How to Delete Search History

Deleting search history is important, especially when you pay bills online. Your search history shows what websites you recently went to, along with any passwords that were used. Any files you downloaded and documents you opened from your computer can be traced. Deleting search history can protect you from hackers who could track down your personal information by tracing documents, passwords and personal accounts.

Instructions

1. Go to the top left of Internet Explorer and click on Tools. Select Internet Options, typically listed at the bottom of the selections.

2. Select the General tab. Sometimes your computer may automatically open up the General tab, but if not click on it to display more options.

3. Select "Clear History." When using Internet Explorer your computer may give you one or three options. Most computers allow you to select "Delete History" and it also deletes cookies and previous files that were opened. Other computers offer three choices and you need to select each one in order to delete files, cookies and history.

4. Choose the length of days you want your browsing history kept. There will be a choice under the General tab on the bottom right where you can change how many days your computer holds the information. Change it to 0 days where you do not have to keep remembering to delete the history.

5. Delete search history using Mozilla. Internet Explorer has a slightly different way of deleting search history than Mozilla. Select "Tools" and then "Options," which will be on the bottom of the list of choices.

6. Click on "Privacy" under the Navigator category. A history section, cookies, and private data box will appear with several choices. Under the History section, change the days that Mozilla holds the search history by changing the number to 0. Leave the next two boxes blank rather than checked. These relate to searching history, passwords and downloads. The third part is the Private Data section. Check the box next to "Always clear my data when I close Firefox."