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How to Clear History in Safari browser

Learn how to clear the Safari app browsing history and data from the Mac and iPhone/iPad. We can use the History menu to remove the stored browsing data.

The Safari browsing app on Apple devices offers an option to clear the browsing history records from the browser. The option is available under the History menu and can be removed for different date ranges. Open the History menu and select the Clear History command on Safari for Mac, whereas for iPhone or iPad, the Clear History option is available on the History tab under the Bookmarks page.

Clear Browsing History in Safari browser

The Safari browser does keep a record of our browsing in the History tab. You can easily check and visit the pages that you’ve visited in the past. If you do not clear the history, the records will be stored in the browser and pile up. Hence it’s recommended to clear the browsing history periodically.

Clearing browsing history is also beneficial for protecting our browsing and behavioral data and improving our data privacy.

The browsing history is synced across the devices when signed in with the same iCloud account; deleting from Safari app on any device will also remove it from the other connected devices.

With that said, let’s check the easy-to-follow guide on clearing the browser history from Safari on a computer and smartphone.

From Safari on Mac

Clearing the browsing history from Safari on a Mac computer is easy from the menu bar. You can follow these steps to clear:

  1. Open the Safari app on your Mac.
  2. Click on the History and select Clear History from the menubar.
    Clear History menu item under History menu on Safari menubarIt will open the clear history pop-up window.
  3. Select the Time Range from the drop-down and hit on the Clear History command button.
    Clear History command window on Safari app on Mac

That’s it, the browsing history will be removed from the selected range.

Please note that clearing the history will also remove the cookies and website cache data from the browser. It will also remove the history from all other devices signed into the same iCloud account. Hence, you need to sign in to your online accounts again once the login cookies are deleted.

There is also an automated way to clear the history from the Safari browser after a certain time period. Follow these steps:

  1. Click on Safari and select Settings menu from the menubar.
    Apple Safari Settings menuIt will open the Safari Settings window.
  2. Under the General tab, select the preferred range to Remove History items option.
    Select Remove history items on certain time period on Safari app on Mac
  3. It will delete the history items automatically based on the selected time range.

From Safari on iPhone or iPad

The browsing history on the iPhone or iPad is available under the Bookmark icon. Hence, clearing the visit history is also available under the History tab. Here are the steps to follow:

  1. Launch the Safari app on your device.
  2. Tap the Bookmarks open book icon on the menu bar and switch to the History tab.
  3. Tap the Clear command on the History page.
    Switch to History tab under Bookmarks menu on the Safari iPhone
  4. Select the desired Range from the confirmation pop-up command to delete browsing history.
    Clear browsing history for time period on Safari app on iPhone

That’s it. The browsing history will be removed for the selected period, along with browsing cookies and cache data. You might need to sign in again on your online accounts since user cookies are deleted. And also, the history will be removed across the devices signed in with the same iCloud account.

There is another way to delete the history and site data from the Safari menu under the Phone settings page.

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad
  2. Scroll down and select Safari for settings.
  3. Within the Safari settings page, scroll down and tap on Clear History and Website Data commands.
  4. Finally, hit on the Clear History and Data command button.
    Clear History and Data command on Safari Settings page

It will completely wipe out the Safari app’s browsing history and website data.

Bottom Line

Safari browser offers an easy way to clear website history. You can clear the history for different time ranges using the options on the confirmation page.

Unfortunately, there is no way we can clear only the browsing history, we should have had the option. Clearing the history will clear cookies and website data from the browser.

The history and browsing data are synced with devices with the same iCloud account. Hence, deleting the history from Safari on iPhone will also clear on the connected devices.

Lastly, if you've any thoughts or feedback on How to Clear History in Safari browser, then feel free to drop in below comment box. You can also report the outdated information.

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Kushal Azza

Kushal is a Bachelor of Engineering, a Certified Google IT Support Professional, and a Digital-Tech Geek. He has over a decade of experience solving tech problems, troubleshooting, and creating digital solutions. Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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