internet provider?
No. Your internet service provider can still see which websites you visited because that information travels through their network. Clearing your browser history only removes the record from your device. If you want to hide your activity from your ISP, you would need to use a VPN (virtual private network), which is a different tool entirely.
Will clearing history log me out of websites?
Clearing history alone does not log you out. However, if you also clear cookies (which most browsers do by default when you clear history), you will be logged out of most websites and will need to sign back in.
Can I recover history after I clear it?
Once you clear history, it is gone from your browser. You cannot recover it from your device. If someone else has access to your internet service provider's records or your network router, they may still be able to see which websites you visited, but your browser itself will have no record.
What's the difference between clearing history and private browsing mode?
Private browsing mode (called "Incognito" in Chrome, "Private Window" in Firefox, and "Private" in Safari) prevents your browser from saving history in the first place. When you close a private window, nothing is saved. Regular browsing saves history unless you clear it manually. Private mode is useful if you want to browse without leaving a record, but it does not hide your activity from your ISP or network administrator.