How to Clear Internet History

Internet Explorer History Splash Screen

It is a relatively simple process to clear your Internet browsing history in Internet Explorer in Microsoft Windows. Internet history contains a list of recently visited websites for up to 20 days. Follow the steps below to clear your Internet history and free up space and maybe even speed up your computer.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Internet Explorer
• Microsoft Windows

1. Open the Internet Explorer web browser by double-clicking the blue "e" icon. This is found on your desktop, or in your start menu on the computer.

2. Click the "Tools" menu on Internet Explorer web browser window, located on the top left of your menu bar or screen. A list, in column format, will appear.

3. Click "Internet Options" from this list. If you are using Internet Explorer 7, click on "Delete Browsing History." A dialog box will open up in both cases.

4. Go down to the "Browsing History" section and click the "Delete" button. This will bring up a number of options for deletion.

5. Click the "Delete history" button to clear Internet history of websites you visited in the past. A dialog box asking "Are you sure you want to delete your history of visited websites?" will then appear. Click on the "Yes" button. It may take several minutes to clear, especially if this process has rarely or never been completed before.

6. Click "Close" in that Internet Explorer dialog box and then click "OK" to exit. Your changes will be saved inside Internet Explorer and your history is now clear.

Tips & Warnings

• Click "delete" for temporary Internet files while deleting history. This will help to free up space and make the Internet operate more efficiently. It is not necessary to delete cookies unless you wish to.

• Save your Internet favorites or bookmarks before attempting to clear your history.

Resources

• Read this Article in Portuguese
• Microsoft Support