8 Ways to Clear the Search Box of Sites You Have Viewed Online (2024)

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  • Internet Browsers

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An easy-to-follow guide to keep your search history private and cleared

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methods

1Using Chrome on iPhone

2Using Chrome on Android

3Using Chrome on Desktop

4Using Firefox on iPhone

5Using Firefox on Android

6Using Firefox on Desktop

7Using Microsoft Edge

8Using Internet Explorer

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Tips and Warnings

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Article Summary

Written byJack Lloyd

Last Updated: August 19, 2022Tested

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This wikiHow teaches you how to prevent your web browser from showing matching results when you type something into the address bar. Keep in mind that Safari for both Mac and iPhone platforms does not retain form data, so you don't need to do this if you use Safari. If you want to remove entire websites from your browsing history, you'll need to clear your browsing history instead.

Method 1

Method 1 of 8:

Using Chrome on iPhone

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  1. 1

    Open

    Google Chrome. Tap the Chrome app icon, which resembles a red, yellow, green, and blue sphere.

  2. 2

    Tap . It's in the top-right corner of the screen. A drop-down menu will appear.

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  3. 3

    Tap History. This is in the drop-down menu. Doing so opens your iPhone's Chrome history page.

  4. 4

    Tap Clear Browsing Data…. You'll find it in the lower-left corner of the screen.

  5. 5

    Tap Autofill Data. It's in the middle of the page. Doing so will place a checkmark next to Autofill Data.

    • If Autofill Data already has a checkmark next to it, skip this step.
    • You can uncheck every other item on the page, but the Autofill Data option must be checked.
  6. 6

    Tap Clear Browsing Data. This option is at the bottom of the page.

  7. 7

    Tap Clear Browsing Data when prompted. Doing so will clear your search box data for Google Chrome on your iPhone.

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Method 2

Method 2 of 8:

Using Chrome on Android

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  1. 1

    Open

    Google Chrome. Tap the Chrome app icon, which resembles a red, yellow, green, and blue sphere.

  2. 2

    Tap . It's in the top-right corner of the screen. A drop-down menu will appear.

  3. 3

    Tap History. This option is in the drop-down menu.

  4. 4

    Tap CLEAR BROWSING DATA…. It's at the top of the History page.

  5. 5

    Tap the ADVANCED tab. This tab is in the top-right corner of the screen.

  6. 6

    Check the "Autofill form data" box. It's in the middle of the screen.

    • You can uncheck every other box on the ADVANCED tab, but the "Autofill form data" box must be checked in order to clear the search box contents.
    • If the "Autofill form data" box is already checked, skip this step.
  7. 7

    Tap the "Time range" drop-down box. You'll find this in the upper-right side of the page. A drop-down menu will appear.

  8. 8

    Tap All time. It's in the drop-down menu.

  9. 9

    Tap CLEAR DATA. This is at the bottom of the screen.

  10. 10

    Tap CLEAR when prompted. Doing so clears all of your search box data for Google Chrome on your Android.

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Method 3

Method 3 of 8:

Using Chrome on Desktop

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  1. 1

    Open

    Google Chrome. Click or double-click the Chrome app icon, which resembles a red, yellow, green, and blue sphere.

  2. 2

    Click . It's in the top-right corner of the Chrome window. A drop-down menu will appear.

  3. 3

    Select More tools. This option is in the middle of the drop-down menu. An additional menu should pop out.

  4. 4

    Click Clear browsing data…. It's in the pop-out menu. A new window will appear.

  5. 5

    Click the Advanced tab. This is in the top-right corner of the pop-up window.

  6. 6

    Scroll down and check the "Autofill form data" box. It's near the bottom of the pop-up window.

    • You can uncheck every other box on the Advanced tab, but the "Autofill form data" box must be checked in order to clear the search box contents.
    • If the "Autofill form data" box is already checked, skip this step.
  7. 7

    Click the "Time range" drop-down box. This is at the top of the pop-up window. A drop-down menu will appear.

  8. 8

    Click All time. It's in the drop-down menu.

  9. 9

    Click Clear data. This blue button is at the bottom of the window. Doing so clears your search box data for Google Chrome on your computer.

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Method 4

Method 4 of 8:

Using Firefox on iPhone

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  1. 1

    Open Firefox. Tap the Firefox app icon, which resembles an orange fox on a blue globe.

  2. 2

    Tap . It's in the bottom-right corner of the screen. A pop-up menu will appear.

  3. 3

    Tap Settings. This option is in the pop-up menu.

  4. 4

    Scroll down and tap Clear Private Data. You'll find it near the middle of the page.

  5. 5

    Tap the white "Browsing History" switch

    . Doing so turns on the switch, thus indicating that you want to clear your Firefox browsing history.

    • You can turn off every other switch on this page.
    • Unfortunately, Firefox for the iPhone doesn't include an "Autofill" option, so you'll have to clear your whole browser's history in order to clear the search box contents.
    • If the "Browsing History" switch is blue, skip this step.
  6. 6

    Tap Clear Private Data. It's at the bottom of the screen.

  7. 7

    Tap OK when prompted. Doing so will clear your iPhone's Firefox search box history.

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Method 5

Method 5 of 8:

Using Firefox on Android

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  1. 1

    Open Firefox. Tap the Firefox app icon, which resembles an orange fox on a blue globe.

  2. 2

    Tap . It's in the top-right corner of the screen. A drop-down menu will appear.

  3. 3

    Tap Settings. This option is in the middle of the drop-down menu.

  4. 4

    Tap Clear private data. You'll find this in the middle of the screen.

  5. 5

    Check the "Form history" box. Doing so indicates that you want to clear your Firefox search box history.

    • If this box is already checked, skip this step.
    • You can uncheck every other box on this page, but the "Form history" box must be checked.
  6. 6

    Tap CLEAR DATA. It's at the bottom of the screen. Doing so will clear your Android's Firefox search box history.

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Method 6

Method 6 of 8:

Using Firefox on Desktop

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  1. 1

    Open Firefox. Click or double-click the Firefox app icon, which resembles an orange fox on a blue globe.

  2. 2

    Click . It's in the top-right corner of the Firefox window. A drop-down menu will appear.

  3. 3

    Click Library. This option is near the top of the drop-down menu.

  4. 4

    Click History. It's near the top of the menu.

  5. 5

    Click Clear Recent History…. This is near the top of the menu. Doing so opens a pop-up window.

  6. 6

    Click the "Time range to clear" drop-down box. It's at the top of the pop-up window. Clicking it prompts a drop-down menu.

  7. 7

    Click Everything. You'll find this at the bottom of the drop-down menu.

  8. 8

    Check the "Form & Search History" box. It's in the middle of the pop-up window.

    • You can uncheck every other box in this form, but the "Form & Search History" box must be checked.
    • If this box is already checked, skip this step.
  9. 9

    Click Clear Now. This is at the bottom of the pop-up window. Doing so will clear your computer's Firefox search box history.

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Method 7

Method 7 of 8:

Using Microsoft Edge

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  1. 1

    Open Microsoft Edge. Click or double-click the Microsoft Edge app icon, which is either a dark-blue "e" or a white "e" on a dark-blue background.

  2. 2

    Click . It's in the top-right corner of the Edge window. A drop-down menu will appear.

  3. 3

    Click Settings. This option is near the bottom of the drop-down menu. A pop-out menu will appear on the right side of the window.

  4. 4

    Click Choose what to clear. It's in the middle of the pop-out menu.

  5. 5

    Check the "Form data" box. This option is in the middle of the menu.

    • You can uncheck every other box here, but the "Form data" box must be checked.
    • If this box is already checked, skip this step.
  6. 6

    Click Clear. It's at the bottom of the menu. Doing so will clear your Microsoft Edge search box history.

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Method 8

Method 8 of 8:

Using Internet Explorer

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  1. 1

    Open Internet Explorer. Click or double-click the Internet Explorer app icon, which resembles a light blue "e" with a gold band wrapped around it.

  2. 2

    Click the "Settings" gear. It's in the top-right corner of the window. A drop-down menu will appear.

  3. 3

    Click Internet options. This option is at the top of the drop-down menu. Clicking it opens the Internet Options window.

  4. 4

    Click Delete…. You'll find it near the middle-right side of the window below the "Browsing history" heading.

    • If you don't see this option, first click the General tab near the top of the window.
  5. 5

    Check the "Form data" box. It's in the middle of the page.

    • You can uncheck every other box here, but the "Form data" box must be checked.
    • If this box is already checked, skip this step.
  6. 6

    Click Delete. This is at the bottom of the window. The window will close.

  7. 7

    Click OK. It's at the bottom of the Internet Options window. Doing so signifies that your Internet Explorer search box history has successfully been erased.

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      Tips

      • If you don't want to clear all of your search box data, try selecting a less permanent time range (e.g., Yesterday) in the "Time range" or "Time range to clear" drop-down box. This isn't an option on Microsoft Edge or Internet Explorer.

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      Warnings

      • Clearing your browser's search bar data won't remove results for sites you've visited. If you want to remove websites as well, you'll need to delete your browser's history.

        Thanks

        Helpful1Not Helpful0

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      About This Article

      8 Ways to Clear the Search Box of Sites You Have Viewed Online (90)

      Written by:

      Jack Lloyd

      wikiHow Technology Writer

      This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jack Lloyd. Jack Lloyd is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. He has over two years of experience writing and editing technology-related articles. He is technology enthusiast and an English teacher. This article has been viewed 308,256 times.

      How helpful is this?

      Co-authors: 21

      Updated: August 19, 2022

      Views:308,256

      Categories: Internet Browsers

      Article SummaryX

      1. Open Chrome.
      2. Tap the three dot menu.
      3. Tap History.
      4. Tap Clear Browsing Data.
      5. Tap Autofill Data.
      6. Tap Clear Browsing Data.
      7. Tap Clear Browsing Data' to confirm.

      Did this summary help you?

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      8 Ways to Clear the Search Box of Sites You Have Viewed Online (2024)

      FAQs

      8 Ways to Clear the Search Box of Sites You Have Viewed Online? ›

      Open Chrome and select Options, the three vertical dots in the top right. Hover over History in the drop-down menu and select History from the list of options. Click Clear browsing data on the left-hand menu to delete all your Google search history and other browsing data stored on your device.

      How do you clear the search box of sites you have viewed online? ›

      Open Chrome and select Options, the three vertical dots in the top right. Hover over History in the drop-down menu and select History from the list of options. Click Clear browsing data on the left-hand menu to delete all your Google search history and other browsing data stored on your device.

      How do you clear your Internet history of websites visited? ›

      On your computer, open Chrome. History. On the left, select Delete browsing data. Select how much history you want to delete.

      How do you clear search bar history? ›

      Manage Search history saved to your Google Account
      1. All your Search history: Above your history, tap Delete. Delete all time.
      2. A specific time period: Above your history, tap Delete. ...
      3. A specific day: Next to the day, tap Delete all activity from [day] .
      4. A specific activity: Next to the activity, tap Delete activity item .

      How to clear search suggestions on websites? ›

      Turn off trending searches from a mobile browser
      1. On your Android phone or tablet, open a browser like Chrome. or Firefox.
      2. Go to google.com.
      3. At the top right, tap your profile picture or initial.
      4. Tap More settings. Other settings.
      5. Turn off Autocomplete with trending searches.

      How do I clear the searchbar? ›

      Delete a Site From the Chrome Search Bar
      1. Open a Chrome tab and type in the search bar.
      2. Use the keyboard's arrow keys or the mouse cursor to navigate to the URL you want to delete.
      3. With the URL highlighted, select the X on the far right.
      4. The URL is deleted from your search bar history.
      Jun 15, 2022

      How to erase search history? ›

      Manage Search history saved to your Google Account
      1. On your computer, go to your Search history in My Activity.
      2. Choose the Search history you want to delete. You can choose: All your Search history: Above your history, click Delete. Delete all time. A specific time period: Above your history, click Delete.

      How do I delete all traces from a website? ›

      To remove all evidence from sites you have visited, you can use the short cut Ctrl+Shift+Delete to go directly to the window that allows you to remove your browsing history or select one of the steps presented below, depending on your browser.

      Is it illegal to delete your search history? ›

      And most of the time people can do so without expecting the Department of Justice to come knocking. But deleting digital data—including clearing browser history—can result in federal felony obstruction of justice charges under 18 U.S.C.

      How can I clear my activity history? ›

      Delete all activity
      1. On your Android phone or tablet, go to myactivity.google.com.
      2. Above your activity, tap Delete .
      3. Tap All time.
      4. Tap Next. Delete.

      Why do I clear my search history? ›

      Deleting your browsing history has its benefits. For one, it can improve the performance of your device. Secondly, it can help make you more private online.

      Does deleting search history delete everything? ›

      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 remove my information from search sites? ›

      Table of Contents
      1. Google your name.
      2. Look yourself up on people finder sites that did not appear on Google.
      3. Find the opt-out page.
      4. Submit an opt out request.
      5. Repeat the process for each site.
      6. Repeat the process in a few months time.
      Dec 1, 2023

      How do I permanently delete websites from search results? ›

      5 Ways to Remove Unwanted Search Results from Google
      1. Use One of Google's Online Forms. ...
      2. Submit a Removal Request for Individual Search Results. ...
      3. Get Rid of Unwanted Content You Control. ...
      4. Contact the Site Owner Directly. ...
      5. Create a Positive Content Campaign to Bury Negative Search Results.
      Jun 7, 2024

      How do I clear browsing data from certain websites? ›

      Google Chrome: Clearing Cache and Cookies for Specific Sites
      1. Click the Lock Icon in the URL bar.
      2. Choose "Site Settings"
      3. Click "Clear Data" Note: It may take some extended time for this page to load fully.
      4. Reload Page (Re-login for Breeze)
      May 2, 2024

      How can I remove my information from Internet searches? ›

      How To Remove Your Information From the Internet
      1. Secure your online accounts.
      2. Remove your data from Google search results.
      3. Request that third-party websites remove your information.
      4. Delete old accounts and apps.
      5. Boost your social media privacy settings.
      6. Opt out of data broker lists.
      7. Use anti-tracking and privacy tools.
      Nov 30, 2023

      How do I remove search results from my search bar? ›

      Collect URLs and screenshots of the results you want to get deleted. Go to: https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/9673730, scroll down and click “start removal request”. Click on the edit icon to the right of “what do you want to do?” and select “remove information you see in Google Search.”

      How do I stop search history from being seen? ›

      How To Hide Browsing History – Complete Guide
      1. Use Private Browsing Mode. ...
      2. Clear Your Browsing History Regularly. ...
      3. Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) ...
      4. Use Browser Extensions and Plugins. ...
      5. Use Search Engines That Respect Privacy. ...
      6. Opt-Out of Tracking. ...
      7. Use Secure Connections (HTTPS) ...
      8. Manage Cookies.
      Aug 29, 2023

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