View and delete your browsing history in Internet Explorer (2024)

Windows 10 Internet Explorer Windows 8.1 Windows 7 More...Less

Support for Internet Explorer ended on June 15, 2022

Internet Explorer 11 has been permanently disabled through a Microsoft Edge update on certain versions of Windows 10.If any site you visit needs Internet Explorer 11, you can reload it with Internet Explorer mode in Microsoft Edge. We recommend you use Microsoft Edge for a faster, more secure and more modern web browsing experience.

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Your browsing history is the info that InternetExplorer stores on a PC asyousurf the web. To help improve your experience, this includes info you'veentered into forms, passwords, and sites you've visited. However, if you're using a shared or public PC, youmay not want InternetExplorer tosave your history.

View your browsing history and delete specific sites

By viewing your browsing history, you can choose to delete specific sites, or return to a webpage that you've already visited.

  1. In InternetExplorer, select the Favorites button.

  2. Select the History tab, and choose how you want to view your history by selecting a filter from the menu. To delete specific sites, right-clicka site from any of these lists and then select Delete. Or, return to a page by selecting any site in the list.

Delete your browsing history

Regularly deleting your browsing history helps protect your privacy, especially if you're using a shared or public PC.

  1. In InternetExplorer, select the Tools button, point to Safety, and then select Delete browsing history.

  2. Choosethe types of data or files you want to remove from your PC, and then select Delete.

What gets deleted when you delete your browsing history

Types of info

What gets deleted

InternetExplorer version

Browsing history

The list of sites you've visited.

All

Cached images temporary Internet files

Copies of pages, images, and other media content stored on your PC. The browser uses these copies to load content faster the next time you visit those sites.

All

Cookies

Info that sites store on your PC to remember your preferences, such as your sign-in or your location.

All

Download history

The list of files you've downloaded from the web. This only deletes the list, not the actual files you've downloaded.

Only InternetExplorer 11 and InternetExplorer 10

Form data

Info that you've enteredinto forms, such as your email or a shipping address.

All

Passwords

Passwords that you've saved for sites.

All

Tracking Protection, ActiveX Filtering, and Do Not Track data

Websites you've excluded from ActiveX Filtering, and data that the browser uses to detect tracking activity.

All

Favorites

The list of sites that you've saved as favorites. Don't delete favorites if you only want to remove individual sites—this will delete all of your saved sites.

All

InPrivate filtering data

Saved data used by InPrivate Filtering to detect where sites might be automatically sharing details about your visit.

Only for InternetExplorer 9 and InternetExplorer 8

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View and delete your browsing history in Internet Explorer (2024)

FAQs

View and delete your browsing history in Internet Explorer? ›

In Internet Explorer, select the Tools button, point to Safety, and then select Delete browsing history. Choose the types of data or files you want to remove from your PC, and then select Delete.

Is it enough to delete browser history? ›

Does clearing history delete everything? A lot of data is generated as you browse the internet, and clearing your history only deletes the record of addresses you've visited that are stored locally on your device. It doesn't remove your Google search history, or other data stored on remote servers.

How do I view and delete browsing history in Microsoft Edge? ›

In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more > Settings > Privacy, search, and services . Under Clear browsing data, select Choose what to clear. Select a time range from the Time range list. Select the Browsing history check box and select Clear now.

How do I delete browsing history? ›

  1. On your computer, open Chrome.
  2. At the top right, click More .
  3. Click History. History.
  4. On the left, click Clear browsing data.
  5. Select how much history you want to delete. To clear everything, select All time.
  6. Tick the boxes for the info that you want Chrome to clear, including Browsing history. ...
  7. Click Clear data.

How to view browsing history? ›

What your History lists
  1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Chrome app .
  2. At the top right, tap More. History. If your address bar is at the bottom, swipe up on the address bar. Tap History .
  3. To visit a site, tap the entry. To open the site in a new tab, touch and hold the entry. At the top right, tap More.

What is the history of Internet Explorer? ›

Internet Explorer (IE), World Wide Web (WWW) browser and set of technologies created by Microsoft Corporation, a leading American computer software company. After being launched in 1995, Internet Explorer became one of the most popular tools for accessing the Internet. There were 11 versions between 1995 and 2013.

Can someone see your search history if you delete it? ›

Does deleting history really delete it? No, only on the surface. Your internet provider collects and stores this information for a period that depends on data retention laws (often 6 months/1 year). The best way to protect your data is to prevent them from seeing your search history at all.

Can the government see my deleted search history? ›

Once you delete your search history from your device, it's typically no longer accessible to the police. However, if they obtain a warrant, they may be able to access records of your search engine and browser history from your internet provider or another third-party source.

Can someone see my search history if I use their WiFi? ›

Yes. An incognito browser only hides searches from the local device it is installed on. The WiFi owner has access to the admin panel from the WiFi router, meaning they can see the browsing information performed on their WiFi network. Additionally, your ISP can also see all traffic, regardless of the browser being used.

How do I clear the cache in Internet Explorer? ›

Clear the Web Browser Cache - Internet Explorer 10 & 11
  1. Click on the Tools drop-down menu.
  2. Select Delete Browsing History from the Safety side-menu.
  3. In the window that opens, check the Temporary Internet Files and History checkbox and then click Delete.

How to clear incognito history? ›

Deleting incognito mode history on Android

First, open the Google Chrome browser and enter chrome://net-internals/#dns in the URL. Then, select DNS from the left, and tap on Clear host cache. This will delete all your DNS cache history. So, this was the way to delete incognito mode history from your Android.

How do you clear history on Microsoft? ›

View and delete browser history in Microsoft Edge
  1. Select Settings and more > Settings > Privacy, search, and services .
  2. Under Clear browsing data > Clear browsing data now, select Choose what to clear.
  3. Under Time range, choose a time range from the drop-down menu.

Is it better to delete or clear history? ›

If you want to keep your device more private and keep your browser running smoothly, quickly clearing your device's browser history can help. There's no fixed or recommended time for deleting your browsing history, cache, and cookies. It's all relative to your system's storage space and personal preferences.

Is deleted history gone forever? ›

If you delete your search history from your browser only, it may still be stored on your Google Account. Delete your search history and activity from other Google services from your Web & App Activity page.

What happens if I clear all my browsing history? ›

Browsing history: Deleting your browsing history deletes the following: Web addresses you've visited are removed from the History page. Shortcuts to those pages are removed from the New Tab page. Address bar predictions for those websites are no longer shown.

Where is the history stored in Internet Explorer? ›

C:\Users\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\History

Besides, you can find the current location of the History folder by following these steps. Step 1: Open Internet Explorer. Go to "Tools > Internet Options". Step 2: In the "General" tab, click on "Settings" under the "Browsing history" section.

How do I clear my search history in File Explorer? ›

How to Remove Your Search History in File Explorer Using the Search Tools
  1. Open File Explorer, type search-ms: in the search bar, and hit the Enter key. ...
  2. Click on Recent Searches in the Options section and select Clear search history.
  3. Click on the search bar to confirm if the search history is cleared.
Aug 6, 2021

Is there a way to see cleared browsing history? ›

Let's see how to recover deleted Chrome history via Google History.
  1. Search Google History.
  2. Click Welcome to My Activity - Google.
  3. Sign in to your Google account.
  4. All of your browser/internet history files will be displayed along with the date/time.
  5. Browse your history as needed.
May 9, 2024

What is the command to delete Internet history? ›

  1. Open Chrome.
  2. Press Ctrl, Shift, Delete.
  3. If done correctly, the below image should pop up. ...
  4. Make sure you specify the amount of time you wish to have deleted. ...
  5. Your internet cache and/or history will be deleted.

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