How to Erase the History in a Search Engine

by Brendan O'Brien
Erasing the history in a search engine takes about two minutes.

Erasing the history in a search engine takes about two minutes.

computer image by fotografiche.eu from Fotolia.com

If you share a computer with a spouse, you may at times want to delete the history of a search engine. For instance, let's say you are shopping for an anniversary gift online and you started your spree with a search engine query. An hour later, if your spouse gets on the computer and uses the same search engine, she could easily come across your search with the history drop-down that appears.

Firefox

Step 1

Open your Firefox browser.

Step 2

Click the "Tools" option in the main menu bar.

Step 3

Scroll down and hit "Clear Private Data" or "Clear Recent History." In some versions, you are given the option to select a time range to clear in a drop-down menu.

Step 4

Select "Form" or "Form and Search History."

Step 5

Hit the "Clear Now" button. Restart your browser.

Internet Explorer

Step 1

Open your Internet Explorer browser.

Step 2

Select "Tools" in the main menu bar. Scroll down and click "Internet Options."

Step 3

Click the "Content" tab. Click the "Settings" button in the AutoComplete section.

Step 4

Remove all of the check marks for the AutoComplete options that you do not want to use. Hit the "OK" button. Your search engine history list will now be cleared. Hit the "Clear Forms" button if your version has one.

Step 5

Click the "OK" button. Restart your browser.

About the Author

Brendan O'Brien is a professional journalist in Milwaukee, Wis. He has worked for several news organizations, newspapers such as the "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel" and trade magazines during his career of more than 15 years. He is currently a freelance writer who works for several publications.

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