Anything you search for in the browser’s search bar gets saved in the data of the browser.
This recording of history helps find previous searches you have made or going to a particular website without remembering its entire URL.
However, it can be difficult to maintain your privacy with your browser, saving everything you search for. Search bar history can be especially invasive of your privacy if you are using a shared device.
If you feel uneasy with your search bar history being saved by your browser, keep reading to find out how you can clear your search bar history.
Clearing Search Bar History in Google Chrome
You can use four different methods to clear your search bar history on Google Chrome, depending on your privacy needs.
You can either choose to clear your browsing data, which includes your search bar history amongst other records such as the websites you have visited, or you can choose to clear your My Activity data on Google.
Also, you can choose to either clear a large chunk of your data in either case, or you can modify specific entries in your browser history. The second option is helpful if you want to remove the record of visiting only a particular website or a particular search you have made.
Method 1: Clearing a Chunk of Your Browsing Data
To clear a chunk of your browsing data on Google Chrome, follow the following steps.
Step 1
Open the Google Chrome browser on your computer.
Step 2
On the top of the browser window, you will find three dots on the right side. Click on that.
Step 3
In that menu, click on ‘More Tools’ and select ‘Clear Browsing Data.
Step 4
Select a time period for which you want to delete your browsing data. You can choose ‘All time’ if you want to delete all your browsing data, but you can also choose shorter time periods such as the last hour, day, or week.
Step 5
Then select all the types of data that you want to delete. Besides your browsing history, you will also see options to delete your cookies, referring to personalized data saved for different websites.
You can also delete cached files and images, downloaded website data that helps make your surfing faster every time you open the same page.
Step 6
Click on ‘Clear data.’
Method 2: Clearing Specific Entries from Browsing Data
To delete entries for specific websites on your browsing data, follow the following steps.
Step 1
Open the Google Chrome browser on your computer.
Step 2
Click on the ‘More’ menu, denoted by the three dots icon.
Step 3
Next, click on the option for ‘History.’
Step 4
You will see a list of all the websites you have visited. Select any entry you wish to delete and click on the delete button on the top right corner.
Method 3: Clearing a Chunk of My Activity
Google does not just keep a record of what you are searching for or the websites you are visiting but also collects information about which search results you open, your activity on other Google apps such as Youtube and Maps, etc.
This data is collected and used to provide better functionality in terms of Google searches, showing you more personalized results to your needs.
However, this can also be a privacy concern for many. To clear a volume of your data on ‘My Activity’ on Google, follow the following steps.
Step 1
Open My Account on Google by going to this URL and then log in using your Google account.
Step 2
You will get four options for actions you can take. On the top-left corner will be the menu for Privacy and Personalisation. Under this menu, you will find the option for managing your privacy and personalization. Click on that.
Step 3
You will find a box called Activity and timeline. You might need to scroll down so that you can find it. Under that box, you will find an option for your activity. Open that.
Step 4
Here, you have the option of deleting a large volume of your activity data. Click on ‘Delete By’ so that you can delete all your activity from any particular time range. Choose a timeline from the options or pick a custom one.
Step 5
Select the delete option to confirm the clearance.
Method 4: Clearing a Specific Entry from ‘My Activity
If you want to delete only a specific entry from your activity page, follow the following steps.
Step 1
Follow the steps of the previous method first to open your Google Account and log in. Then from the four options in the main menu, find the one for privacy and personalization. Choose the option to manage the same.
Step 2
Find the box which says ‘Web and Activity’ by scrolling through the page to the activity controls.
Step 3
Scroll through the ‘Web and Activity page to the option for managing your activity.
Step 4
You will find a list of every website you have visited with multiple URLs from the website grouped.
You can either press the delete button to remove each such group or click on the More option if you are looking to remove specific URLs only.
Clearing Search Bar History on Mozilla Firefox
If you use Mozilla Firefox as your browser and delete your search bar history, you have to follow a few simple steps.
Mozilla Firefox offers a straightforward and convenient way of deleting the search bar history. All you need to do is bring your cursor to the search bar by clicking on it.
In the drop-down list of words or previous searches that appear, find the entry that you need to remove. All you need to do after that is press and hold your mouse on that entry.
Press the delete button on your keyboard to remove that specific entry in your search bar history.
If you want to delete a larger volume of your search bar history on Mozilla Firefox, follow the following steps.
Step 1
Open the Mozilla Firefox browser, and on the right corner on the top of the window, you will find the different menus.
Step 2
From there, find the ‘Tools’ menu. In the Tools menu, you will find a sub-menu called ‘Options.’ Finally, under ‘Options,’ you will find the link for your ‘Privacy and Security settings.
Step 3
If you scroll down on the ‘Privacy and Security page, you will find an option for ‘Clear History,’ which you should then press.
Step 4
When you open the ‘Clear History’ menu, you will see several options for different kinds of data that you can delete.
To delete the record of things you have searched for on your search bar, you need to check the option that says ‘Form and Search History.
Besides search bar history, you have the option of deleting other kinds of browsing data such as cached files, c0okies, browsing and download history, and so on. You can check whatever you want to delete from this list.
Step 5
You can also choose the time period for which you want to delete your history under the option for “Time range to clear.”
You can pick a range from the drop-down menu, such as the last hour, the last day, the last week, forever, and so on.
Step 6
Click on ‘OK to confirm your deletion, and the window will close after the desired part of your history has been deleted.
Automatic Deletion of Search Bar History
You can also choose to change your settings so that your browser never records your search bar history. With automatic deletion, you will not need to clear your search bar history manually.
On Google Chrome, you can use the incognito window, which will not record any of the searches you make. However, the websites you visit might still be collecting some data, which will influence your searches in the regular window.
You can also program your Mozilla Firefox browser to automatically delete all your history every time you close the browser. For this, you need to go to the ‘Privacy and Security menu.
In this menu, under the section for ‘History,’ you will find a drop-down menu next to a field that says ‘Firefox will.’ Here, you can ask the browser not to record any history or click on custom settings.
You will find a checkbox for ‘Clear history when Firefox closes in the custom settings menu.’ You need to check this and open the settings menu right next to the check field.
This menu will allow you to choose which type of history you want to clear, such as search and form history or cookies, cached files, browsing and download history, and so on.
Clicking on ‘OK’ will confirm your changes, and the browser will automatically clear your history every time you close it. You can also check for the guide to un-send the email for further help.
Bottom Line
Search bar history can easily be cleared in any browser from the privacy and security settings. You can either delete your history in large volumes or delete specific entries from your history.
Maryam has been teaching IT as a school teacher for over a decade, and her main subject of choice is Internet safety, especially helping parents keep their families safe and secure online. When Maryam is not teaching or writing she is a big fan of the outdoors, the complete opposite of staring at a computer screen for hours.
