To delete your history on most browsers, just press the Control (or Command), Shift, and Delete keys at the same time. You can then clear data for a specific time period or get rid of everything.
Whether you’re a computer novice or just switching to a new browser, this post has you covered. It provides step-by-step instructions for clearing browsing history on Firefox, Chrome, Edge, Opera, and more. I’ll also address some common misconceptions about deleting your history so you’re better-informed about your privacy.
How to delete your browsing history quickly and easily
The process of deleting your history is fairly similar no matter which browser you’re using. That said, the exact settings you need may be called slightly different things. In Chrome, for instance, it’s “Delete browsing data”, while in Safari, it’s “Clear History”.
Here’s how to clear your browsing history on most desktop browsers as quickly as possible:
- Start by opening your browser if you haven’t already.
- Press CTRL+Shift+Delete at the same time (Command+Shift+Delete on MacOS). In most instances, this will open a window saying “Delete browsing data” or something similar.
- At the top, you’ll see a series of buttons or possibly a dropdown menu that lets you choose different time periods. If you just want to delete the record of which sites you visited today, for instance, you’d select Last 24 hours.
- Click the box labeled “Browsing history” or “Browsing & download history”. Uncheck everything else unless you specifically want to delete cookies, download history, or cached data too.
- Finally, hit the button at the bottom of the page marked Delete data, Clear, or Clear now.
Nice work, your browsing history has now been successfully deleted!
Other ways to delete your browser activity
CTRL+Shift+Delete is the fastest way to open the history-deletion menu on most desktop browsers. But what if you’re using a compact keyboard that doesn’t have a Delete key? Or if you don’t have the dexterity required to hit all three keys at once? In these situations, we can skip the shortcut and open the menu manually or automatically delete history periodically.
Here’s how:
| Browser name | How to find the clear history menu | How to make the browser clear your history when closed |
|---|---|---|
| Mozilla Firefox | Click the three-lines icon in the top-right. Select History, then Clear recent history… | Open Settings, pick Privacy and security, then choose Customise history under the History tab. Click choose what you want Firefox to remember then check the box marked Clear history when Firefox closes |
| Google Chrome | Click the three dots in the top-right, then History, followed by History again. Now, hit Delete browsing data on the left-hand side. | Feature not supported |
| Microsoft Edge | Click the three dots in the top-right, choose History, then click the trashcan icon. | Open Settings, click the three lines in the top-left, then select Privacy, search, and services. Click Clear browsing data on close and hit the button next to Browsing history. |
| Opera | Click the Opera logo in the top-left corner. Next, hit History then Clear browsing data. | Open Settings, choose Privacy & security, then Delete browsing data. Hit Clear data on exit and check the Browsing history option. Click Save. |
| Safari | Click the History tab at the top of the screen, then Clear History. | Feature not supported |
| Brave | Click the three lines icon in the top-right. Next, click History, then Open history page. Finally, choose Delete browsing data. | Open Settings, select Privacy and security, then Delete browsing data. Move to the Clear data on exit tab. Check the Browsing history box and hit Save. |
| Samsung Browser | Click the three dots in the top-right corner. Choose History, followed by Manage history. Click Clear browsing data. | Feature not supported |
How to delete your browsing history on mobile phones and tablets
Your browser may look slightly different on mobile devices like phones and tablets. Most functionality should still be present, but options may be renamed or replaced with icons to account for the smaller screen. Here’s how to clear your history on mobile browsers:
Firefox: Tap the three dots, then History, then hit the trashcan icon. Choose your preferred time range (or the “everything” option if you want to wipe your history), then tap Delete.
Chrome: Open the menu by tapping the three dots in the top-right. Choose Delete browsing data, then select your desired time range, and hit the Delete data button.
Edge: Tap the three lines in the bottom-right, followed by History. Next, hit the trashcan icon, select a time range, and tap Delete data.
Opera: Hit the profile icon in the bottom-right, scroll down, and tap History. Now, you can click the trashcan icon to delete all of your browsing history. Alternatively, tap the three dots followed by Select to choose individual entries to delete. It’s not the most intuitive system, but I do like the ability to get rid of everything with a single tap.
Brave: Tap the three dots in the top-right corner, select History, then Delete browsing data… Now just choose a deletion time period and tap Delete data.
Samsung Browser: Hit the three dots in the bottom-right. Choose History, then hit the three dots and pick Clear history to delete everything. Like on Opera, users can instead hit Delete to select individual history entries for deletion, then tap the trashcan icon at the bottom.
Safari: Open the Settings menu, tap Apps, and choose Safari from the list. Select Clear History and Website Data and choose a deletion time period. Finally, hit Clear History.
Everything you need to know about deleting your browser history
Why should I clear my browser history?
There are lots of reasons why periodically deleting browsing history is a good idea. Firstly, privacy: clearing your history stops anyone who shares your device from seeing which sites you’ve visited. It will also prevent suggestions from appearing in the address bar and ensure your computer’s hard drive space isn’t all used up by old browsing information. Finally, it’s good for browser security since if your device is stolen, clearing your history ensures the thief knows as little about you as possible.
Can I recover my browsing history after it’s been deleted?
Usually, yes, if you know where to look. Most browsers store data in a hidden file somewhere on your device, and this may persist even after your history is deleted. Alternatively, you may be able to backup and sync your history from another device. Finally, there are forensic tools available capable of verifying which sites you visited, though these are designed for experts.
How often should I delete my browsing history?
There’s no right answer to this question – it all depends on whether you share your device, how much hard drive space you have, and how privacy conscious you are. This isn’t something you have to worry about or dedicate a lot of thinking time to. Most people will be completely fine, even if they only clear their browsing history once every few months. However, if other people have access to your device, I’d suggest deleting your history at least weekly.
Does deleting my browser history hide my activities?
Sort of – deleting your browser history means nobody else with access to your device can see which websites you visited. However, logs of your activities exist elsewhere, so it’s not a complete solution. For instance, your router keeps detailed traffic logs, as does your Internet Service Provider (though browsing activities are not visible on your wifi bill).
Does private browsing mode delete my history?
If you’ve ever wondered how privacy-conscious private browsing mode is, you’re not alone. Research shows that most people are misinformed about what this feature does, so let’s clear this up.
Private browsing mode (sometimes called incognito mode) is a convenient alternative to manually clearing your history after visiting sensitive websites. Once your session ends, your browsing history, saved cookies, and cache are cleared automatically. But this mode does not hide your location, delete bookmarked pages, or hide your activities from whoever owns the network.
What is the difference between clearing history and clearing cookies or cache?
When you delete your browser history, you’re simply deleting a record of the sites you’ve visited. This will prevent them from showing up as you type in the address bar, and ensures they won’t be visible when the history menu is opened.
Cookies are small files websites store on your device to keep you logged in, improve your experience, or track your activity for advertising. Clearing them will log you out of most sites but can prevent websites you no longer visit from continuing to track you.
Finally, your device caches parts of websites, such as images, to help them load faster. Clearing the cache occasionally removes outdated data and can fix bugs caused when a website updates but the stored version does not.
Wrapping up
Periodically deleting your browsing history has privacy, performance, and security benefits, plus it only takes a few seconds. There’s no need to go overboard: just clear it every few weeks (weekly if on a shared device) or whenever you want to get rid of records of visiting a specific site. You now know how to delete browsing records on every popular browser, and if you haven’t cleared your history in a while, well, there’s no time like the present.
