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How to Clear Search History

Nothing can be more annoying for web users than to have a trail of sites, searches, and personal information that everyone using the same computer can see.  You rightfully fear for your privacy and personal security when with each day your lifestyle depends more and more upon cyberspace. 

We offer here the steps that you can use to clear the “drop-down” lists in various browsers and toolbars in order to assure your personal privacy. 

 HOW TO CLEAR THE DROP-DOWN LIST IN GOOGLE, YAHOO, AND MSN SEARCHES

Microsoft Internet Explorer

1. Open the “Tools” menu.

2. Choose the “Internet Options” and the “Content” tab.

3. In the “Personal information” area, click on “AutoComplete.”

4. Select "Clear Forms." You may also un-check the "Forms" option in this window to          prevent this information from being stored in the future. 

5. Click "OK" to exit.

 As another strategy, you may remove individual entries out of your search history by pressing the Down arrow key to highlight a prior entry, and then press the Delete key once.

MSN
If you are using the Microsoft Network (MSN), then changes made in Internet Explorer (IE) will instantly take effect in the MSN browser. Having made the changes in IE, you will need to exit and then sign back into MSN for the changes to be effective. 

Mozilla Firefox
1. Open the "Tools" menu.
2. Choose "Options" and then "Privacy" and then "Saved Form Information."
3. Click on "Clear" and then un-check the box.
4. Click on "OK" to finalize changes and exit.

Safari
1. Open the "Safari" menu and click on "Preferences."
2. From the menus that appear, choose "AutoFill."
3. Then go to "Other forms" field and click on the "Edit" button.
4. You will see a list of sites for which AutoFill is turned on.  Select "Google.com" > "Remove" > "Done."

HOW TO CLEAR THE GOOGLE TOOLBAR HISTORY

To erase your search history in the drop-down text box of the Google Toolbar:

1. Click on the Google logo located on the Toolbar to view the drop-down menu.
2. Select the "Clear Search History" option.

If you wish to entirely turn off your Toolbar's search history, then choose the "Options" button on the Toolbar and un-check the box near "Drop-down search history."

Those who have installed the Google Toolbar 4.0 can clear the Toolbar's search history by typing any search term in the Toolbar's search field. When the drop-down search history appears, click on the "Clear History" link.

Remember that this only deletes the search history in the Google Toolbar, which is completely separate from the search history that your browser stores.  To clear browser history, please see the instructions below.

HOW TO CLEAR YOUR BROWSER HISTORY

Similar to your Google search history, the search history that appears in the address bar on the Google homepage is stored automatically by your browser, not by Google. Instructions below will help you to clear and/or turn off the search history in common browsers. If your browser isn't given below, we suggest you get in touch with their online support team.

Microsoft Internet Explorer
1. Open the "Tools" menu.
2. Choose the "Internet Options" and then the "General" tab.
3. Click on the "Clear History" button. To entirely disable the history option, you must set "Days to keep pages in history" to zero ("0").
4. Finally, click "OK" to apply settings and exit.

MSN
If you're using the Microsoft Network (MSN), changes made in Internet Explorer (IE) will take effect in your MSN browser. After making changes in IE, you'll need to sign out of and back into MSN for the changes to take effect.

Mozilla Firefox
1. Open the "Tools" menu.
2. Choose "Options" and then "Privacy" and finally "History."
3. Click on the button "Clear." To fully disable the history setting, then you must set "Remember visited pages for the last X days" to zero ("0").
4. Click "OK" to activate settings and exit.

Safari
1. Open "History" on the top menu.
2. Choose "Clear History" at the bottom of the menu pull-down.