How to Clear History on Windows Vista

As you use your Windows Vista PC and browse the Internet with Internet Explorer (Windows Vista's default web browser), temporary and history files are created on your computer's hard disk that take up space, documenting your actions as you go. In order to free up a bit of extra space, you need to manually delete them from Internet Explorer and use the Windows Vista Disk Cleanup tool. This applies to all versions of Windows Vista as well as Internet Explorer 8.

Things You'll Need

• Internet Explorer 8

Instructions

Disk Cleanup

1. Click the "Start" icon on the desktop taskbar.

2. Select "All Programs" from the Start menu.

3. Select "Accessories," click the "System Tools" folder and choose "Disk Cleanup" to run the Disk Cleanup tool.

4. Select your computer's "(C:)" drive if prompted to choose a drive to clean and click "OK."

5. Select the items you want to delete from your PC, including options such as "Temporary Internet Files" and "Temporary Files."

6. Click "OK."

Deleting Browser History

1. Double-click Internet Explorer's desktop icon or open the Start menu and click the Internet Explorer icon to open the program.

2. Select the "Safety" button at the top-right corner of the browser.

3. Select "Delete Browsing History."

4. Choose which files you want to delete from your Internet Explorer browsing history from the provided list.

5. Select "Delete" to clear the selected data from Internet Explorer's History.

Tips & Warnings

• Choose the "Preserve Favorites website data" option when clearing data from Internet Explorer to maintain the data pertaining to websites stored on your favorites list.

• If using an alternative browser not included with Windows Vista such as Google Chrome, Safari or Mozilla Firefox, deleting your web history varies slightly.

References

• Microsoft: Delete Files Using Disk Cleanup
• Microsoft: Delete Webpage History