Learn How To Clear History on Your iPhone
- You can delete your iPhone’s search history on the Settings app.
- Aside from erasing your Safari history, you can also clear your cache, cookies, and more.
- Read more to learn what items can be deleted from your iPhone’s search history and how to erase them successfully.
In this article:
- Option 1: Steps in clearing an iPhone’s search history
- Option 2: The items that can be deleted from an iPhone browser
- Option 3: Troubleshooting search history that can’t deleted
- Option 4: Steps for deleting the history of other iPhone browsers other than Safari
- Option 5: How to avoid the need to clear your Safari history
2-Minute Answer
- Clear browsing history: On Safari: Open Settings > Select Safari > Tap Clear History and Website Data. On Chrome: Open Chrome > Tap the Menu icon > Tap History > Choose a time range (like last hour or a month ago) and the information to be deleted. > Check Browsing History and uncheck the items you do not want to delete.> Tap Clear Browsing Data… (Read More)
- You can erase your history, data, cookies, cache, etc… (Read More)
- Eliminate the need to clear your iPhone’s browser history by browsing privately, etc… (Read More)
Locating an iPhone’s owner is much easier if the phone powers on as chances are they’ll have ‘Find My iPhone’ activated on their iOS device, and for that, the battery can’t be dead. Assuming the battery was mostly full when you found it—and it probably wasn’t—you have about a day before the battery dies.
If you have an iPhone power cord or can borrow one, it’s a good idea to plug the phone in as soon as possible. Then you can move on to trying to find the owner without worrying about the battery going dead.
How To Clear Search History on iPhone
Clearing your iPhone’s browser history is essential because it improves the app’s overall performance. However, functionality is only one of the benefits of deleting your history and website data.
Deleting your search history prevents you from filling out forms and using old information that may be unsafe. This way, you are assured that everything you put in your browser is secure and that you’re browsing the web safely.
- Open Settings
- Tap Safari
- Tap Clear History and Website Data
- Tap Clear History and Data
What Items Can I Delete From My iPhone’s Browsing History?
You may need to learn different items on your phone’s browsing history to free up space on your device. On Safari, you could also delete other things aside from your history. These include your cache and cookies. Follow the steps below to erase them on your phone:
History
Listed below are the steps to clear your Safari browsing history:
- Open Settings
- Tap Safari
- Choose Clear History and Website Data
Cookies
Deleting Cookies
You can delete cookies and still keep your browser’s history on iPhone. Just follow these steps:
- Open the Settings app
- Choose Safari
- Tap Advanced
- Tap Website Data
- Choose Remove All Website Data
Blocking cookies
You should block cookies on your phone so that websites won’t remember you when you reopen them again.
Remember that when you block cookies, some website pages might not work. It includes being unable to sign in to a site even if you use the correct username and password.
- Open Settings
- Choose Safari
- Turn on Block All Cookies
Use Content Blockers
Some third-party applications and extensions automatically allow Safari to block cookies, pop-ups, pictures, and other content. These are called content blockers.
You can use more than one content blocker for your phone. If you want to get a content blocker, follow these steps:
- Open the App Store
- Choose a content-blocking application and download it.
- Open Settings
- Select Safari
- Tap Extensions
- Turn on your downloaded content blocker on the list.
What To Do if I Can’t Clear My iPhone’s Browsing History?
If the steps above are not working, there may be some reasons why you’re unable to delete search history on your iPhone. Try these steps to troubleshoot the issue:
Disable Content and Privacy Restrictions
- Go to Settings
- Tap Screen Time
- Open Content & Privacy Restrictions
- Input your Screen Time passcode when asked
- You can entirely disable Content & Privacy Restrictions
- You can completely turn off the Content & Privacy Restrictions feature.
- Alternatively, select Content Restrictions > Tap Web Content > Tap Unrestricted Access.
If you’re still having trouble deleting your browsing history after these steps, try temporarily turning off Screen Time. Sometimes Screen Time interferes with certain iPhone settings and features, such as graying out the browser’s options to clear history and website data.
- Launch Settings
- Tap Screen Time
- Tap Turn Off Screen Time
- Input your Screen Time passcode when asked
For iPhones running on iOS 11 or earlier:
- Open Settings
- Tap General
- Tap Restrictions
- Input your Screen Time passcode when asked
- Tap Disable Restrictions or Choose Allowed Content > Tap Websites > Select All Websites.
Stop Syncing Safari Via iCloud
- Open Settings
- Tap ‘Your Name’
- Tap iCloud
- Turn Safari sync off
- Select Keep on My iPhone
- Open Safari settings
- Select Clear History and Website Data
Delete All Items From Safari’s Reading List
- Launch the Safari app
- At the bottom of the screen, click the book icon.
- To open Reading List, tap the glasses icon.
- Tap Show All
- To delete items one at a time, swipe left
- To delete multiple items on your Safari history, tap Edit.
Block Cookies in Your Browser
- Launch Settings
- Open Safari
- Turn off Block All Cookies
- Confirm that you want to Block All
If you’re browser runs on iOS 10 or earlier, try these steps:
- Launch Settings
- Tap Safari
- Disable Do Not Track
- Tap Block Cookies
- Choose Always Block
Try Restarting, Resetting, or Restoring Your iPhone
Restarting an iPhone:
- Press and hold the volume and side buttons simultaneously if your device has Face ID.
- Press and hold the side button if your device lacks Face ID.
- Slide your device to power off
- Wait 30 seconds before turning it back on.
Resetting Your iPhone’s Network Settings:
- Open Settings
- Tap General
- Tap Reset.
- Choose Reset Network Settings
- Input your passcode when asked
Resetting All Settings on Your iPhone:
- Open Settings
- Tap General
- Tap Reset.
- Choose Reset All Settings
- Input your passcode when asked
Restoring your iPhone:
- Make a backup of your device first (You will lose all your content and data if you don’t backup your iPhone.)
- Open Settings
- Tap General
- Choose Reset.
- Select Erase All Content and Settings
- If asked, input your Apple ID and passcode.
What Other Browsers Can I Clear on My iPhone?
You might be using other browsers on your phone aside from Safari, such as Firefox and Google Chrome. Do these steps to clear your browsing history on these browsers:
Firefox
- Open Firefox
- Tap the Menu icon that looks like three horizontal lines.
- Select History
- Tap Clear Recent History
- Choose Everything to delete the entire history on iPhone.
- If you want to delete selected items only, swipe left on the website listed on your history, then tap Delete.
Google Chrome
- To delete Google Search history, open the Chrome app
- Tap the Menu icon that looks like three dots
- Tap History
- Choose a time range (like last hour, a month ago, etc.) and the information to be deleted.
- Open your Browsing History and uncheck the items you do not want to delete.
- Tap Clear Browsing Data
- After you tap Clear Browsing Data, confirm the action in the resulting pop-up box to clear Chrome history.
- If you want to delete individual websites, tap the Menu icon > Tap History > Tap Edit > Choose the sites you wish to erase > Tap Delete.
Tips To Reduce the Need To Clear My iPhone’s Browsing History
- Use private browsing mode: Most web browsers have a private browsing mode that does not store browsing history. Using this mode can help you avoid the need to clear your browsing history in the future.
- Clear cache and cookies regularly: Clearing your cache and cookies regularly can help reduce the browsing data stored on your iPhone.
- Use a password manager: Password managers store your login information securely, so you don’t have to remember them. It can help reduce the need to search for your login credentials, which can often lead to more data on your browser.
- Limit the number of apps that access the internet: The more apps you use that access the internet, the more browsing data will be stored on your iPhone. Limiting the number of these apps can minimize your browsing data.
- Use a VPN: Virtual private networks can safeguard your privacy by encrypting your internet connection. This can help reduce the amount of browsing data that is stored on your iPhone.
