history safari browser

How to view and clear your web browsing history in Safari on iPhone or iPad

Easily wipe your browsing history in Apple's Safari web browser in seconds.

How to find your web-browsing history

How to clear your web browsing history.

Clearing your browsing history on iPhone and iPad in Safari has been a straightforward affair for years now.

Sometimes, you may want a fresh start with your web browsing — perhaps to get rid of some history that may bring up a memory you'd rather forget as you type in a website URL in the address bar.

Apple makes this feature very easy to access on both the iPhone and iPad by offering two ways to clear your history. So with this in mind, here's how you can do just that and make a fresh start in Safari .

Viewing your web history in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 is very easy to do — and it's all done from Safari.

• In Safari, tap the Bookmarks button in the toolbar that's below the address bar.
• Tap the History icon in the upper right corner. Here, you can view your entire web history.

• Use the History search bar to find previously viewed pages.

If the time calls to wipe most or all of your web browsing history in Safari, here's how to do it on both iPhone and iPad.

To note, the below steps will be the same if you attempt to wipe your web browsing history on an iPhone 15 Pro Max , and an iPad Mini 6 for example.

• In Safari, tap the Bookmarks button.
• Select the History icon in the upper right corner.
• Tap Clear and select how much history you'd like to clear: the last hour, the last day, 48 hours' worth, or all recorded history.

One more thing… A feature no one talks about

Privacy on the web matters more than ever in these modern times. Websites store the pages you click on, especially when you sign into a page that can contain personal information about you.

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It's great to have a feature like this in Safari — but it would be good to have this automated. To tell Apple's web browser to automatically clear history after 24 hours would be very useful, as you wouldn't leave a trail behind.

Regardless, it's still a good feature, and one you should use every week.

Daryl is iMore's Features Editor, overseeing long-form and in-depth articles and op-eds. Daryl loves using his experience as both a journalist and Apple fan to tell stories about Apple's products and its community, from the apps we use everyday to the products that have been long forgotten in the Cupertino archives.

Previously Software & Downloads Writer at TechRadar, and Deputy Editor at StealthOptional, he's also written a book, ' The Making of Tomb Raider ', which tells the story of the beginnings of Lara Croft and the series' early development. He's also written for many other publications including WIRED, MacFormat, Bloody Disgusting, VGC, GamesRadar, Nintendo Life, VRV Blog, The Loop Magazine, SUPER JUMP, Gizmodo, Film Stories, TopTenReviews, Miketendo64 and Daily Star.

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How to clear browsing history on Safari on iPhone or Mac

You can clear your Safari browsing history on both iOS and Mac

As tracking goes, Safari keeping your browsing history is less about privacy-busting security and more about just being useful. It's your history that means Safari remembers where to go to when you choose forward and back within a site, for instance.

It's also how Safari is able to offer you a list of sites that you regularly go to, on account of how handy it is to be able to back to them with a click. History also does keep things you may not expect, though, such as a list of items you've downloaded.

If you don't want that, though, or you're just fed up of Safari going to site addresses you haven't looked at in years, you can wipe the whole browsing history.

On a Mac, you can also wipe, for instance, just the last hour's browsing history. So if you share Safari and it's someone's special birthday coming up, you can avoid them inadvertently finding out you plan to surprise them with dance lessons.

How to clear search history on Safari on Mac

• In Safari, choose the History menu
• Select Clear History from the very bottom of the menu
• In the dialog box that appears, choose from clearing the last hour , today , today and yesterday , or all history
• Click on Clear History

Alternatively, within Safari you can press Command-Y and the current page will be replaced by a history list. There's a Clear History... button toward the top right.

Clicking on that gives you exactly the same dialog about choosing how far back you want to clear your browsing history. But this page does also give you one extra option — the ability to delete one specific item.

How to clear one item from Safari search history on Mac

• In Safari, press Command-Y
• From the long list, click once on a history item to select it
• Right-click to bring up a menu, then choose Delete

Alternatively, if you select one, two, or more items in the history list, you can then press the Delete key to remove them all.

That kind of precision removal is only possible on your Mac, not on iOS . However, whether it's precision or wholesale clearing of your history, though, there is a way to replicate it on iOS.

If you have set iCloud to share your Safari history, then just doing this on your Mac also removes the history from your iPhone, and iPad.

Otherwise, you're stuck with going to your iOS device. And then with clearing the entire history.

How to clear search history on iPhone

• Go to Settings on your iOS device
• Tap on Safari
• Scroll down to Clear History and Website Data
• Tap that, then tap Clear History and Data to confirm

One important thing to note is that you can't selectively remove, say, today's browsing history on the iPhone or iPad . It's all or nothing, with iOS.

What you leave behind

Clearing your history like this does remove the list of sites and pages you've visited. It does mean you can't go back to that site you read last Tuesday, not without remembering what it was and going there yourself.

What it doesn't remove, though, is the information that gets used by something like AutoFill. If you have your address, for instance, and you're used to online forms being filled out with it, you've still got that feature.

You've also still got anything you downloaded. It's purely that Safari won't keep the list of downloads.

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How to Clear Safari Browsing History and Cache

Whenever you browse the web in Safari, the browser stores website data so that it doesn't have to download it again each time you revisit a site. In theory this should speed up your browsing experience, but there are some scenarios where you might want to clear the cache and start anew. Keep reading to learn how it's done on Mac, iPhone , and iPad .

If a site you regularly frequent has elements that have stopped working, or if a site has stopped loading completely, there may be a conflict between an older version of it that Safari has cached and a newer one.

Or perhaps you simply want to protect your privacy by wiping the slate clean and removing all the data associated with websites you've visited. Either way, here's how it's done on macOS and iOS.

How to Clear Safari's Cache on Mac

There are two ways to clear Safari's cache on a Mac. The first method outlined below deletes everything relating to a website you've visited, including not only the cached versions of the site, but also cookies and any other related data. The second method described offers a more targeted approach and clears only Safari's cache, but it does involve enabling a hidden menu.

• Launch Safari browser on your Mac.

How to Clear Safari's Cache on iPhone and iPad

Note that the following steps clear all history, cookies and website data on your device, regardless of when the sites were accessed.

• Launch the Settings app on your iOS device.
• Scroll down and select Safari .
• Scroll down and select Clear History and Website Data .
• Choose the timeframe to clear ( Last hour , Today , Today and yesterday , or All history ), choose the profile or select All Profiles , then tap Clear History .

For another way to protect your privacy while browsing the web, be sure to check out our guide on how to use Safari's Private Browsing Mode .

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How to clear Safari browsing history on iPhone and iPad

Clear Safari browsing history on iPhone and iPad in a few simple steps

You'll definitely want to know how to clear Safari browsing history on iPhone and iPad . Know how to delete browsing history is part of basic user operation on all your devices, and is especially if you share devices with others. 

Luckily, deleting browsing history on Safari is easy and can be done in just a few taps, and is the same on iOS and iPadOS, so whether you're using an iPhone 15 Pro or an iPad Air , these steps will apply.

Remember, though, that deleting your browsing history only stops your activity being visible on that device. Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) will still be able to see the webpages you have visited. If you want to stop that, for ultimate privacy, you'll need to use one of the best VPN services .

The following screenshots were taken on an iPhone running iOS 17 . If you aren't running the latest version of your device's OS, we can show you how to update an iPhone or how to update an iPad .

• In Safari, tap the book icon
• Go to the history tab (clock)
• Select how far back to clear

Read on to see full illustrated instructions.

1. In Safari, tap the book icon

Firstly, open Safari and tap the book icon in the bottom bar.

2. Select the history tab (clock icon) and tap Clear

Now select the history tab (clock icon) and tap Clear at the bottom.

3. Select how far back to clear and tap Delete

Now choose how far back you'd like to delete : last hour, today, today and yesterday, or all time.

If you like, you can toggle on Close All Tabs , which will close every open tab that isn't in a tab group (we can show you how to use tab groups if you aren't sure).

Finally, when you're happy, hit Delete .

As you can see in the screenshot above, if you now go back to the history tab, your history will have been deleted.

For more iPhone tutorials, check out our guides on how to transfer data from iPhone to iPhone , how to clear RAM on iPhone , how to delete multiple contacts on iPhone and how to rearrange the iOS 17 Messages '+' menu .

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How to Manage Browsing History on Safari for iPad

Protect your privacy on your mobile device

What to Know

• Open Safari . Select the Bookmarks icon.
• Choose the Clock icon to open the History pane displaying the list of sites visited during the past month.
• Select Clear and indicate which entries to delete using one of the four options: The last hour, Today, Today and yesterday, and All Time.

This article explains how to manage browsing history on Safari for iPad, including how to view and delete the iPad Safari history, cookies, and stored website data. This article applies to all iPad devices with iOS 10 or iPadOS 13 or later. The process for managing browser history in Safari on an iPhone is slightly different.

How to View and Delete Your iPad Browser History in Safari

Reviewing your iPad browser history is a straightforward process. Safari stores a log of websites you visit along with other related components, such as the cache and cookies. These elements enhance your browsing experience, but you may want to delete your browsing history for privacy reasons.

You can manage your web browsing history on the iPad in two ways. The easiest option is to do it directly in Safari:

Open the Safari web browser.

Select the Bookmarks icon (it looks like an open book) at the top of the screen. 

Select the clock icon to open the History pane. A list of sites visited over the past month appears.

To delete a single website from the browser history, swipe left on its name.

Select  Clear at the bottom of the panel to reveal four options: The last hour, Today, Today and yesterday, and All time.

Select your preferred option to remove the browsing history from your iPad and all connected iCloud devices.

How to Delete History and Cookies From the iPad Settings App

Deleting the browser history through Safari doesn't remove all the data it stores. For a thorough cleaning, go to the iPad Settings app. You can also delete the browsing history and cookies from the Settings app. Clearing the history this way deletes everything Safari saved.

Select the gear icon on the Home screen to open the iPad Settings .

Scroll down and select Safari .

Scroll through the list of settings and select  Clear History and Website Data to delete the browsing history, cookies, and other cached website data.

Select  Clear to confirm, or select Cancel to return to the Safari settings without removing any data.

How to Delete Stored Website Data on iPad

Safari sometimes stores additional website data on top of a list of web pages you visited. For example, it can save passwords and preferences for frequently visited sites. If you want to delete this data but don't want to clear the browsing history or cookies, selectively delete specific data saved by Safari using the iPad Settings app.

Open the iPad Settings app.

Scroll to the bottom of the Safari settings screen and select Advanced .

Select  Website Data to display a breakdown of the data each website currently stores on the iPad.

Select Show All Sites to display the expanded list if necessary.

Select  Remove All Website Data  at the bottom of the screen to delete the site data at once, or swipe left on individual items to clear items one at a time.

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How To Check Safari History on iPhone and Mac [2024]

Recently a man in the EU discovered that his Safari browsing history was included in his Apple data download. After I discussed the issue with him and compared my data download, it turns out he received a lot more information than I did.

After this experience, I decided to research and learn different ways to manage your Safari browser history on your Mac and iPhone. But before we dive into this, what exactly is the Safari Browsing History and why is it so important?

How To Check Safari Search History on iPhone?

1.  Open Safari .

2.  In the Menu bar, look at the lower right corner of the screen and tap the History icon.

A Pop-up window showing the list of all the websites you have visited in Safari will appear. Also, If you want to, you can search the history for particular websites, and do this:

3. Enter a phrase into the search bar at the top of the screen.

This filters just the websites with that particular keyword or phrase. It is also important to know how to clear your Safari Browsing History.

To do this, follow these simple steps below.

How To Check Safari Search History on Mac?

There are a number of ways you can manage your browser history for Safari on both your macOS and iOS. Here are different techniques and how you can do it. First, let´s consider how to view your browsing history.

Time needed:  1 minute

View Your Safari Browsing History on Mac

Follow the simple steps below to view your browsing history on your iPhone as well.

Delete Your Safari Browsing History on your Mac

To clear your browser history on Mac, follow these straightforward steps:

1.  Open Safari.

2. Open the  History Bar  at the top of the screen.

3.  Click the Show All History tab in the Menu bar or press Command (⌘) + Y in Safari, which will take you to the history view.

4.  Select Clear History .

A pop-up menu will come up and it will allow you to choose how far back you want to clear the existing history. This option lets you choose if you want to clear your history from the last hour, day, week, two weeks, a month, or even for all time.

5.  Choose your preferred option and click Clear History .

Great! You have successfully cleared your Safari browsing history on Mac. Now, Let´s see how we can do this for iPhone as well.

Delete Your Safari Browsing History on iPhone

Clearing your browsing history on your iPhone is also easy. Follow these simple steps too:

1.  Open the Settings app on your iPhone.

2.  Scroll through the options and click on Safari .

3.  Again, scroll and find the Clear History and Website Data option.

4. Tap Clear History and Data .

Yes! You have successfully cleared all Browsing History on Mac and iPhone.

Following these next easy steps to remove all the records of the web pages or sites you have visited over the selected period.

You can also prevent Safari from tracking your browsing history. Let us quickly dive into this too.

Prevent Safari From Tracking Your Browsing History on Mac

Suppose you prevent Safari from tracking the history of the websites you visited. In that case, it means that Safari cannot save any record of the searches you perform or the websites you visit. How can you do this?

2.  Navigate to click Safari in the Menu Ba r .

3.  Select Preferences from the Menu Ba r .

4.  Next, Click on the Privacy tab.

5. You´ll see a box that is next to Prevent cross-site tracking, Check the box.

Let me also walk you through how to do this on your iPhone.

Prevent Safari From Tracking Your Browsing History on iPhone

1.  Open the Settings  app.

2.  Scroll down to the bottom and tap Safari .

3.  On this page as well, scroll down to the Privacy and Security section .

4.  Toggle on the switch that is next to the Prevent Cross-Site Tracking .

You have successfully prevented Safari from tracking your browsing history both on your Mac and iPhone!

If you prefer additional protection for your browsing activity and for your iPhone and Mac overall, we recommend a dedicated antivirus like Intego Internet Security that can block malicious websites from accessing your data.

That is not all. Sometimes, you might not want your Safari Browser to save your browsing history, website data, or even cookies. Using the private browsing mode is the solution to this.

Keep Your Browsing History Private on Mac

To keep your browsing history private on Mac, you need to use the private browsing mode. Follow these very easy and straightforward steps to do this:

2. Look at the top of your screen, select File , and click New Private Window .

A new window will be opened and this will disallow Safari from saving your Browsing or search history.

This would also restrict Safari from sending auto-fill information to any website you visit while using the window. You can also do the same on your iPhone.

Keep Your Browsing History Private on iPhone

2.  Tap the Page tab in the bottom right corner of the Safari screen.

3. Switch the page option to Private .

4. Finally, Click the ‘+’ sign at the bottom left corner to open a new private browser.

Keeping your browsing history private is very important, but in some situations, you may have visited a website by mistake or you don´t want another person to see that you visited the website. In this situation, the best thing you should do is delete the individual website from your Browsing history. Let me quickly show you how to do this:

Delete Individual Websites From Your Browsing History for Mac

To delete individual items or websites from your Safari Browsing history, follow these very easy steps:

1.  Open your Safari Browser .

2.  Click on the History tab in the Menu bar

3.  Select the Show All History tab

4.  Find the website you want to remove and Right-click   on it.

5.  Select the Delete from History option.

Let me quickly walk you through how to do this on iPhone as well.

Delete Individual Websites From Your Browsing History for iPhone

1.  Open the Safari app.

2.  Click the history tab at the bottom right corner of the screen of the browser.

3.  Look for the website you want to delete from your history and swipe left on it.

4.  Finally, Tap the Delete  option.

Yeah! You have successfully deleted individual websites from your browsing history. But if you use Safari on multiple devices of yours such as iPhone, Mac, and maybe your iPad, iCloud sync can help you to keep all your history synchronized across all the devices you own. This means that you can start browsing on your iPhone and continue later on your Mac. Let me quickly show you how to set this up.

Manage Your Safari Browsing History Across Multiple Devices Using iCloud Sync

To use the iCloud sync feature, you must have iCloud enabled on all the devices you own and they all need to be signed in to the iCloud with the same Apple ID.

If you have Safari iCloud syncing turned on and you clear your history, it will also be cleared from all of your other Apple devices with iCloud sync enabled. How can you enable and disable iCloud sync for your Safari browsing history on your Mac and iPhone?

Manage Your Safari Browsing History Across Multiple Devices Using iCloud Sync on Mac

2. Select Safari > Preferences > iCloud Option

4. Check the checkbox next to Safari to make sure that it syncs across all your devices

To sync your browsing history across certain devices, do this:

5. Click on the Manage Devices Button and select the devices you want to sync with.

6. Click Done  

Manage Your Safari Browsing History Across Multiple Devices Using iCloud Sync on iPhone

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.

2.  Click on your name at the top of the settings screen.

3.  Tap the iCloud option.

4.  Under Apps Using iCloud , select Safari.

5.  Finally, toggle on the switch next to Safari.

Great! You have successfully enabled iCloud sync for Safari browsing history and it will be updated on all your devices using the same Apple ID when you visit new websites or close an existing Safari tab.

Suppose you’ve carefully followed the methods and steps I’ve provided in this step-by-step guide. In that case, you will have a great edge over efficiently managing your Safari browsing history on one or even multiple devices.

Which of these methods worked for you?  Feel free to share your thoughts here in the comment section. Also, if you are having problems with iCloud syncing on your devices, check out our guide for effective solutions.

One thought on “ How To Check Safari History on iPhone and Mac [2024] ”

I like to use imymac——Browser Cleaner to clean up browser traces, historical records, etc.Browser Cleanup lets you clean up junk files, cookies, and history, eliminate deceleration reasons, clear privacy traces to protect your confidential data and more. It is performed on Mac OS and Mac OS X.

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3 Easy Ways to View Your Web Browsing History on Mac

Last Updated: January 2, 2024 Fact Checked

Using Safari

Using google chrome, using mozilla firefox, expert q&a.

This article was co-authored by Chiara Corsaro and by wikiHow staff writer, Rain Kengly . Chiara Corsaro is the General Manager and Apple Certified Mac & iOS Technician for macVolks, Inc., an Apple Authorized Service Provider located in the San Francisco Bay Area. macVolks, Inc. was founded in 1990, is accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) with an A+ rating, and is part of the Apple Consultants Network (ACN). This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 222,509 times.

Do you want to view your browser history on your Mac computer or Macbook? You can easily check your viewing history in a few simple steps. You'll be able to search for specific websites and find the history for specific days. This wikiHow will show you how to find your Safari, Google Chrome, or Mozilla Firefox browsing history using Mac Ventura, Monterey, and earlier.

Things You Should Know

• On Safari, click "History" → "Show All History" or use the shortcut "Command" + "Y".
• On Chrome, click "⋮"→ "History" → "History" or use the shortcut "Command" + "Y".
• On Firefox, click "☰"→ "History" → "Manage history" or use the shortcut "Command" + "Y".

• Be sure to update Safari.

• A drop-down menu will open.

• You can use the keyboard shortcut Command + Y to open the history in Safari.

• If you have history from previous days, click the arrow next to the date to expand the browser history for that specific date. If no other dates are listed, the history has been cleared recently or there is no browsing history for that day.
• Use the search bar in the top-right of the window to find a specific website.
• Clear Safari history by clicking Clear History… next to the search bar.
• You can also delete cookies from Safari .

• If needed, you can download Google Chrome .

• You can use the keyboard shortcut Command + Y to open the history in Chrome.

• Use the search bar at the top of the window to find a specific website.
• You can also click ⋮ next to a website, then More from this site to view all history relating to the specific website.
• Clear your browser history by clicking Clear browsing data on the left.

• If needed, you can download Mozilla Firefox .

• Click a timeframe, then scroll up and down to view your browsing history.
• Clear your history by right-clicking a single page or category and clicking Delete .

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/safari/search-your-web-browsing-history-ibrw1114/16.1/mac/13.0
• ↑ https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95589?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop

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How To View History in Safari on a PC, Tablet, or Mobile Device

Lee Stanton Lee Stanton is a versatile writer with a concentration on the software landscape, covering both mobile and desktop applications as well as online technologies. Read more July 19, 2022

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Safari for iOS provides a convenient way to keep track of your browsing history. You can use it to call up web pages quickly you’ve visited. You can easily go down the rabbit hole when performing searches online. This makes it difficult to remember exactly where you found a valuable piece of information. Reviewing your browsing history can retrace your steps, saving you the arduous task of finding the data from scratch. This article covers how to see your history in Safari. Check out how to do that below.

How to View History in Safari on an iPhone

Safari stores your browser activity, making it possible to revisit sites at a later date. You could either view your most recent history or check out the entire list of previously visited websites. This is how to do that.

You have now accessed your recent history on Safari.

If you would like to view your complete Safari browsing history, here’s how to do that.

You’ve now accessed your Safari browsing history.

How to View History in Safari on an iPad

Safari allows users to keep track of their browsing history. This feature can then be used to revisit sites that might be of interest. You could either view recent history or peruse all your browsing data. The steps listed here detail how to do that.

You have now viewed the recent history on your iPad.

To view your complete browsing data, follow the steps outlined here.

How to View History in Safari on a Mac

Your Safari browsing history allows you to revisit sites you viewed in the past. You can even use the search tool so that you don’t have to scroll through the entire list of results to find what you are looking for. Here’s how to view your browsing history on an iPhone.

• Click on it to open the page in your browser.

You can now see your history in Safari. If you signed in to your device using the same Apple ID that you use on your other Apple devices, that history would also be displayed on your Mac.

Can You View History From Private Browsing?

Private Browsing is a feature that prevents Safari from storing information on sites you have visited. It ensures there’s no record of your online activity, including passwords or autofill information. It also prevents iCloud from storing data on any tabs that you open. To provide an additional layer of privacy, Safari prevents sites and content providers from tracking you. Any cookies you might have picked up are deleted once you close the tab.

This means that Safari doesn’t store your browsing history when you activate Private Browsing. You will therefore be unable to view it in the future.

How to Clear History in Safari

If your Apple device is lagging or otherwise misbehaving, you might consider clearing your browsing data. This is how to do that.

Your browsing data will now be removed from your device.

Retracing Your Steps

Like many web browsers, Safari stores information on websites you’ve visited. This data can come in handy when you want to go back to a particular site. This guide shows you how to retrieve the browsing history stored on your Apple devices.

Have you viewed your browsing history on Safari? What did you think of the process? Let us know in the comments below.

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How To Check Browsing History in Safari

Sometimes there are instances where you need to go back and check browsing history in Safari. Maybe you are trying to remember some information you saw on the Internet. Perhaps you want to go back and bookmark a website in your Safari browser .

Whatever the reason may be, you can easily check your Safari history in just a few steps.

Let’s take a look at how to do that.

Check Browsing History in Safari

Launch the Safari browser on your desktop. It’s a blue and white icon with a compass.

Once the Safari browser is up and running select “History” from the menu on the top left and click on it. When the drop down menu appears, highlight and click on “Show All History.”

Once you have selected “Show All History” a separate window will appear with a full list of all the websites you have visited. These will be combined by dates with a drop down of each day being made available.

Note: If you are logged into your Apple ID on your desktop, you will be able to see websites you have visited on your iPhone and/or iPad as well.

You can scroll through this list and find what you need. You can use the drop downs to find sites you visited on specific dates.

Furthermore, you can use the “Search” box on the upper right side of the screen to search specific sites and pull them up in your Safari history.

You can also clear your entire Safari history or portions of it if you need.

That’s it! It is very simple and easy to check browsing history in Safari whenever the need arises.

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How to View Browsing History on Safari

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Safari is a popular web browser developed by Apple Inc. for its devices. One of the essential features of Safari is its browsing history that keeps track of the websites you have visited on the browser. If you want to revisit a previously visited website or clear your browsing history for privacy reasons, it is important to know how to access and view your browsing history. In this article, we will guide you through the process of viewing browsing history on Safari for Mac, iPhone, and iPad.

Understanding Safari Browsing History

Before we dive into the specifics of viewing browsing history on Safari, let's first understand what it is and why it is important. Browsing history is a log of websites that you have visited using the Safari browser. Essentially, every time you visit a website on Safari, it is added to your browsing history, along with the date and time of your visit. The browsing history helps you to revisit a website quickly and also improves your web surfing experience. Knowing how to access and manage your browsing history can help you optimize your browsing experience and protect your privacy.

What is Browsing History?

Browsing history is a record of the websites that you have visited on your web browser. It includes the name of the website, web address, the date and time of your visit, and any cookies stored by the website. Every web browser, including Safari, keeps track of a browsing history to improve user experience by allowing users to revisit their favorite websites without having to type in the website's address or search for it again.

Why is Viewing Browsing History Important?

Viewing browsing history is important for several reasons. First and foremost, it allows you to revisit previously visited websites quickly, without having to type in the URL or search for it. Additionally, browsing history can help you keep track of the websites you have visited, and you can use it as a reference when researching a particular topic. Lastly, viewing your browsing history can help you keep an eye on your online activity and ensure that you are not accidentally visiting inappropriate websites or revealing sensitive information.

Accessing Browsing History on Safari for Mac

There are several ways to access browsing history on Safari for Mac, including using the Safari menu, keyboard shortcuts, and the sidebar. Let's take a look at each method in detail:

Using the Safari Menu

The easiest way to access your browsing history on Safari for Mac is by using the Safari menu. Here are the steps:

Click on the Safari menu in the top left corner of your screen.

Select the option "History."

You will see a dropdown menu that displays your browsing history.

Alternatively, you can click on the "Show All History" option at the bottom of the dropdown menu to open a dedicated browsing history window. From here, you can view your browsing history, search for specific websites, and delete individual entries.

Using Keyboard Shortcuts

If you prefer using keyboard shortcuts, you can use the following steps to access your browsing history:

Press the "Command + Y" keys simultaneously to open your browsing history in a new window.

Viewing Browsing History in Sidebar

You can also view your browsing history by opening the sidebar in Safari. Here are the steps:

Click on "View" in the Safari menu bar.

Select "Show Sidebar."

Click on the "History" icon in the sidebar to view your browsing history.

Accessing Browsing History on Safari for iPhone and iPad

Just like Safari for Mac, Safari for iPhone and iPad also keeps track of your browsing history. Here's how you can access your browsing history on these devices:

Opening Safari's History Tab

Here are the steps to view browsing history on Safari for iPhone and iPad:

Open the Safari app on your device.

Tap on the "Bookmarks" icon at the bottom of the screen.

Select the "History" option.

You can now view your browsing history.

Navigating Through Browsing History

You can navigate through your browsing history by scrolling up and down the list of websites. You can also use the search bar at the top of the screen to find a specific website quickly.

Clearing Browsing History on iOS Devices

If you want to clear your browsing history on Safari for iPhone or iPad, follow these steps:

Tap on "Clear" at the bottom of the screen.

Select the time range for which you want to clear the history. You can choose from the last hour, today, today and yesterday, or all time.

Click on "Clear History."

Managing and Organizing Browsing History

Now that you know how to access your browsing history on Safari for Mac and iOS devices let's take a look at how you can manage and organize your browsing history.

Searching for Specific Websites in History

If you are looking for a specific website that you previously visited, you can use the search bar in your browsing history to quickly find it. Type in the name of the website or any keyword related to the website, and Safari will display all the relevant results.

Deleting Individual History Entries

If you want to delete individual history entries, follow these steps:

Open your browsing history window on Safari for Mac or iOS devices.

Find the website entry you want to remove.

Swipe left on the website entry on iOS devices, or click on the three dots on the right side of the entry on Safari for Mac.

Select the "Delete" option.

Clearing All Browsing History

If you want to clear all your browsing history on Safari for Mac or iOS devices, follow these steps:

Click on "Clear History" or "Clear" at the bottom of the screen.

Select the time range for which you want to clear your browsing history.

Click on "Clear History" or "Clear Browsing History."

Now that you know how to view browsing history on Safari for Mac and iOS devices, you can easily revisit previously visited websites and manage your online activity. Browsing history can help you optimize your browsing experience, but it is important to keep track of it and clear it regularly for privacy reasons. Follow the steps outlined in this article to view, manage, and clear your browsing history on Safari with ease.

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How to clear the cache on your iPhone (and why you should)

How many tabs are open on your mobile browser right now? Go ahead, check -- you might be surprised by what you find.

Americans spend over five hours a day on their smartphones. That's over five hours of your phone potentially accessing, retrieving, and saving cache and cookies, which can negatively impact your iPhone's storage space .

What is cache?

Cache is the temporary storage of some data, like parts of a website from the last time you visited it, for example. Browser cache is content from a website that is stored on your phone during a browser session to help the browser execute faster the next time you visit that page.

Also:  How to clear Google search cache on Android

Cache data can slow down your phone's overall browsing performance, however, since it takes up storage space on your device, so it's good to clear it out regularly. In this article, we mainly focus on clearing web browser cache on an iPhone, but you should know that other types of cache include mobile app cache and CPU cache.

How to clear cache on iPhone

What you'll need: Everything you need to clear your browser cache is within the iPhone's settings app or the Safari app, so grab your iPhone to get started.

Keep in mind that clearing the cache can clear private data, which can close all open tabs in Safari. This is also likely to log you out of all your websites, prompting you to sign in again the next time you open them. 

How do I clear the cache from Chrome on iPhone?

If Google Chrome is your preferred browser, it may have a substantial amount of data stored on your device, which could also slow down performance. 

To clear the cache in Chrome, open the Google Chrome app and follow these steps:

• Tap  Settings .
• Go to  Privacy and Security .
• Select  Clear Browsing Data .
• Select the time from which to delete the data (if you want to delete all your browsing history, choose All Time ).
• Go through the items you'd like to delete, like your Browsing History, Cookies and Site Data, Cached Images and Files, Saved Passwords , and Autofill Data.
• Confirm by tapping  Clear Browsing Data  at the bottom of the screen.
• Tap Done when you've deleted the Chrome cache.

Also: Apple releases iOS 17.4 with podcast transcripts, new emojis, and EU app store changes

Clearing the browsing and cache data in Google Chrome doesn't close all open tabs, but it will refresh each tab and log you out of websites. Once you tap on one of the tabs you want to access, you'll have to log back in.

How can I browse on Safari without history?

If you're learning how to clear cache on an iPhone, you may also be wondering if there's a way to use Safari without saving any browsing history. You can turn on Private Browsing by following these steps:

• Open  Safari .
• Tap on  Tabs .
• Choose Private .

You can also enable private browsing by going to your iPhone Settings, finding Safari, and toggling on the private option. 

How do I clear my app cache on my iPhone?

To clear the app cache from your iPhone Settings app, you can either delete the app and reinstall it, offload it, or try to clear the cache from within the app. Unfortunately, iOS apps don't have consistent settings across the board that would allow you to clear the cache of every app.

Also: Apple warns: Don't put your wet iPhone in rice. Do this instead

Apps like TikTok and CapCut, for example, have options to Clear Cache within their respective settings. Amazon lets users delete their browsing history, while the Reddit app can clear local history. It all depends on what the app's settings let you do. 

Is "clear cache" the same as offloading?

Not exactly, though app offloading can help if your phone is slowed down by low storage. To offload an app  means to uninstall an app without deleting any documents or data associated with it. 

Also: Apple secures iMessage against threats from the future

To offload an app, go to  Settings , then  General , choose  iPhone Storage  and select the app to offload, then tap  Offload App . If you ever download it again, you'll pick up where you left off for that app.

Are cookies and cache the same thing?

Cookies and cache are not the same. Cookies are data files that websites send to your phone, including things like saved passwords to keep you logged into an account or even the website preferences from the previous time you visited. 

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Though they do sound harmless, cookies can also track how you browse the internet. They monitor patterns in your browsing and search history, even seeing what you clicked on or what your mouse hovered over. Ever made an innocuous search on Amazon only to find ads for it on all the apps you use? Cookies likely made that possible.

Can I block cookies on my iPhone?

While you can block cookies on Safari, the ranks are divided on whether you should. Blocking cookies entirely means that websites won't be able to get information from you, but it also means that some websites may not even work correctly on your browser. A lot of users actually enjoy a more personalized browsing experience, so cookies are a good thing for them.

 If you'd like to block cookies in Safari, follow these steps:

• Go to  Settings  and select  Safari .
• Tap on the toggle next to  Block All Cookies .

There are also third-party extensions that help you block cookies and trackers in Google Chrome, like Ghostery and Disconnect .

How do I check iPhone storage?

On an iPhone, Settings can show you what's taking up most of your media storage, like photos, videos, and music. You can also see what each particular app's storage consumption is, which includes temporary data. To view the details of your iPhone's storage space, follow these steps:

• Go to the iPhone Settings .
• Tap on General .
• Select iPhone Storage .
• Scroll through to find the app you're looking for.
• Tap on the app to view storage status and options.

Unfortunately, you can't clear your iPhone cache for third-party apps by going into your Settings app, but this gives you a visual of your iPhone's storage and the option to delete or offload apps.

Also: Here's the fastest way to declutter your iPhone and free up Gigabytes of space

When you look at your device's storage space, you'll probably see recommended steps you can take to optimize your iPhone's storage, like offloading unused apps.

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How-To Geek

How to clear your history in any browser.

Looking to delete your browsing history?

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Quick links, clear browsing history in google chrome for desktop, clear google chrome browsing history on android, iphone, or ipad, clear browsing history in safari on iphone and ipad, clear browsing history in mozilla firefox, clear browsing history in microsoft edge, clear browsing history in safari on a mac, internet explorer, key takeaways.

Press Ctrl+Shift+Delete to clear your browsing history on a Windows PC, or press Command+Shift+Delete on a Mac. Check your browser's settings to find this option on a mobile device.

All web browsers remember a list of the web pages you've visited. You can delete this list at any time, clearing your browsing history and erasing the tracks stored on your computer, smartphone, or tablet. Each browser has its own separate history, so you'll need to clear the history in multiple places if you've used more than one browser.

In the future, you can use private browsing mode to browse sensitive websites without your browser saving any history. You won't have to clear your history afterward.

To clear your browsing history in Chrome , on Windows , Mac , or Linux , click the three-dot menu icon found in the top-right corner of the browser, hover your mouse cursor over "More Tools," and choose "Clear Browsing Data." You can also press Ctrl+Shift+Delete to open this screen on Windows, or press Command+Shift+Delete on a Mac.

On a Mac, the backspace key is labeled "Delete." Pressing the Delete key beside the Home and Edit keys doesn't work.

To delete your entire browsing history, select from "the beginning of time" in the drop-down box at the top of the screen and check the "Browsing history" option. You can also choose to clear other private data from here, including your download history, cookies, and browser cache.

Related: How to Clear History in Google Chrome

To clear your browsing history in Google Chrome on Android , iPhone , or iPad , tap the three-dot menu icon > Settings > Privacy and Security > Clear Browsing Data.

You'll need to choose a time range that you want to delete from the drop-down list at the top of the screen. Select from the "beginning of time" to clear everything.

Related: How to Clear Your Browser History on Android

Ensure the "Browsing history" option is checked here and tap the "Clear Data" or "Clear Browsing Data" button. You can also choose to clear other types of personal data from here, including cookies and cached files.

Related: How to Clear Your Browsing History in Chrome for iOS

To clear your browsing history on Safari on an iPhone or iPad , open the Settings app and then navigate to Safari > Clear History and Website Data. Tap the "Clear History and Data" option to confirm your choice.

This button will clear all sensitive browsing data, including your cookies and cache.

Related: How to Clear Your Browsing History in Safari for iOS

To clear your browsing history in Firefox  on the desktop, click the three-line menu icon in the top-right corner of the browser and then navigate to History > Clear Recent History. You can also press Ctrl+Shift+Delete to open this tool on Windows or press Command+Shift+Delete on a Mac.

To delete your entire browsing history, select "Everything" at the top of the window and check "Browsing & Download History" in the detailed list of items to clear. You can also choose to clear other types of private data from here, including your cookies, browser cache, offline website data, and website-specific preferences.

Related: How to Clear Your Browsing History in Firefox

To clear your browsing history in Microsoft Edge , click the Three-Dot Menu > History > Three-Dot Menu Button > Clear Browsing Data. You can also press Ctrl+Shift+Delete to open these options on Windows or Command+Shift+Delete on Mac.

Ensure the "Browsing History" box is checked and click "Clear." You can also choose to clear other types of private data from here, including your download history, cached data, cookies, and tabs you've set aside . Just check the type of data you want to delete and click the "Clear" button.

Related: How to Clear Your Browsing History in Microsoft Edge

To clear your browsing history in Safari on a Mac , click History > Clear History from the menu bar at the top of your screen. Select the time period you want to clear history from and click "Clear History." To clear everything, select "all history".

Safari will delete your browsing history as well as your cookies, cached files, and other browsing-related data.

Related: How to Clear Safari's Browsing History and Cookies on macOS

To clear your browsing history in Internet Explorer , click menu > Safety > Delete Browsing History or press Ctrl+Shift+Delete.

Ensure the "History" option is checked here and click "Delete". You can also choose to delete other types of private data from here, including your temporary Internet files, download history, and cookies.

Microsoft has removed Internet Explorer and urges everyone to switch to Edge. Internet Explorer has repeatedly been used by  hackers to attack Windows users.  We recommend you immediately stop using Internet Explorer if you're still able to launch it.

By default, Internet Explorer will keep cookies and temporary Internet files for websites you've saved as favorites. Uncheck "Preserve Favorites website data" here to ensure Internet Explorer deletes everything.

If you're using another browser, you should be able to easily find a "clear browsing history" option somewhere in its menus or on its settings screen. For example, in Opera, this option is at menu > More tools > Clear browsing data.

Related: How to Clear Your Internet Explorer Browsing History

Safari User Guide

• Change your homepage
• Import bookmarks, history, and passwords
• Make Safari your default web browser
• Go to websites
• Find what you’re looking for
• Bookmark webpages that you want to revisit
• See your favorite websites
• Use tabs for webpages
• Pin frequently visited websites
• Play web videos
• Mute audio in tabs
• Pay with Apple Pay
• Autofill credit card info
• Autofill contact info
• Keep a Reading List
• Hide ads when reading articles
• Translate a webpage
• Download items from the web
• Share or post webpages
• Add passes to Wallet
• Save part or all of a webpage
• Print or create a PDF of a webpage
• Customize a start page
• Customize the Safari window
• Customize settings per website
• Zoom in on webpages
• Get extensions
• Manage cookies and website data
• Block pop-ups
• Clear your browsing history
• Browse privately
• Autofill user name and password info
• Prevent cross-site tracking
• View a Privacy Report
• Change Safari preferences
• Keyboard and other shortcuts
• Troubleshooting

Search your web browsing history in Safari on Mac

You can search your browsing history to quickly find webpages you visited.

Open Safari for me

Type in the Search field at the top-right corner of the window.

Safari uses iCloud to keep your browsing history the same on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Mac computers that have Safari turned on in iCloud preferences . On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, go to Settings > [ your name ] > iCloud, then make sure Safari is turned on. Your Mac can keep your browsing history for as long as a year, while some iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch models keep browsing history for a month. To change how often your Mac removes history items, see Change General preferences in Safari .

(5 Ways Included) How to Restore Closed Tabs in Safari?

Updated on Friday, May 10, 2024

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5 Effective Ways to Restore Recently Closed Tabs in Safari

If you use a Mac as your workstation, then circumstances where Safari tabs are accidentally closed or Mac power failure suspends your incomplete webpages occur as commonly as a meal.

Yet don't be upset, you have 5 ways to restore closed tabs in Safari on your iPhone and Mac without issue. Just read this article from  iBoysoft  and try the way that you like.

How to restore recently closed tabs in Safari on Mac

If you think that Safari gets the better of Chrome in the  Safari vs Chrome  battle and take it as your default browser, it's not an odd thing that you close all Safari windows with one mouse click. Take it easy, you can learn 3 methods to reopen the Safari tabs on your computer running  macOS  here.

Method 1: Use the keyboard shortcuts or menu shortcuts

Just like you  undo an email on Mac , you can also undo the tab shut actions with certain keyboard shortcuts or the Safari menu shortcuts on the context menu.

You can relaunch Safari on your computer and then press the Command + Z keys to bring back the last closed tab. If you have shut several tabs in one click, you should hold down the keyboard shortcuts repeatedly to restore all the tabs one by one.

Alternatively, you are able to select the Reopen Last Closed Tab option to bring the closed Safari tab back. Let me show you how to do:

• Launch Safari on your Mac via  Spotlight Search shortcuts .
• Head to the History menu on the top toolbar of your Mac desktop.
• Select Reopen Last Closed Tab on the dropdown menu of the History. You can also hit the responding Shift + Command + T keyboards to complete the restoration.
• Then all the tabs you have closed on Safari will show up automatically.

Method 2: Utilize the add icon on Safari

Safari's new tab icon allows you to create a new tab with a left click and restore the closed tab with a right click. You will have the list of all closed tabs and windows that you have closed as long as you right-click this icon.

• Relaunch the Safari browser on your device.
• Head to the upper right corner of the Safari main interface.

• Choose the tab that you plan to restore and it will come back.

Method 3: Check the Recently Closed option

You are also allowed to recover your closed tab on Safari by checking the Recently Closed menu. Different from the Restore Last Closed Tab option, this way won't show you all the closed tabs and you can choose specific tabs to recover.

• Launch the Safari browser on your Mac.
• Locate the History tab on the top menu bar.

• Click the website that you visited and then it will appear on the Safari main window.

If you have known how to restore recently closed tabs in Safari on your Mac with the guideline, why not share it with more people?

How to restore closed tabs in Safari on iPhone

The way to reopen a recently closed Safari tab on your iPhone is pretty much the same as on your Mac. You can click the + icon or search for your Closed Tabs in the Safari history to reopen the closed tabs, though they are not as easily accessible as the Mac.

Method 1: Utilize the add icon on Safari 

• Run the Safari browser on your iPhone, and tap the Show All Tabs icon at the bottom right corner of the iPhone screen.
• Tap and hold your finger on the + (New Tab) icon for a couple of seconds.

Method 2: Search for the Closed Tabs in the Safari history

If you fail to restore the Safari tabs, you may need to browse the history and then reopen them manually. Safari saves every website you visit in the browsing history until you browse them in Private mode. 

You can easily view your history list or search for particular websites to reopen your closed Safari tabs here:

• Open Safari and tap the Book icon.
• Tap the Clock icon to view your browsing history.
• Search your closed Safari tab or scroll through your history in chronological order.

Missing all Safari tabs with one accidental click or Mac power failure really drives people crazy. Fortunately, this article tells you how to restore closed tabs in Safari on your iPhone and Mac with specific instructions. Meeting this trouble, too? Read this post right now!

For more information about the Safari browser, please read the related articles:

• Safari Not Working on Mac/MacBook, How to Fix?
• How to Fix Safari Downloads not Working on Mac?
• How to Convert Chrome Extension to Safari on Mac?
• How to Fix Safari Won't Open Issue?
• 9 Ways to Speed Up Safari on Mac

If you find this article helpful and useful, please share it to help more people!

Vain Rowe is a new technical editor at iBoysoft. She spares no effort to learn tech knowledge during the training and after training. She has shared dozens of articles across iBoysoft website and other websites, providing solutions and information about file restoration, disk cleanup, work efficiency, and data security.

Jessica Shee is a senior tech editor at iBoysoft. Throughout her 4 years of experience, Jessica has written many informative and instructional articles in data recovery, data security, and disk management to help a lot of readers secure their important documents and take the best advantage of their devices.

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What is Incognito Mode and how do you use it?

Incognito Mode: Incognito mode and private browsing let you surf the web without saving your search history , cookies, or other temporary data on your device. This ensures that others using your device later won’t be able to see your activities. Continue reading to learn how to activate Incognito mode in Chrome and engage private browsing in other browsers such as Firefox and Safari .

How Do I Use Incognito Mode In 2024?

Click or tap the button in your browser that you usually use to open a new tab—typically three vertical dots or lines in the top right-hand corner—and select ‘open new private/incognito tab’. Anything you do in that new tab will not be recorded by your browser.

Incognito Mode on Google Chrome

Use Incognito mode in Google Chrome to help keep your online activities private from others who use your device. However, remember that activating Incognito mode does not prevent Google, websites, internet service providers ( ISPs ), or other third parties from collecting your data.

Here are the steps to activate incognito mode in Google Chrome on your desktop in a simpler and easier-to-understand format:

• Find and click on the Google Chrome icon on your desktop or in your applications list to open the browser.
• Look at the top-right corner of the Chrome window for three dots arranged vertically. Click on this icon to open the Chrome menu.
• From the menu that appears, select “ New incognito window .” This option will open a new window where your browsing activity is private.
• Instead of using the menu, you can press specific keys on your keyboard. For Windows, press Ctrl+Shift+N , and for macOS, press Cmd+Shift+N . This will also open a new incognito window.
• Once you’ve selected “ New incognito window ” or used the shortcut keys, a new window will open with a darker color scheme. This indicates that you are now browsing privately in incognito mode.

here are the steps to activate incognito mode in Google Chrome on mobile devices, simplified into short and simple steps:

• Launch the Chrome app on your mobile device.
• Tap on the three-dot menu icon located at the top-right corner of the screen.
• From the menu, choose “New Incognito tab.”
• Once selected, a new tab will open with a dark theme and an icon of a spy in sunglasses, indicating that you’re in incognito mode.

How to Turn off Incognito Mode?

To turn off Incognito Mode, just follow these easy steps:

• Check for Incognito Windows: Look at your browser to see if you’re in Incognito Mode. You can tell because the window usually looks different, like a darker color.
• Close the Window: To exit Incognito Mode, click the ‘X’ at the top of the Incognito window to close it.
• Open a New Browser Window: If you want to keep browsing, open a new window. This will be a normal window that saves your history and cookies.

How to Turn on Incognito Mode?

Turning on Incognito Mode is simple and helps keep your browsing private. Here’s how to do it:

• Open Google Chrome: Start by launching the Chrome browser on your device.
• Access the Menu: Locate the menu icon, which is often depicted as three vertical dots or lines, at the top right corner of the browser.
• Activate Incognito Mode: Click on ‘New Incognito Window’ from the dropdown menu. If you’re using a mobile device, look for ‘Open new Incognito tab’.
• Start Browsing Privately: A new window will appear with a dark theme and an icon resembling a hat and glasses, indicating that you are now in Incognito Mode. None of your activities in this window will be recorded in your browser history.

Private Browsing on Safari

Safari offers a feature similar to incognito mode called Private Browsing , which is built-in and user-friendly on iOS devices .

If you don’t have an Apple device, you can still enable Private Browsing on Safari to prevent the browser from logging the web pages you visit in your device’s search history and from auto-filling information, helping to secure your passwords and credit card details.

What is Incognito Mode – FAQs

What is incognito mode.

Incognito mode is a privacy feature in web browsers that prevents your browsing history from being stored on your device. This means that any websites visited, cookies downloaded, or forms filled out won’t be saved on your computer after you close the incognito window.

What Does Incognito Mode Do?

It primarily keeps your browsing private from other users of the same device. When you close the incognito or private browsing window, the browser deletes all temporary data associated with that session.

Is Incognito Mode Safe?

Incognito mode makes it safer to browse on shared devices by not saving your activity. However, it does not protect you from malware, viruses, or prevent websites, your employer, or ISPs from tracking your activities.

What are the Benefits of Using Incognito Mode?

The main benefits are: No local traces of your browsing history. Automatic deletion of cookies. Session-based browsing that prevents lingering data issues.

What are the Limitations of Incognito Mode and Private Browsing?

While useful, incognito mode doesn’t protect against all forms of tracking. It won’t mask your IP address or encrypt your traffic, and permanent cookies, bookmarks, and downloaded files will remain saved unless manually deleted.

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