Clear your Safari history in three steps
Open Safari, tap the book icon at the bottom of the screen, then tap the clock icon labeled "History." Scroll to the bottom and tap "Clear History and Website Data." Choose how far back you want to clear — the last hour, today, today and yesterday, or all time — then tap "Clear History."
That's the fastest way. If you want Safari to delete your history automatically every time you close the app, you can turn that on in Settings instead. Both methods work the same way on all iPad models running current versions of iOS.
Key Takeaways
- You can clear your entire Safari history at once by opening the app, tapping the book icon, then the clock icon, scrolling down, and selecting "Clear History and Website Data."
- When you clear history, you can choose to delete just the last hour, today, today and yesterday, or everything Safari has recorded.
- Clearing history also removes saved passwords and cookies from websites you've visited, which may log you out of accounts.
- You can set Safari to automatically clear your history every time you close the app by going to Settings > Safari and turning on "Clear History and Website Data."
- Private browsing mode prevents Safari from saving history in the first place, so nothing gets recorded while that mode is on.
What happens when you clear your history
Clearing history removes three things at once: your browsing history (the list of websites you visited), cookies (small files websites use to remember you), and saved passwords. When you clear all three, websites you were logged into will log you out, and you'll have to sign back in the next time you visit.
If you only want to remove your history without logging out of accounts, that's not possible in Safari — the app doesn't give you the option to clear history alone. You either clear everything together or keep everything. This is different from some other browsers, so it's worth knowing before you hit the button.
How to set Safari to clear history automatically
If you want Safari to delete your history every time you close the app, go to Settings on your iPad home screen. Scroll down and tap Safari. Look for the option that says "Clear History and Website Data" and toggle it on. From that point forward, Safari will erase your history, cookies, and passwords the moment you close the app completely.
This setting only works when you fully close Safari — swiping it away from the app switcher counts as closing it. If you just switch to another app and come back, your history stays. This is useful if you share your iPad with others or want a fresh start each time you use Safari, but it means you won't be able to see your browsing history later.
Using Private Browsing to avoid saving history
Private Browsing mode stops Safari from recording your history in the first place. Open Safari, tap the tabs icon (two overlapping squares) at the bottom right, then tap "Private" in the bottom left corner. The address bar will turn dark, and any websites you visit while in Private mode won't show up in your history.
Private Browsing also prevents Safari from saving cookies and autofill information, so websites won't remember you between visits. You can switch between Private and regular browsing by tapping the tabs icon and toggling Private on or off. Keep in mind that your internet provider and the websites you visit can still see your activity — Private Browsing only hides it from other people using your iPad.
Clearing history from specific websites only
Safari doesn't let you delete history from just one website at a time. You can only clear everything from a certain time period, or turn on automatic clearing for all history. If you want to hide that you visited one specific site, your only option is to clear all history from the time period that includes that visit.
If you regularly need to hide visits to certain websites, Private Browsing mode is a better choice. Open a Private tab, visit the websites you want to keep off your history, then close the Private tab when you're done. Those visits won't be recorded at all, and you can keep your regular browsing history intact.
Troubleshooting when history won't clear
If you tap "Clear History and Website Data" and your history still appears afterward, make sure you waited for the action to complete. Sometimes it takes a few seconds, especially if you have years of history stored. Close Safari completely and reopen it to see if the history is actually gone.
If history keeps reappearing after you clear it, check whether you've turned on automatic clearing in Settings. If that's on, Safari might be re-recording your history as you browse. Also check whether you're signed into iCloud and have Safari history syncing turned on — if you are, clearing history on your iPad will also clear it on your other Apple devices, and vice versa. To turn off syncing, go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud and toggle Safari off.
Clearing cache and website data separately
When you tap "Clear History and Website Data," you're clearing three things together: history, cookies, and cached files (temporary files websites store to load faster). Safari doesn't give you the option to clear just one of these. Some other browsers let you pick and choose, but Safari treats them as a package deal.
If you want to free up storage space on your iPad, clearing this data will help — cached files can add up over time. But if you're only trying to hide your browsing from someone else, remember that clearing data also logs you out of websites and removes saved passwords, which might be inconvenient if you use your iPad alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does clearing history delete my saved passwords?
Yes. When you clear history and website data in Safari, it removes your saved passwords along with everything else. You'll need to enter your passwords again the next time you visit those websites. If you want to keep your passwords but clear your history, Safari doesn't offer that option — you have to clear both together.
Can I recover history after I clear it?
No. Once you clear your Safari history, it's gone permanently. There's no undo button or recovery option. If you think you might need to remember a website you visited, write down the address or bookmark it before you clear your history.
Will clearing Safari history on my iPad clear it on my iPhone too?
Only if you're signed into the same iCloud account and have Safari syncing turned on. If you are, clearing history on one device clears it on all your devices. To stop this, go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud and turn off Safari syncing on each device where you want to keep separate history.
What's the difference between clearing history and using Private Browsing?
Clearing history removes what Safari has already recorded. Private Browsing stops Safari from recording anything in the first place. If you want to browse without leaving a record, use Private Browsing before you visit websites. If you've already browsed normally and want to erase the record, clear your history afterward.
Why does Safari log me out of websites when I clear history?
Websites use cookies to remember who you are. When you clear history and website data, Safari deletes those cookies, so websites no longer know it's you. The next time you visit, the website treats you as a new visitor and asks you to log in again.