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How do I Clear my Address Bar History?

Dan Cavallari
Dan Cavallari

Clearing your address bar history is a useful process that can help enhance privacy. The process of clearing an address bar history will vary according to the browser program you are using as well as the operating system your computer uses, but the basic process is generally the same. The first step is to open the browser program. Some browser programs will allow you to clear the address bar history without being connected to the Internet, while others may require an Internet connection. Once the browser program is open and your home page appears, you can begin the process.

At the top of the screen, the browser program will often feature menu items, such as "File," "Edit," "View," History," "Bookmarks," and "Help." If you are new to the browser program, you can click on the "Help" menu item to find tutorials on how to use the browser, as well as how to clear your address bar history. If you are comfortable enough with the browser and feel as though you can navigate it easily, you can locate the "History" menu item if one is present. If there is no "History" menu item, look for a menu item that reads, "Preferences," "Privacy," "Settings," or something similar.

Most internet browsers make it fairly simple to delete the browsing history.
Most internet browsers make it fairly simple to delete the browsing history.

When you click on that menu item, a menu will drop down from that spot with several options. Look for the option that reads, "Clear History" or something similar. The menu may read simply "History" or "Browser History," so click on these items if they are present. Doing so will open a dialog box that may provide a list of websites you have visited in the past. This is your address bar history. There will be a menu item within that dialogue box that reads "Clear History" or a similar command. Clicking on this item will erase the record of websites you have visited, as well as any temporary stored data from those websites.

The steps for clearing an address bar history depend on the internet browser used.
The steps for clearing an address bar history depend on the internet browser used.

You can very often set your browser to clear the address bar history automatically after a set period of time. Such settings can usually be adjusted within the history dialog box or drop-down menu. Simply choose the amount of time you want your browser to store the data; you may choose, for example, to instruct the browser to clear browsing data every two weeks. This means the browser will delete your address bar history as well as other temporary files every two weeks from the initial setting date.

Discussion Comments

Feryll

In addition to clearing web address history, you can go one step further and disable your browser's history function. When you do this, the sites where you have been will not be listed, so there will be no need to go back later and delete your tracks.

This is convenient if you are using a shared computer and you are concerned that you might forget to delete the address bar history when you leave the computer.

Drentel

If you are in need of a little extra speed from your computer then deleting the address bar history can help significantly in the short term. I had an old desktop computer that I bought used from a guy who repaired computers and resold them.

The computer I purchased from him worked fine, but sometimes when I had been doing a good amount of web surfing, or when I had been corresponding back and forth through email the computer would begin to slow down and sometimes if I waited too long before I cleared the browsing history then the computer would freeze and I would have to shut down and restart it.

However, when I cleared the history in time the computer would speed up again until the time came again when I needed to clear the history. Sometimes I would have to clear the history several times a night, but it did work in the short run.

mobilian33

My computer has really slowed down since I first bought it. I have been searching for ways to increase the speed. Will clearing the address bar history help increase the speed of my computer?

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    • Most internet browsers make it fairly simple to delete the browsing history.
      By: jdwfoto
      Most internet browsers make it fairly simple to delete the browsing history.
    • The steps for clearing an address bar history depend on the internet browser used.
      By: jamdesign
      The steps for clearing an address bar history depend on the internet browser used.