Your website history is stored in most web browsers, letting you go back to see which sites you visited and what you searched for on search engines. You can also delete your search history to clean it up or to prevent others from seeing websites you visited. Viewing and deleting search history is straightforward in all web browsers.
How to View, Search and Delete History in Chrome
Use Ctrl+H to go to your history in Chrome. The history appears on a full page in a new tab, organized by time. Mobile users should tap the three-button menu and choose History.
You can browse search history in Chrome with the search box at the top of the History page. Just start typing, and your search history will become filtered automatically to show only the items that match your search.
If you’re using the Chrome mobile app, tap the search icon at the top to find the search box.
If you find part of your Chrome search history that you want to keep but decide that there’s something particular you want to remove, press the three-dotted button next to that specific item, and then choose Remove from history.
Mobile users can erase a single website from their history by tapping the small x off to the right.
Another way to erase your Chrome search history is to delete it all in one action.
- Stay on the History tab.
- Select Clear browsing data to open a new window, and choose Browsing history.
- You can change the Time range value to whatever works for you, and then press Clear data to delete your browsing history and search history.
- The Chrome app for mobile devices works the same way: use the Clear browsing data link on the History page to see the same screen shown above.
How to View, Search and Delete History in Microsoft Edge
The Ctrl+H shortcut opens your history in Edge. The items show up on the right side of the screen sorted by date. For the mobile app, tap the three-dotted menu button at the bottom and then choose History.
Stay on the History tab.
Select Clear browsing data to open a new window, and choose Browsing history.
You can change the Time range value to whatever works for you, and then press Clear data to delete your browsing history and search history.
The Chrome app for mobile devices works the same way: use the Clear browsing data link on the History page to see the same screen shown above.
There’s an x next to each item in your Edge history that you can press to remove them from the History page immediately. If you’re on the mobile app, press-and-hold an item to find the Delete option.
Alternatively, you can delete your entire search history in one action.
- On the left menu of Edge’s list of your search history, select Clear browsing data.
- Ensure that Browsing history is one of the chosen items.
- Select Clear now.
- On the Edge mobile app, from the History page, select the trash icon at the top and then choose Clear. Select Browsing history before deleting.
How to View, Search and Delete History in Internet Explorer
See your Internet Explorer history with the same Ctrl+H shortcut as Edge. A panel appears on the right that lists historical search items and websites, which can be sorted by date, site, and more.
On the left menu of Edge’s list of your search history, select Clear browsing data.
Ensure that Browsing history is one of the chosen items.
Select Clear now.
On the Edge mobile app, from the History page, select the trash icon at the top and then choose Clear. Select Browsing history before deleting.
Right-click an item in your IE search history pane to erase it from view. Just choose Delete from the menu.
Microsoft no longer supports Internet Explorer and recommends that you update to the newer Edge browser. Head to their site to download the newest version.
Press Ctrl+Shift+Del on your keyboard to erase all your Internet Explorer history. When you see this screen, put a check in the box next to History and then press Delete.
How to View, Search and Delete History in Firefox
Enter Ctrl+H from your keyboard to see all your Firefox search and web history. The History panel opens on the left side of Firefox, organized by day by default, but can be customized to show the history by site and frequency of use. For the Firefox mobile app, tap the three-button menu and choose History.
Type something into the search box above the Firefox history list to instantly search through your search history and the websites you’ve visited.
Erasing a single web page or search item from your history in Firefox is as easy as right-clicking it and choosing Delete Page. If you’re using the mobile app, press-and-hold and then select Remove.
Firefox lets you erase all your history through the Clear All History menu.
- Get there with the Ctrl+Shift+Del keyboard shortcut.
- Make sure Browsing & Download History and Form & Search History is chosen from the list, and then press Clear Now.
- If you want to erase only recent history, change the Time range to clear option to something other than Everything.
- The Firefox mobile app lets you clear the web search history, too, by selecting CLEAR BROWSING HISTORY on the History page.
How to View, Search and Delete History in Safari
Go to History > Show All History at the top of the browser to view your Safari history. All of your recently visited sites are listed on a single page, sorted by day. For the mobile app, tap the bookmarks icon on the bottom and then the clock icon at the top.
Get there with the Ctrl+Shift+Del keyboard shortcut.
Make sure Browsing & Download History and Form & Search History is chosen from the list, and then press Clear Now.
If you want to erase only recent history, change the Time range to clear option to something other than Everything.
The Firefox mobile app lets you clear the web search history, too, by selecting CLEAR BROWSING HISTORY on the History page.
Look through your Safari history from the History page. Start typing into the text box at the top of the page, and the results populate instantly.
To delete single search history items from Safari, locate what you want to remove and right-click it to find the Delete option. You can delete an entire day’s worth of history, too.
Mobile Safari users can selectively delete history items by swiping to the left and then tapping Delete.
To delete all search history in Safari, use the Clear History button on the History page. Choose how much to remove — the last hour, today, today and yesterday, or all history — and then choose Clear History.
The Safari app lets you delete all your history, too, via the Clear button on the bottom of the History page.
How to View, Search and Delete History in Opera
The Ctrl+H shortcut lets you view your Opera web history. The history list shows up in a new tab called History. If you’re using the mobile app, tap the Opera menu icon on the bottom, and then select History.
On the History page in Opera is a search box at the top that you can use to search through old search history items and browse websites you’ve already opened. Just type and then wait a moment for the results to populate.
To remove particular search history items in Opera, hover your mouse over the item you want to delete and then select the x off to the right. If you’re on the mobile app, press the three-dotted menu to the right of the item and then choose Delete.
You can also delete all of your Opera history from the same page, with the Clear browsing data button. From there, make sure Browsing History is selected and that the set Time range is as you want it, and then press Clear data.
The Opera app makes clearing all the history a little easier. Just select the trash icon at the top of the History page.
How to View, Search and Delete History in Yandex
Like most browsers, your Yandex search history is accessible from the Ctrl+H shortcut.
After opening the search history in Yandex, locate the search box at the upper-right corner of the page. You might have to scroll if your browser window is too small to see it. Type the search term and press Enter to view the search history that matches.
Yandex is like Chrome when it comes to deleting a specific page from your history: hover your mouse over the item that needs to be deleted, press the small arrow, and then choose Remove from history.
Use the Clear history link to the right of your history items to open a new prompt where you can delete all the history in Yandex. Choose how far back to remove the search history and then select Views. Select Clear to erase it all.
Removing the Yandex browsing and search history on the mobile app is done through the menus. Tap the menu bottom on the bottom and choose Settings, and then Clear data. Select History before tapping Clear data.
- How do I delete my search history on an iPhone?
- To delete your browsing or search history on your iPhone, open Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data. Alternately, open Safari and select Bookmarks > History > Clear > All time. Note that this process only applies to your iPhone’s built-in Safari web browser and other browsers may require different steps.
- How do I delete my YouTube search history?
- To clear your search history in YouTube, sign into the site via a web browser and select History > Search History > Clear All Search History. Or if you use the YouTube app, select your profile icon on iOS (or the Menu icon on Android) > Settings > Clear search history > OK.
- How do I delete my Google Search history on my phone?
- Clearing your Google search history on mobile requires using the Chrome app. On Android, select the three dots > History > Clear Browsing Data > All time > Clear data. On iOS, select the three dots > History > Clear Browsing Data > All Time > make sure Browsing History is checked > select Clear Browsing Data twice.
To delete your browsing or search history on your iPhone, open Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data. Alternately, open Safari and select Bookmarks > History > Clear > All time. Note that this process only applies to your iPhone’s built-in Safari web browser and other browsers may require different steps.
To clear your search history in YouTube, sign into the site via a web browser and select History > Search History > Clear All Search History. Or if you use the YouTube app, select your profile icon on iOS (or the Menu icon on Android) > Settings > Clear search history > OK.
Clearing your Google search history on mobile requires using the Chrome app. On Android, select the three dots > History > Clear Browsing Data > All time > Clear data. On iOS, select the three dots > History > Clear Browsing Data > All Time > make sure Browsing History is checked > select Clear Browsing Data twice.
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