How to delete your browsing history

You can delete your browsing history in any major browser by opening the settings menu and selecting the option to clear browsing data. The exact steps differ slightly between Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge, but all of them let you choose what to delete — just your history, or also cookies, cached images, and saved passwords — and how far back to go. Most people can clear everything from the beginning of time in under a minute.

Deleting history removes the record of sites you visited from your browser's internal list. It does not erase the fact that you visited those sites from your internet service provider's records, your employer's network logs (if you were on their WiFi), or the websites themselves. It is a local cleanup, not a privacy shield.

Key Takeaways

  • Every browser stores your history locally and offers a built-in way to delete it, usually found under Settings or Preferences in a menu called "Clear browsing data" or "Clear history".
  • You can choose to delete only history, or also cookies, cached files, and saved passwords — deleting cookies also signs you out of most websites.
  • Deleting history from your browser does not hide your activity from your internet service provider, your workplace network, or the websites you visited.
  • If you want browsing that is not recorded locally, use your browser's private or incognito mode instead of relying on deleting history afterward.

Deleting history in Google Chrome

Open Chrome and press Ctrl+H on Windows or Command+Y on Mac to open the History page. On the left side, click "Clear browsing data". A window will pop up with options for what to delete and how far back.

At the top of that window, 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 "All time" if you want to clear everything. Below that, check the boxes next to what you want to delete: "Cookies and other site data", "Cached images and files", "Passwords and other sign-in data", and so on. Leave unchecked anything you want to keep. Then click "Clear data".

You can also reach this menu by clicking the three vertical dots in the top right corner of Chrome, selecting "Settings", then "Privacy and security", then "Clear browsing data".

Deleting history in Mozilla Firefox

Press Ctrl+H on Windows or Command+Y on Mac to open the History sidebar. At the top, click "Clear Recent History". A window will open with a dropdown for the time range — choose "Everything" to clear all history.

Below that, you will see checkboxes for "Browsing & download history", "Cookies", "Cache", "Active logins", "Site preferences", and others. Check only what you want to delete. Then click "Clear Now".

Alternatively, go to the menu button (three horizontal lines) in the top right, select "Settings", then "Privacy & Security", scroll down to "Cookies and Site Data", and click "Clear Data".

Deleting history in Safari

Open Safari and click "History" in the menu bar at the top of the screen. Select "Clear History" from the dropdown. A small window will ask you to choose a time range: "the last hour", "today", "today and yesterday", or "all history". Select "all history" to delete everything.

Safari's built-in clear function removes only your browsing history, not cookies or cached data. If you want to delete those as well, go to "Safari" in the menu bar, select "Preferences", click the "Privacy" tab, and then click "Manage Website Data". You can select specific sites or click "Remove All" to clear everything, then confirm.

Deleting history in Microsoft Edge

Press Ctrl+H on Windows to open the History page. On the left side, click "Clear browsing data". A window will appear with options for time range and what to delete.

At the top, select your time range from the dropdown — "Last hour", "Last 24 hours", "Last 7 days", "Last 4 weeks", or "All time". Check the boxes next to "Browsing history", "Download history", "Cookies and other site data", "Cached images and files", and any others you want to remove. Then click "Clear now".

You can also reach this by clicking the three dots in the top right corner, selecting "Settings", then "Privacy, search, and services", and clicking "Clear browsing data".

What gets deleted and what does not

When you clear browsing history, your browser removes the list of URLs you visited and the dates you visited them. If you also check "Cookies and other site data", your browser deletes the small files websites use to remember you — this also signs you out of most accounts. If you check "Cached images and files", it removes copies of web pages, images, and videos your browser stored to load sites faster next time.

Deleting history does not remove records kept by your internet service provider, which can see every site you visit regardless of whether your browser remembers it. It does not erase logs on your workplace or school network if you were connected to their WiFi. It does not delete posts you made, photos you uploaded, or messages you sent — those live on the websites' servers. It does not undo searches you performed on Google, Bing, or other search engines unless you also delete your account activity on those services separately.

Using private or incognito mode to avoid storing history

If you want to browse without your browser recording a history in the first place, use private browsing mode. In Chrome, press Ctrl+Shift+N on Windows or Command+Shift+N on Mac to open an Incognito window. In Firefox, press Ctrl+Shift+P or Command+Shift+P to open a Private window. In Safari, click "File" and select "New Private Window". In Edge, press Ctrl+Shift+P to open an InPrivate window.

In private mode, your browser does not save your history, cookies, or cached files once you close the window. However, your internet service provider and the websites you visit can still see your activity. Private mode is useful if you share a computer and do not want other users to see where you have been, but it is not a privacy tool for hiding activity from your ISP or network administrator.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does deleting my history hide my activity from my internet service provider?

No. Your ISP can see every website you visit because they route all your internet traffic. Deleting your browser history only removes the local record on your computer. To hide your activity from your ISP, you would need to use a VPN, which encrypts your traffic so your ISP sees only that you are connected to a VPN server, not which sites you visit.

If I delete my history, can websites still see that I visited them?

Yes. Websites log visits on their own servers. Deleting your browser history does not notify them or remove their records. If you were logged into an account when you visited, the website knows you were there.

Will deleting cookies sign me out of all my accounts?

Yes. Cookies are how websites remember that you are logged in. When you delete cookies, you are signed out of most sites. You will need to log back in the next time you visit. Some sites may remember you if they use other tracking methods, but cookies are the primary way this works.

Can I set my browser to delete history automatically when I close it?

Yes. In Chrome, go to Settings, click "Privacy and security", then "Clear cookies and site data when you quit Chrome" and toggle it on. In Firefox, go to Preferences, click "Privacy & Security", find "Cookies and Site Data", and check "Delete cookies and site data when Firefox is closed". Safari and Edge have similar options in their preferences.

What is the difference between clearing history and clearing cache?

History is the list of URLs you visited. Cache is the copies of images, videos, and web pages your browser stored to make sites load faster. Clearing history removes the list but not the cached files. Clearing cache removes the files but not the list. Most people clear both at the same time by checking both boxes in the clear browsing data window.