How to Clear Searches from a Computer

Your computer stores all the searches you are making for your convenience. However, for a shared computer, convenience is not as important as privacy. Searches on your web browser and operating system can reveal private information about you. The searches you made on the computer and the ones using your web browser can be cleaned without having to use any other tools than the one coming with your Windows operating system.

Instructions

Windows XP and Vista

1. Click on the "Start" button and select "RUN." Type "regedit" and press "Enter."

2. Use the arrow on the side of each folder on the left pane of the "Registry Editor" to go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Search Assistant\ACMru \5603\.

3. Click on the "5603" key on the left pane. Delete every line on the right pane.

Windows 7

1. Click on the "Start" button, type "RUN" in the "Search programs and files" field and press "Enter." Type "regedit" in the" RUN" window and press "Enter."

2. Use the arrow on the side of each folder on the left pane of the "Registry Editor" to go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\WordWheelQuery

3. Click on the WordWheelQuery on the left pane. Select and delete everything on the right pane.

Internet Explorer

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

2. Check "Form data."

3. Click "Delete."

Firefox

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

2. Click on "Details" and select "Form and Search History."

3. Select the time period you want to erase the history of using the drop-down menu. Press "Clear Now."

4. Right click on the search bar on the upper right corner of Firefox. Select "Clear Search History."

Chrome

1. Click on the wrench menu on the upper-right corner of the window.

2. Select "Clear Browsing Data."

3. Check the "Clear saved form data." Select the time period you want to erase the history of using the drop-down menu.

4. Click on "Clear Browsing Data."

Tips & Warnings

• Finder, the Mac OS X search software, does not have an history per say. When opening finder, the folder seen are the real folders. If you delete what you see in finder, you will be deleting the folder from your computer. To "delete" the items in finder, single drag the item out of the finder window and released it on the desktop.

References

• Chrome: Delete Browsing History
• Firefox: Clear Search Bar History
• Hacktrix: How to Delete Search History in Windows