2 Simple Ways to Clear History in Safari

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Quickly clear your browsing history in Mac Safari or Safari on iPhone
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You can delete all of your web browsing history or specific entries on both the OS X and the iOS versions of Safari. This can come in handy if you're on a public computer, or need to remove a certain website from your browsing history. No matter what system you're using, it will only take a few moments.

Method 1
Method 1 of 4:

OS X (All History)

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  1. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/6\/64\/Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-1-Version-4.jpg\/v4-460px-Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-1-Version-4.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/6\/64\/Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-1-Version-4.jpg\/v4-728px-Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-1-Version-4.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    You can quickly delete all of your browsing history using this method. If you want to delete a single entry, click here .
  2. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/1\/1a\/Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-2-Version-5.jpg\/v4-460px-Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-2-Version-5.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/1\/1a\/Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-2-Version-5.jpg\/v4-728px-Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-2-Version-5.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    • If you're using an older version of Safari, click the "History" menu instead and select "Clear History".
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  3. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/1\/1a\/Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-3-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-3-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/1\/1a\/Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-3-Version-3.jpg\/v4-728px-Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-3-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    You can choose to delete all of your history, history from the last hour, from today, or from today and yesterday. [1]
  4. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/c4\/Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-4-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-4-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/c\/c4\/Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-4-Version-3.jpg\/v4-728px-Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-4-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Clear History to confirm. All of the history, cookies, searches, and other data from the range you selected will be deleted.
    • Note that this will delete history across all devices connected to your iCloud account.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 4:

OS X (Single Entries)

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  1. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/9\/99\/Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-5-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-5-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/9\/99\/Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-5-Version-3.jpg\/v4-728px-Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-5-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
  2. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/b\/b1\/Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-6-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-6-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/b\/b1\/Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-6-Version-3.jpg\/v4-728px-Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-6-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    You can also press ⌘ Command + ⌥ Option + 2 to open the Show History window.
  3. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/0\/0e\/Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-7-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-7-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/0\/0e\/Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-7-Version-3.jpg\/v4-728px-Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-7-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    You can use the search bar in the upper-right corner, or expand the dates to browse through all your entries.
  4. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/1\/1b\/Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-8-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-8-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/1\/1b\/Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-8-Version-3.jpg\/v4-728px-Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-8-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    If you have a single-button mouse or trackpad, hold Control and click to open the menu. Repeat for any additional entries you want to remove.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 4:

iOS (All History)

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  1. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/2\/2b\/Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-9-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-9-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/2\/2b\/Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-9-Version-3.jpg\/v4-728px-Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-9-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    If you want to delete all of your browsing history, you'll need to do it from the Settings app instead of Safari.
    • If you want to delete a single entry, click here .
  2. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/3\/37\/Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-10-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-10-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/3\/37\/Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-10-Version-3.jpg\/v4-728px-Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-10-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
  3. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/5\/52\/Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-11-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-11-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/5\/52\/Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-11-Version-3.jpg\/v4-728px-Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-11-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Tap "Clear History and Data" to confirm. All of your history, cookies, and other browsing information will be deleted.
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Method 4
Method 4 of 4:

iOS (Single Entries)

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  1. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/7\/70\/Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-12-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-12-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/7\/70\/Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-12-Version-3.jpg\/v4-728px-Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-12-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    If you just want to get rid of a couple of entries, you can delete individual history entries from within the Safari app.
  2. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/6\/6b\/Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-13-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-13-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/6\/6b\/Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-13-Version-3.jpg\/v4-728px-Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-13-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    It looks like an open book.
  3. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/e\/ec\/Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-14-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-14-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/e\/ec\/Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-14-Version-3.jpg\/v4-728px-Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-14-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
  4. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/f\/fe\/Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-15-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-15-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/f\/fe\/Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-15-Version-3.jpg\/v4-728px-Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-15-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    This will reveal the "Delete" button.
  5. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/c2\/Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-16-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-16-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/c\/c2\/Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-16-Version-3.jpg\/v4-728px-Clear-History-in-Safari-Step-16-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Repeat for any other history entries you want to delete. Tap "Done" when you are finished deleting history entries. [2]
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Expert Q&A

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  • Question
    Does clearing Safari history free up storage?
    Luigi Oppido
    Computer & Tech Specialist
    Luigi Oppido is the Owner and Operator of Pleasure Point Computers in Santa Cruz, California. Luigi has over 25 years of experience in general computer repair, data recovery, virus removal, and upgrades. He is also the host of the Computer Man Show! broadcasted on KSQD covering central California for over two years.
    Luigi Oppido
    Computer & Tech Specialist
    Expert Answer
    Sure it does, but less than people think. Browsing history does not take up a lot of space. This was important back in the day, where hard drive storage was scarce, but not anymore. Cleaning the history is only a matter of personal preference or security, when you're using a shared or public computer.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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    Not Helpful 0 Helpful 0
  • Question
    Why is my clear button gray?
    Community Answer
    You may have Parental Controls on a setting where you are unable to do that. Your parents will have to unlock that feature in System Preferences.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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      References

      1. ↑ http://osxdaily.com/2014/11/28/clear-recent-web-history-safari-mac-os-x/
      2. ↑ http://osxdaily.com/2014/11/21/delete-specific-history-safari-ios/

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