Clear your history in Safari, Chrome, or Firefox in under a minute

The steps differ slightly depending on which browser you use, but all three let you delete your browsing history, cookies, and cached data from the Settings app or directly within the browser itself. The fastest method is usually through Settings, where you can clear everything at once without opening the browser. If you want to delete only certain sites or a specific time period, you'll need to go into the browser itself.

Your iPhone stores this data to load pages faster and remember your preferences. Clearing it doesn't affect your saved passwords or autofill information unless you specifically choose to remove those too.

Key Takeaways

  • Safari, Chrome, and Firefox all let you clear history through your iPhone's Settings app, which is the quickest method for most people.
  • You can choose to clear history from the last hour, today, today and yesterday, or all time — the option appears in each browser's settings.
  • Clearing history does not delete your saved passwords, usernames, or payment methods unless you check the box for "Passwords and autofill data."
  • If you want to delete only a few specific sites instead of everything, you must open the browser app itself rather than using Settings.

Clear history through Settings (Safari, Chrome, or Firefox)

This method works the same way for all three browsers. Open Settings, scroll down to find your browser's name, tap it, then look for an option labeled "Clear History and Website Data" or similar. Tap it, choose your time range, and confirm.

For Safari: Go to Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data. A popup will ask you to choose a time range — Last Hour, Today, Today and Yesterday, or All Time. Select your choice and tap Clear.

For Chrome: Go to Settings > Apps > Chrome > Storage > Clear Cache. If you want to clear more than just the cache, open Chrome itself and use the method described below instead.

For Firefox: Go to Settings > Firefox > Clear Private Data. Choose your time range and tap Clear Private Data.

Clear history directly in Safari

Open Safari and tap the book icon at the bottom of the screen (or the top, depending on your iPhone model). Tap History, then tap Clear at the bottom right. Choose your time range and confirm.

To delete individual sites instead of everything, tap History in that same menu, find the site you want to remove, swipe left on it, and tap Delete.

Clear history directly in Chrome

Open Chrome and tap the three dots in the bottom right corner. Tap Settings, then tap Privacy. Tap Clear Browsing Data, choose your time range at the top, and make sure "Browsing history" is checked. Tap Clear Browsing Data to confirm.

Chrome does not offer a way to delete individual sites from within the app on iPhone — you must clear a time period or use the Settings method above.

Clear history directly in Firefox

Open Firefox and tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) at the bottom right. Tap Settings, then tap Privacy. Scroll down and tap Clear Private Data, choose your time range, and confirm.

Like Chrome, Firefox on iPhone does not let you delete single sites — you must clear by time period.

What gets deleted and what stays

When you clear history, your browser removes the list of sites you visited and the dates you visited them. It also removes cached images and files that speed up page loading the next time you visit.

Cookies — small files that remember your login status and preferences — are deleted by default in all three browsers when you use the clear history function. Your saved passwords, usernames, and payment methods stay unless you specifically check a box for "Passwords and autofill data" or "Saved passwords" before you clear.

Bookmarks and reading lists are never deleted when you clear history, even if you choose "All Time."

Clear history automatically when you close the browser

Safari: Go to Settings > Safari > Close Tabs, and choose "Manually" or "After One Day." Then go back and toggle on "Clear History and Website Data." Safari will delete your history each time you close all tabs.

Chrome: Go to Settings > Privacy > Clear Browsing Data, then toggle on "Clear Browsing Data." Choose when you want it to clear — Chrome will delete history at that interval automatically.

Firefox: Go to Settings > Privacy > Browse Privately, then toggle on "Always." Firefox will clear your history every time you close the app.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does clearing history delete my saved passwords?

No. Passwords stay on your iPhone unless you specifically check the box for "Passwords and autofill data" or "Saved passwords" before you clear. If you want to delete a single saved password instead of clearing everything, go to Settings > Passwords, find the site, and swipe left to delete it.

Can I recover history after I clear it?

No. Once you clear your browsing history, it cannot be recovered from your iPhone. If you synced your history to iCloud, clearing it on your iPhone will also clear it on your other Apple devices.

Will clearing history speed up my iPhone?

Slightly. Clearing cached data removes files that take up storage space, but the effect on speed is usually small unless you have years of history stored. Restarting your iPhone or closing unused apps typically has a bigger impact.

What if I only want to delete history from one website?

Open Safari, tap the book icon, tap History, find the site, and swipe left to delete it. Chrome and Firefox on iPhone do not offer this option — you must clear a time period instead.

Does clearing history on my iPhone clear it on my Mac or iPad?

Only if you use iCloud sync. If you have iCloud Keychain turned on in Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud, clearing history on one device will clear it on all your devices. You can turn this off if you want to keep history separate.