How to erase your internet history
You can delete your browsing history in any major web browser by opening the history menu and selecting the option to clear your data. The exact steps differ slightly between Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge, but all of them let you choose what time period to delete and what types of data to remove — browsing history, cookies, cached images, and more. Most browsers also let you set them to automatically delete your history when you close the browser.
The reason to do this varies. Some people clear history for privacy on a shared computer. Others want to free up storage space, or they want their browser to stop suggesting websites they no longer visit. Whatever your reason, the process takes less than a minute once you know where to look.
Key Takeaways
- Every major browser has a keyboard shortcut to open the history deletion menu: Ctrl+Shift+Delete on Windows, Command+Shift+Delete on Mac in Chrome and Firefox, and Command+Y then Command+Delete on Mac Safari.
- You can choose to delete history from the last hour, last 24 hours, last 7 days, last 4 weeks, or all time — you do not have to delete everything.
- Clearing history removes your list of visited websites, but does not remove saved passwords unless you specifically check that box.
- You can set your browser to automatically delete history every time you close it, which means you will not have to do this manually.
- Deleting your browser history does not hide your activity from your internet service provider or your network administrator.
Clear history in Google Chrome
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, you will see a dropdown menu that says "All time" or shows a time range. Click it to choose how far back to delete: Last hour, Last 24 hours, Last 7 days, Last 4 weeks, or All time. Below that, you will see checkboxes for what to delete. By default, "Cookies and other site data" and "Cached images and files" are checked along with "Browsing history." Leave these checked unless you have a reason not to. Do not check "Passwords and other sign-in data" unless you want to delete saved passwords — most people do not.
Click the blue "Clear data" button at the bottom right. Chrome will delete your history instantly. You will see a message confirming it is done.
Clear history in Mozilla Firefox
Open Firefox and press Ctrl+Shift+Delete on Windows or Command+Shift+Delete on Mac. This opens the "Clear Recent History" window.
At the top, click the dropdown that says "Time range to clear" and choose Last Hour, Last 2 Hours, Last 4 Hours, Today, or Everything. Below that, make sure "Browsing & Download History" is checked. You will also see options for "Form & Search History," "Cookies," and "Cache." Most people leave all of these checked. Do not check "Active Logins" or "Site Preferences" unless you want to log out of websites or reset how sites behave.
Click the blue "Clear Now" button. Firefox will delete your history right away.
Clear history in Safari
Open Safari. On Mac, click the History menu at the top of the screen, then click Clear History. A small window will pop up asking how far back to delete: the last hour, today, today and yesterday, or all history. Choose what you want and click Clear History.
On iPad or iPhone, open Settings, scroll down and tap Safari, then scroll down and tap Clear History and Website Data. A menu will appear asking what time period to clear. Choose your option and confirm.
Safari's clear function removes browsing history, cookies, and cached data all at once. You cannot pick and choose which types of data to delete the way you can in Chrome or Firefox.
Clear history in Microsoft Edge
Open Edge and press Ctrl+Shift+Delete on Windows. This opens the "Clear browsing data" window. On Mac, press Command+Shift+Delete.
At the top, click the dropdown that says "Time range" and choose Last hour, Last 24 hours, Last 7 days, Last 4 weeks, or All time. Below that, make sure "Browsing history" is checked. You will also see options for "Download history," "Cookies and other site data," and "Cached images and files." Leave these checked unless you have a reason to uncheck them. Do not check "Passwords" unless you want to delete saved passwords.
Click the blue "Clear now" button. Edge will delete your history immediately.
Set your browser to delete history automatically
If you want your browser to delete your history every time you close it, you can turn on this setting instead of clearing manually each time.
In Chrome: Click the three-dot menu in the top right, then Settings. On the left, click Privacy and security, then Clear browsing data. Check the box that says "Clear cookies and other site data when you quit Chrome." You can also check "Clear browsing history when you quit Chrome" if you want history deleted too.
In Firefox: Click the three-line menu in the top right, then Settings. On the left, click Privacy & Security. Scroll down to "Cookies and Site Data" and check the box that says "Delete cookies and site data when Firefox is closed."
In Safari on Mac: Click Safari in the menu bar, then Settings. Click the Privacy tab. Check the box that says "Remove history items" and choose how often from the dropdown: after one day, after one week, after two weeks, or after one month.
In Edge: Click the three-dot menu in the top right, then Settings. On the left, click Privacy, search, and services. Scroll down to "Clear browsing data" and turn on the toggle that says "Choose what to clear every time you close the browser." Then click "Choose what to clear every time you close the browser" below it and check what you want deleted.
What clearing history does and does not do
Clearing your browser history removes the list of websites you have visited from your browser's records. It also removes cookies (small files that websites use to remember you) and cached data (copies of images and files your browser saved to load pages faster). This means websites will not remember your login information, and your browser will not suggest those websites when you start typing in the address bar.
Clearing history does not hide your activity from your internet service provider, your network administrator, or anyone monitoring your network. If someone has access to your router or network logs, they can still see what websites you visited. Clearing history only removes the record from your own computer.
Clearing history also does not delete your Google account history, YouTube watch history, or any data stored in the cloud. Those are separate and require separate steps to delete. If you want to remove those, you will need to go to your account settings on each service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will clearing my history delete my saved passwords?
No, not unless you specifically check the box for passwords when you clear your data. By default, browsers only delete browsing history, cookies, and cached files. Your saved passwords stay in place unless you tell the browser to remove them.
Can I delete history from just one website?
Yes. In Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, you can right-click on any website in your history and select "Delete" or "Remove from history." In Safari, open History from the menu, find the site, and click the X next to it. This removes only that one site from your history without touching anything else.
Does clearing my history speed up my browser?
Slightly, but not much. Clearing cached files and cookies frees up a small amount of storage space on your computer, which can make your browser load a tiny bit faster. The main reason to clear history is privacy or to stop your browser from suggesting old websites, not performance.
What if I accidentally deleted history I wanted to keep?
Once you clear your history, you cannot undo it from within the browser. However, if you deleted it very recently, you might recover it using file recovery software on your computer. For most people, the history is gone permanently, which is why some people prefer to delete only specific sites instead of everything at once.
Does clearing history on my phone work the same way as on my computer?
The steps are similar but slightly different on phones. On Android Chrome, tap the three-dot menu, then History, then Clear browsing data. On iPhone Safari, go to Settings, tap Safari, and tap Clear History and Website Data. The options are the same — you choose a time period and what types of data to delete.