How to Remove Search Engine History

Search history is maintained by your web browser.

The history of searches performed through search engine web sites is maintained by your web browser and not by the site you use. You may see this for yourself when, regardless of the search engine you use, as you start typing a word in the search field, the auto-complete feature in your browser immediately provides a drop-down list of matching options. To remove this data and all search engine history from your web browsers, you need to clear the cache, browsing history and search history. The Google toolbar and other search box toolbars maintain their history separately.

Instructions

Internet Explorer

1. Launch Internet Explorer, access the "Tools" menu and click on "Internet Options" from the drop-down menu.

2. Click on the "General" tab, then click the "Delete" button under the "Browsing History" section.

3. Click on the "Delete forms..." button. It should correspond to the "Form Data" section. Click the "Close" button, then confirm the dialog box by clicking "Yes."

Firefox

1. Launch Firefox, go to the "Tools" menu and click on "Options" from the drop-down menu.

2. Click on the "Privacy" tab. Click on the "Settings..." button within the "Private Data" section.

3. Click (enable) the checkboxes for these items: Browsing History, Download History, Saved Form Information, Cache and Cookies. Confirm the deletion by clicking "OK."

4. Go to the "Tools" menu again and choose "Clear Private Data" from the drop-down menu.

Safari

1. Launch Safari, click on the "Safari" menu and choose "Preferences" from the drop-down menu.

2. Click on the "AutoFill" tab and click on the "Edit..." button that corresponds to "Other Forms."

3. Click on the "Remove All" button then click "Done."

4. Go to the "Safari" menu and choose "Empty Cache..." from the drop-down menu. Click on the "Empty" button to confirm the deletion.

Search Toolbars

1. Access the web browser that uses the search toolbar containing your search history.

2. Click on the downward arrow within the search box toolbar. Click on the "Clear Recent Searches" option from the drop-down menu if you use Safari.

3. Click "Clear Search History" if you use the Google toolbar on both Firefox and Internet Explorer.

References

• Ask Dave Taylor: How Do I Clear Recent Searches from Safari and Google?
• Ask Leo: How Do I Clear My Search History in Firefox
• Google Toolbar: Search box: Clear Your Toolbar Search History
• Ask-Leo: How Do I Clear My Search History in IE 7?

Resources

• Search Engine Watch: Clearing Your Search History From Google And Other Search Engines.
• Justia: Google Search History - See What You Searched And Clicked On
• Delete History Free: How to Delete History Using Delete History Freeware