What clearing your history does and why you might want to
Clearing your browser history removes the record of websites you have visited. When you visit a website, your browser stores the address, the date and time you visited, and sometimes a small amount of data from the page itself. This stored information appears in your browser's history menu, in search suggestions when you start typing a web address, and in your browser's autocomplete feature.
You might clear your history to remove this record before someone else uses your device, to free up storage space, or straightforward to keep your browsing private. Clearing history does not delete your passwords, saved payment information, or login sessions — those are stored separately. If you want to remove those as well, your browser has separate options for each.
Key Takeaways
- Clearing history removes the list of websites you visited, but does not delete passwords, saved addresses, or payment methods unless you specifically choose to remove those too.
- The steps to clear history are different in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge, but all browsers let you choose a time range — last hour, last day, all time — rather than clearing everything.
- Clearing history on your device does not affect what your internet service provider or the websites themselves have recorded about your visits.
- If you want privacy without clearing history later, most browsers have a private browsing mode that does not store history while you use it.
How to clear history in Google Chrome
Open Chrome and look for the three vertical dots in the top right corner of the window. Click those dots, then click History, then click History again. This opens your full history page.
On the left side of the screen, you will see Clear browsing data. Click it. A box will pop up with options. At the top, you can choose a time range: Last hour, Last 24 hours, Last 7 days, Last 4 weeks, or All time. Select the range you want.
Below that, you will see checkboxes for what to delete. Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files are usually checked by default along with Browsing history. You can uncheck any of these if you want to keep them. Then click Clear data at the bottom right.
How to clear history in Mozilla Firefox
Open Firefox and click the three horizontal lines (called a hamburger menu) in the top right corner. Click History, then click Clear Recent History.
A box will open. At the top, next to Time range to clear, click the dropdown menu. You can choose Last Hour, Last 2 Hours, Last 4 Hours, Today, or Everything. Select what you need.
Below that, you will see checkboxes for Browsing & read History, Cookies, Cache, and other options. Make sure Browsing & read History is checked, then click Clear Now.
How to clear history in Safari
Open Safari. At the top of the screen, click History in the menu bar. Near the bottom of the dropdown menu, you will see Clear History. Click it.
A small box will appear asking how far back you want to clear. Your options are the last hour, today, today and yesterday, or all history. Choose the time range you want, then click Clear History.
Safari's history clearing is simpler than Chrome or Firefox because it clears only browsing history — not cookies or cached files — unless you go into Safari's full settings. If you want to remove cookies and cache as well, click Safari in the menu bar, then Settings, then Privacy, then Manage Website Data, and you can remove those separately.
How to clear history in Microsoft Edge
Open Edge and click the three dots in the top right corner. Click History, then click Clear browsing data.
A box will open on the right side of the screen. At the top, next to Time range, click the dropdown 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 read history, Cookies and other site data, and Cached images and files. Leave these checked unless you have a reason to keep them. Then click Clear now.
What clearing history does not remove
Clearing your browser history does not delete your saved passwords. If you want to remove those, each browser has a separate password manager. In Chrome, go to Settings > Passwords. In Firefox, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Passwords. In Safari, go to Settings > Passwords. In Edge, go to Settings > Passwords. From there you can delete individual passwords or all of them.
Clearing history also does not affect what your internet service provider has recorded. Your ISP can still see which websites you visited because that information passes through their network. It also does not affect what the websites themselves know about you — they have their own records of your visits if you logged in.
If you want to browse without storing history at all, use your browser's private mode. In Chrome it is called Incognito, in Firefox it is Private Window, in Safari it is Private, and in Edge it is InPrivate. Open a private window and your browser will not save your history, cookies, or search terms when you close it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does clearing history delete my saved passwords?
No. Clearing history removes only the list of websites you visited. Passwords are stored in a separate system. If you want to delete a password, you must go to your browser's password manager and remove it there.
Will clearing history speed up my browser?
Clearing history frees up a small amount of storage space, but it will not noticeably speed up your browser. Browser speed depends mostly on your internet connection and how many programs are running on your device, not on how much history you have stored.
Can I clear history from just one website?
Yes. In most browsers, you can right-click on a website in your history and choose to delete just that entry. You can also visit a website and then remove it from history without clearing everything else. The exact steps vary by browser, but the option is usually in the history menu or by right-clicking on the site name.
Does private browsing mode hide my activity from my internet service provider?
No. Private mode only stops your browser from storing history on your device. Your ISP and the websites you visit can still see your activity. If you want to hide your activity from your ISP, you would need to use a VPN, which is a different tool entirely.
What is the difference between clearing history and clearing cache?
History is the list of websites you visited. Cache is the copies of images, videos, and other files that your browser saved so pages load faster next time. Clearing cache frees up more storage space than clearing history alone, but it means websites will load slightly slower the first time you visit them after clearing.