How to Check Internet Search History
Whenever you search the Internet, a record is kept of the search engine you used, the time the search was performed and the actual items you searched for. This search history can come in handy whenever you need to recall an important Internet search you performed at an earlier date. You can view these records and recreate old searches by browsing through the history section of your browser.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
Internet Explorer
-
1
Launch Internet Explorer and click the star-shaped "Favorites Center" icon located in the top left corner of your browser. A menu will open.
-
2
Click "History" from that menu to display a search box.
-
-
3
Type Google.com or Bing.com in the search box and click "Search Now." If you have performed any Google or Bing searches since your last history cleanup, those search records will appear in the window.
-
4
Place your mouse pointer over any record to view details about that search. In those details, you will see the keywords that made up that record's particular Internet search. See Resources for tips on understanding Google URL search strings.
-
5
Click any record in the list to perform the actual Internet search. The Google or Bing search page will open showing the search results for the query you select.
Other Browsers
-
6
Locate the history window in any non-Internet Explorer browser you may use. You usually will get to the history window of any browser by clicking "History" in the menu at the top of the browser window.
-
7
Locate the search box in the history window and type Google.com, Bing.com or the URL of any other search engine whose history records you would like to view.
-
8
Click any record in the list to rerun its search and view the results.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
You can specify a date range in which you would like to view your Internet search history records. Look for a drop-down arrow in your browser's history window. That will open a list of date options from which you can choose. As with all Internet history, search records will disappear whenever you clear your browser's history.
You can find many software applications on the Internet that can delete your browser's search history if you are concerned about privacy. Some popular programs include "CCleaner" and "nCleaner."
