How to Clear Internet Memory

Anytime you open your web browser, your browser stores information in your computer's memory and on your hard drive. This can help save time when browsing by automatically filling in forms, remembering passwords or making sites you visit regularly easier to access. You may, however, want to clear this history, or memory, for technical reasons or to help ensure personal privacy. Different browsers have different methods for clearing the history, but the terminology and basic process will usually apply to any commonly available web browser.

Instructions

MS Internet Explorer

1. Click "Tools" on the menu bar and select "Delete Browsing History..."

2. Activate or deactivate the check boxes for the parts of the memory you history you want to clear from memory. For instance, if you only wanted to clear everything except your saved passwords, activate all the checkboxes and deactivate the checkbox next to "Passwords."

3. Click the "Delete" button at the bottom of the window.

Mozilla Firefox

1. Click "Tools" on the menu bar and select "Clear Recent History..."

2. Click the drop-down next to "Range" and select "Everything." Unlike Internet Explorer, Firefox has the ability to clear only a portion of the history, defined by the time periods under "Range." By selecting "Everything" you will delete the entire history.

3. Activate or deactivate the check boxes to define which parts of the memory you want to delete (activate) or keep (deactivate).

4. Click the "Clear Now" button at the bottom of the window.

Tips & Warnings

• You can set Firefox to automatically clear the history every time you close the browser. Under "Tools:Options...", under the "Privacy" tab, select "Clear history when Firefox closes."

• For Internet Explorer, this feature is available under "Tools:Internet Options." On the "General" tab under "Browsing History," you an activate or deactivate "Delete browsing history on exit."