How to Delete Drop-Down URLs

Deleting drop-down URLs prevents others from seeing which sites you've visited.

Address bars go by a lot of different names -- search bars, URL bars, location bars -- but regardless of what you call them, their functionality and use have increased over the years. The introduction of a drop-down menu of URLs you've visited in the past is one of the bigger enhancements found in the address bar of most major browsers, and it was designed to increase the speed of your Internet surfing. Clearing your history will prevent the drop-down bar from appearing if you consider the feature more of a hindrance than a help.

Instructions

Firefox 3.5

1. Click on "Tools" in the toolbar, then select "Options."

2. Click on the "Privacy" tab in the window that pops up.

3. Uncheck the option that says "Remember My Browsing History for (number here) Days" and check the option that says "Clear History When Firefox Closes." Click "OK" to save the changes afterward.

4. Click on "Clear Recent History" under "Tools" in the toolbar. Select "Everything" from the drop-down menu, then click "Clear Now" to erase Firefox's current history cache.

Internet Explorer 8

1. Click on the "Internet Options" selection under the "Tools" section of the toolbar.

2. Look for the "Browsing History" portion of the "General" tab. Click on the button labeled "Settings." Another window will pop up.

3. Change the "Days to Keep Pages in History" number to "0" to have Internet Explorer erase your history each time you close the browser. Click "OK" to return to the "Internet Options" window.

4. Click the button in the "Browsing History" portion that says "Delete."

5. Check the "History" box in the new window. Press "Delete" at the bottom of the window to delete your current history. It may take a few minutes to delete the files.

Tips & Warnings

• You can delete individual websites from the address bar drop-down menu if you don't want to delete your entire history. Click the button with the down arrow to the right of the address bar to bring up the drop-down menu. Highlight the website you want to eliminate by hovering your mouse over it. Press the "Delete" button on your keyboard to eliminate the single entry in Firefox, or click on the red "X" next to the website name to delete the URL from Internet Explorer's history.

• You can also clear the history in Internet Explorer 8 by clicking on "Delete Browsing History" in the "Safety" menu of the toolbar.

References

• Mozilla: Firefox Help: Clear Recent History
• Microsoft Windows: Internet Explorer 8: Help and Support