Delete 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 delete — the last hour, today, today and yesterday, or all time — then tap "Clear History".
This removes the list of websites you've visited from Safari's history menu. It also clears your search history, cookies, and cached website data, which are small files websites store on your iPad to load faster next time. Clearing cookies also signs you out of most websites automatically.
If you use a different browser like Chrome or Firefox, the process is similar but the menu locations differ. Chrome uses the three-line menu icon in the bottom right; Firefox uses the three-line menu in the bottom left. Both have a "Clear Browsing Data" or "Clear Private Data" option in their settings.
Key Takeaways
- Safari's history deletion removes your visited websites list, search history, cookies, and cached files in one action.
- You can delete history from the last hour, last day, or all time — you don't have to clear everything at once.
- Clearing cookies signs you out of most websites, so you'll need to log back in afterward.
- Chrome and Firefox on iPad have their own history-clearing menus in different locations than Safari.
- Private browsing mode (Safari's "Private" tab) prevents history from being saved in the first place.
What gets deleted when you clear history
When you tap "Clear History and Website Data" in Safari, you're removing four separate things. Your browsing history is the list of sites you visited. Search history is what you typed into the search bar. Cookies are small files websites place on your iPad to remember you — they store login information, preferences, and tracking data. Cached data is temporary files websites download to your iPad so they load faster the next time you visit.
Clearing all four at once is the most thorough option, but it has a side effect: you'll be logged out of most websites and services. Gmail, Facebook, banking apps accessed through Safari, and subscription sites will all require you to log back in. If you only want to delete history without logging out everywhere, you can use Private browsing mode going forward instead of clearing history retroactively.
Use Private browsing mode to avoid saving history
If you want to browse without creating a history record at all, open Safari and tap the two-overlapping-squares icon at the bottom right. Tap "Private" to switch to a private tab. Anything you do in a private tab — websites visited, searches, logins — won't be saved to your history or cookies.
Private tabs are useful for one-time searches you don't want saved, or for logging into accounts you don't use regularly. However, private browsing doesn't hide your activity from your internet service provider, your network administrator, or the websites you visit. It only hides it from other people who use your iPad and from Safari's own history list.
You can have both regular and private tabs open at the same time. Regular tabs save history normally; private tabs don't. When you close a private tab, nothing from it is saved.
Understand what your iPad stores beyond Safari history
Safari history is only one type of browsing record your iPad keeps. Your iPad also stores a list of websites you've visited in iCloud if you have iCloud Keychain turned on — this syncs your history across your iPad, iPhone, and Mac. You can delete this separately by going to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Manage Storage > Safari, though this requires managing your iCloud account, not just Safari.
Apps that have their own browsers — like Facebook, Twitter, or Gmail — keep their own browsing history separate from Safari. Clearing Safari history won't touch the history inside those apps. You have to clear history within each app individually through its own settings menu.
Your internet service provider and any network you connect to (home WiFi, school WiFi, workplace WiFi) can see which websites you visit regardless of whether you clear Safari history. Clearing history only removes the record from your iPad itself.
Delete history from specific websites only
If you want to remove just one or two websites from your history instead of clearing everything, open Safari and tap the book icon, then the clock icon for History. Find the website you want to delete, swipe left on it, and tap the trash icon. This removes just that one site from your history without affecting cookies, cached data, or other websites.
This approach is useful if you visited something you'd rather not have in your history but don't want to log out of all your accounts. However, if that website set a cookie on your iPad, the cookie remains even after you delete the history entry. To remove the cookie too, you'd need to clear all cookies through the full "Clear History and Website Data" option.
Manage cookies and website data separately
If you want to clear cookies without deleting your entire browsing history, go to Settings > Safari > Advanced > Website Data. You'll see a list of every website that has stored cookies or data on your iPad. You can swipe left on individual sites to delete just their data, or tap "Remove All Website Data" at the bottom to clear everything.
This is useful if you want to stay logged into most sites but remove tracking cookies from specific advertisers or data-collection companies. Many websites list dozens of third-party domains in this menu — these are often analytics or advertising services that track you across multiple websites. Removing their data can reduce cross-site tracking without affecting your ability to use the main website.
Set up automatic history deletion
Safari can delete your history automatically every time you close the app. Go to Settings > Safari and scroll down to "Clear History and Website Data". Tap it and choose "When Closing App". From then on, Safari will delete your history, cookies, and cached data every time you fully close the app — not just when you switch to another app, but when you swipe it away from the app switcher or restart your iPad.
This setting applies to all browsing in Safari, including private tabs. If you turn on this setting, you won't have a history to browse later, and you'll be logged out of websites each time you restart Safari. This is most useful if you share your iPad with others and want to prevent them from seeing where you've been.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does clearing Safari history delete my passwords?
No. Clearing history, cookies, and cached data does not delete saved passwords. Your passwords are stored separately in iCloud Keychain. If you want to remove a saved password, go to Settings > Passwords, find the website, tap Edit, and delete it manually.
Can someone recover my history after I delete it?
Once you delete history from Safari, it's gone from your iPad. However, if you use iCloud Keychain, your browsing history may be synced to your other Apple devices or stored in iCloud backups. To fully remove it, you'd also need to delete it from those devices or turn off iCloud syncing for Safari.
Why am I still logged out of websites after clearing history?
Clearing history also clears cookies, which is what keeps you logged in. When you delete cookies, websites no longer recognize you. You'll need to log back in. If you want to stay logged in, use the Website Data menu in Settings instead of the full "Clear History and Website Data" option.
Does private browsing hide my activity from my WiFi network?
No. Private browsing only hides your activity from Safari's history and from other people using your iPad. Your WiFi network, internet service provider, and the websites you visit can still see where you're going. To hide your activity from your network, you would need a VPN app, which is a separate tool.
What's the difference between clearing history and clearing website data?
History is the list of websites you visited. Website data includes cookies, cached files, and other information websites store on your iPad. You can clear one without the other through the Website Data menu in Settings, but the standard "Clear History and Website Data" button clears both at once.