How to Turn Recent Searches Off Permanently

Recent searches is the portion of a Web browser that records keywords typed into a search bar. Recent searches allows users to quickly navigate to previous searches or to see what was recently searched on a particular PC. Disabling recent searches allows a user to surf the Web without leaving a trace as no keywords are recorded by the browser. Disabling recent searches permanently is done by enabling the private browsing mode in the browser of your choice.

Things You'll Need

• Internet Explorer
• Mozilla Firefox
• Google Chrome

Instructions

Internet Explorer

1. Open Internet Explorer. Allow the browser to fully load.

2. Click the "Safety" menu item at the top of the window. Hover the cursor over "InPrivate Browsing."

3. Click "InPrivate Browsing" to enable it. While in this mode, Internet Explorer stops recording any search data, cookies or form data input by the user.

Mozilla Firefox

1. Run the Firefox program. Allow the browser to load the homepage.

2. Click the "Tools" option near the top right portion of the window. Move the cursor to the "Start Private Browsing" option.

3. Click "Start Private Browsing" from the list. Click "Start Private Browsing" when prompted. Mozilla Firefox now does not record form data, cookies and search history.

Google Chrome

1. Open the Google Chrome. Let the homepage load fully.

2. Click the small wrench icon in the top right portion of the window. Move the cursor to the "New Incognito Window" option.

3. Click the "New Incognito Window" option. Close the current Chrome window and click the new incognito window.

Tips & Warnings

• Simply perform the steps again to revert the browsers' settings to allow recent searches to be recorded.

References

• Microsoft: Internet Explorer 8 Features
• Mozilla: Private Browsing
• Google: Incognito Mode