Delete your history in Safari, Chrome, or Firefox in under a minute
Your iPad stores a record of every website you visit, every search you make, and every file you download. Clearing this history removes that record from your device. The steps differ slightly depending on which browser you use, but all three major browsers — Safari, Chrome, and Firefox — let you delete history from their settings menu in about 30 seconds.
You can delete all your history at once, or pick a specific time range like the last hour or the last day. You can also clear just your search history while keeping your browsing history, or vice versa. The choice is yours, and the process works the same way each time.
Key Takeaways
- Safari, Chrome, and Firefox all store your browsing history, and each one has a dedicated menu to clear it.
- You can delete all history at once or choose a specific time range like the last hour, day, week, or month.
- Clearing history removes the record from your device but does not affect your saved passwords or autofill information unless you specifically choose to clear those too.
- If you use iCloud to sync your iPad with other Apple devices, clearing history on your iPad will also clear it on those devices.
How to clear history in Safari
Open Safari and tap the book icon at the bottom of the screen (on iPad in landscape mode, it is at the top right). Tap History at the bottom of the menu that appears. At the very bottom, tap Clear History.
A popup will ask you to choose a time range. Your options are the last hour, today, today and yesterday, or all time. Pick the one you want and tap Clear History again to confirm. That is it — your history is gone.
If you want to clear other data at the same time — like cookies, cached files, or autofill information — go to Settings instead. Tap Safari, scroll down, and tap Clear History and Website Data. This clears everything Safari has stored, not just your history. You cannot choose a time range this way; it clears all of it.
How to clear history in Chrome
Open Chrome and tap the three-dot menu icon in the bottom right corner. Tap History, then tap Clear Browsing Data at the top of the screen.
A popup will appear with options. Make sure Browsing History is checked. At the top, tap the dropdown that says All time and choose your time range: Last hour, Last 24 hours, Last 7 days, Last 4 weeks, or All time. Then tap Clear Browsing Data to finish.
By default, Chrome also clears cookies and cached images when you do this. If you want to keep those and delete only your history, uncheck the boxes next to Cookies and site data and Cached images and files before you tap the final button.
How to clear history in Firefox
Open Firefox and tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) at the bottom right. Tap Settings, then tap Privacy. Scroll down and tap Clear Private Data.
A popup will show you what Firefox is about to delete. Make sure Browsing & Download History is checked. Then tap Clear Private Data to remove it. Firefox clears all your history at once; there is no option to pick a time range like Safari and Chrome offer.
If you want to clear only your search history and not your browsing history, or vice versa, you will need to use Firefox's full settings instead. Go back to Settings, tap Privacy, and look for Clear Private Data options there. The menu is less straightforward than the quick method, but it gives you more control over what gets deleted.
What gets deleted and what stays
Clearing your history removes the list of websites you have visited and the searches you have typed into the address bar. It does not touch your saved passwords, usernames, or autofill information — those stay on your device unless you specifically delete them separately.
If you use iCloud to sync your iPad with an iPhone, Mac, or other Apple device, clearing history on your iPad will also clear it from those devices. This happens automatically if you have iCloud syncing turned on. If you do not want this to happen, turn off iCloud syncing for Safari before you clear your history, then turn it back on afterward.
Clearing history also does not delete files you have downloaded. If you downloaded a PDF or image and want to remove that too, you will need to find it in your Files app or in the app where you saved it, and delete it manually.
Clear history automatically on a schedule
If you want your iPad to clear history without you having to do it manually, you can set it up to happen automatically. In Safari, go to Settings, tap Safari, and scroll down to Clear History and Website Data. Tap it and choose On App Exit. Now Safari will delete your history every time you close the app.
Chrome and Firefox do not have built-in automatic clearing on the same schedule, but both let you set a preference for what happens when you close the app. In Chrome, go to Settings, tap Privacy, and turn on Clear Browsing Data. In Firefox, go to Settings, tap Privacy, and look for the option to clear data on exit. The exact wording varies depending on your iPad's iOS version.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does clearing history delete my saved passwords?
No. Clearing history removes only the list of websites you visited and searches you made. Your saved passwords, usernames, and payment information stay on your device. If you want to delete those too, you have to do it separately through your browser's password settings.
Will clearing history on my iPad clear it on my iPhone too?
Only if you use iCloud to sync Safari between devices. If iCloud syncing is on, clearing history on one device clears it on all of them. If you do not want this, turn off iCloud syncing for Safari before you clear history, then turn it back on afterward.
Can I delete history from just one website instead of all of it?
Safari and Chrome let you delete individual entries. In Safari, open History, swipe left on a website name, and tap Delete. In Chrome, open History, swipe left on an entry, and tap the trash icon. Firefox does not have this feature; you can only clear all history or none.
What is the difference between clearing history and clearing cookies?
History is the list of websites you visited. Cookies are small files websites store on your device to remember your login information and preferences. Clearing history does not clear cookies unless you specifically choose to. Clearing cookies does not clear your history.
If I clear my history, can someone still see what websites I visited?
Clearing history removes the record from your iPad, but it does not hide your activity from your internet service provider or from the websites themselves. If you want more privacy while browsing, use your browser's private or incognito mode instead, which does not store history in the first place.