How to Automatically Delete History

If you share a computer with others, you may not want your associates to know everything you've been doing on the Internet. Fortunately, there is an easy and hassle-free way to keep your Web browsing habits a secret. Most Web browsers can now be configured so that the browsing history will be deleted automatically whenever the browsing window is shut down. These instructions cover the most popular browsers.

Instructions

In Internet Explorer

1. Launch Internet Explorer.

2. Click the "Tools" menu at the top of the window and select "Internet Options."

3. Look under "Browsing History" on the "General" tab, and you'll see a box next to the words "Delete browsing history on exit." If this box does not have a check in it, click the box to place one there.

4. Click the "Apply" button. Explorer will now purge the history every time the window is closed.

In Firefox

1. Launch Firefox.

2. Click the "Tools" menu at the top of the window; then select "Options."

3. Click the "Privacy" tab; then look at the bottom of the tab for a box next to the words "Always clear my private data when I close Firefox." If there is not a check mark in this box, click it to place one there.

4. Close the Options window.

In Safari

1. Launch Safari.

2. Click the "Safari" menu at the top-left corner of the screen and select "Preferences."

3. In the "General" tab, click the drop-down menu next to the words "Clear history" and select the interval at which you would like the browsing history to be automatically deleted.

4. Close the Preferences window.

References

• Internet Explorer 6 for Dummies, Doug Lowe, 2001
• Firefox For Dummies, Blake Ross, 2006
• Mac OS X Leopard All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies, Mark L. Chambers, 2007