Why and how to clear your computer's history

Your computer keeps records of almost everything you do online — which websites you visit, what you search for, files you read, and passwords you enter. It also stores temporary copies of web pages, images, and videos to load them faster next time. Clearing this history frees up storage space, removes traces of your browsing, and can speed up a slow computer by deleting accumulated junk files.

The process differs depending on which web browser you use and what operating system runs your computer. The good news: it takes less than five minutes, and you only need to know where one or two buttons are located.

Key Takeaways

  • Browsing history, cookies, and cached files live in your web browser, not on your computer's main hard drive, so you clear them from within the browser itself.
  • Each browser — Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge — has its own history menu, but they all work the same way: open settings, find the privacy or history section, and select what time period to clear.
  • Clearing your browser history does not delete files you downloaded and saved to your computer; it only removes the record that you visited certain websites.
  • Windows and Mac computers also store temporary system files separate from browser history, and clearing those can recover gigabytes of storage space.
  • You can set your browser to automatically delete history every time you close it, so you do not have to remember to clear it manually.

Clearing history in Chrome

Open Chrome and look for the three vertical dots in the top right corner of the window. Click those dots, then scroll down and click "Settings." On the left side, click "Privacy and security," then click "Clear browsing data."

A box will appear asking what time period you want to clear. At the top, you will see a dropdown menu that says "All time," "Last hour," "Last 24 hours," "Last 7 days," "Last 4 weeks," or "Last 90 days." Select whichever period you want. Below that, checkboxes let you choose what to delete: "Cookies and other site data," "Cached images and files," and "Browsing history" are usually checked by default. Leave them checked unless you have a reason not to, then click "Clear data."

Clearing history in Firefox

Open Firefox and click the three horizontal lines (called a hamburger menu) in the top right corner. Click "Settings," then on the left side click "Privacy & Security." Scroll down to the section labeled "Cookies and Site Data" and click "Clear Data."

A small window appears. Make sure both "Cookies and Site Data" and "Cached Web Content" are checked, then click "Clear." If you want to clear your browsing history as well, go back to the main Privacy & Security page, scroll up to "History," click the dropdown next to "Firefox will," and select "Never remember history." Then click "Clear Recent History" and choose your time period.

Clearing history in Safari

Open Safari and click "Safari" in the menu bar at the very top of your screen (not inside the browser window). Click "Clear History," and a dropdown menu will appear asking how far back you want to clear: "the last hour," "today," "today and yesterday," or "all history." Select your choice and click "Clear History."

This clears your browsing history but not cached files. To clear those as well, click "Safari" again, then "Preferences," then the "Privacy" tab. Click "Manage Website Data," select all the entries, and click "Remove."

Clearing history in Microsoft Edge

Open Edge and click the three dots in the top right corner. Click "Settings," then on the left side click "Privacy, search, and services." Under "Clear browsing data," click "Choose what to clear." A window appears with checkboxes for "Browsing history," "read history," "Cookies and other site data," and "Cached images and files." Leave all of these checked, select your time period from the dropdown at the top, and click "Clear now."

Edge also lets you set automatic clearing. In the same Privacy section, look for "Clear browsing data" and toggle on "Choose what to clear every time you close the browser." This way you do not have to remember to clear manually — Edge handles it for you each time you shut down the process.

Deleting temporary files on Windows

Windows stores temporary files in a folder called "Temp" that most people never see. These files can add up to several gigabytes over time. To delete them, press the Windows key and the letter R at the same time. A small box called "Run" will appear. Type %temp% and press Enter. A folder window opens showing all your temporary files.

Select all the files in this folder by pressing Ctrl and A at the same time, then press Delete. Windows will ask you to confirm; click "Yes." Some files may be locked and cannot be deleted — that is normal, just skip those. After you finish, you can also empty your Recycle Bin to permanently remove the deleted files. Right-click the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop and click "Empty Recycle Bin."

Deleting temporary files on Mac

Mac stores temporary files in a hidden Library folder. To access it, open Finder and click "Go" in the menu bar at the top. Hold down the Option key on your keyboard and click "Library" — it only appears when you hold Option. Navigate to Library > Caches. This folder contains temporary files from your applications and web browser.

You can safely delete most files in the Caches folder, though some applications may need to rebuild them the next time they run. Select the files you want to delete, press Command and Delete, then empty the Trash. If you are not sure whether a file is safe to delete, you can leave it — clearing your browser history alone will recover most of the space you need. Start with just the browser cache folders if you want to be cautious.

Setting your browser to auto-delete history

If you want your browser to delete history automatically every time you close it, you can turn on this setting in most browsers. In Chrome, go to Settings > Privacy and security > Clear cookies and site data when you quit Chrome and toggle it on. In Firefox, go to Settings > Privacy & Security, scroll to History, and select "Never remember history" from the dropdown. In Safari, go to Preferences > Privacy and check "Remove history items" and select how often (daily, weekly, or monthly).

Once this is turned on, you do not have to think about it — your browser handles the cleanup for you. This is especially useful if you share your computer with other people or use it in a public place. The downside is that you will be logged out of most websites when you close the browser, since cookies are deleted along with the history.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will deleting my history log me out of websites?

Deleting browsing history alone will not log you out. However, if you also delete cookies (which most people do when clearing history), you will be logged out of most websites. You will need to log back in the next time you visit them. This is actually a security feature — it prevents someone else from accessing your accounts if they use your computer.

Can I recover history after I delete it?

Once you delete browsing history from your browser, it is gone from your computer. However, your internet service provider and the websites you visited may still have records on their own servers. If you need to find a website you visited, you can search your email for confirmation messages or receipts, or check your bank or credit card statements for transaction records.

Does clearing my cache make my computer faster?

Clearing cached files can free up storage space, which may help if your hard drive is almost full. However, it will not make your computer noticeably faster in everyday use. Cached files are actually meant to speed things up by loading pages faster, so clearing them might make websites load slightly slower the first time you visit them after clearing.

What is the difference between history and cookies?

Browsing history is a list of websites you visited. Cookies are small files that websites store on your computer to remember information about you — like your login details or items in your shopping cart. Deleting history removes the list of sites, but deleting cookies removes the stored information itself, which is why you get logged out when you clear both.

Is it safe to delete files from the Temp folder?

Yes, it is safe to delete most files from the Temp folder. These are temporary files that applications create while running and should clean up after themselves. If a file is locked and will not delete, Windows or Mac is using it, so leave it alone. You can safely ignore locked files and delete everything else.