Delete your Internet browser search history has always been a straightforward process. Delete your Internet, online, and browser search history, as well as clear cookies and memory cache, has long been a feature of your preferred browser, whether it’s Internet Explorer, Firefox, or another. The key to success is just knowing what to do.
Now, keep in mind that, like other files, these files will not be completely destroyed unless they are written over, thus there are a variety of specific tools available to permanently erase your search and Internet history. However, because most users don’t know how to delete their history and even fewer know how to recover it, most computer users will be able to use these built-in services.
These files and data are still on your computer and can be retrieved in a matter of seconds, even if you delete them, empty your recycle bin, and delete your web browser cookies. If you do not take further precautions to ensure that this information is never retrieved or read by your employer, children, spouse, or anybody else, it can be swiftly recovered or read by them.
What are the extra efforts you may take to mask your traces and ensure that personal or sensitive data is not accessed by unauthorized users? They’re actually quite straightforward. All you have to do now is make sure that whatever files you remove are likewise rewritten over on your hard drive.
Most users are unaware that when they delete something, it is not actually removed from their system. It merely lies there, unnoticed, until new data on your computer overwrites it. There are literally hundreds of data recovery software applications on the market today that can recover this data in a matter of minutes, including emails, images, documents, and browsing history.
Here are the ways to delete your browsing history.
The majority of individuals who use the internet still use Internet Explorer. Simply select Tools/Options/Internet Options/General from the top menu. Then select “remove files” and then “OK.” Finally, select “clear history” and, when prompted, select Yes.
Safari users have it made for them. Simply select History from the top menu, and then Clear History from the list that appears at the bottom. Safari is now freely available for Windows users, in case you didn’t know. When it comes to preserving your search history and enabling private browsing, it is one of the best browsers available.
If you’re using Mozilla Firefox, select Tools/Options/Privacy/Clear. Isn’t it a piece of cake?
AOL is the same way…
Clear History Trail Now in Settings/Preferences/Toolbars and Sounds.
Admittedly, selecting “toolbars and noises” does not seem obvious, but it raises an important topic. If you have toolbars installed on your browsers, such as Google, Yahoo, or Alexa toolbars, they will save your search history for future use…which is quite useful when you need to find something and can’t remember what search term worked.
If you’re trying to hide your tracks, though, you don’t want that information to be available to inquisitive eyes. For example, on the Google toolbar, click the Down arrow to the right of where you input your search, and you’ll see your search history there in front of you. Thankfully, there is also a link that says Clear History. Simply click there, and your history will vanish from view.
This option exists in all toolbars, as is the option to not remember your Internet search history, however, you may need to go inside your browser and disable the AutoComplete feature.
However, if you really want to ensure sure your search history is gone for good, you’ll require third-party privacy control software. These apps not only clean your history, cache, and cookies, but they also destroy them permanently from your computer, making them unrecoverable with undelete or data recovery tools. The majority of solutions on the market employ government and military-level deletion techniques, which permanently erase your data from your computer.
