Clear your search history in seconds through your tablet's browser settings
The fastest way to clear search history depends on which browser you use. On most tablets, you open the browser, tap the menu icon (three dots or lines), find "History" or "Clear browsing data," and select what you want to delete. The whole process takes under a minute. What you delete — search terms, visited websites, cookies, cached images — is up to you.
Your tablet stores search history in two places: your web browser (Safari, Chrome, Firefox, or Edge) and any search apps you use (Google, Bing, or your tablet's built-in search). Clearing one does not clear the other. This guide covers both.
Key Takeaways
- Browser history and search app history are separate — clearing one does not clear the other, so you may need to do both.
- Most browsers let you delete all history at once or choose a date range, such as the last hour or the last week.
- You can set your browser to delete history automatically every time you close it.
- Clearing history does not sign you out of accounts or delete saved passwords unless you specifically choose to.
- Some tablets let you clear search history from the device's main search bar without opening the browser.
Clear history in Chrome on Android or iPad
Open Chrome and tap the three-dot menu in the top right corner. Tap "History," then "Clear browsing data." A window appears with options for what to delete and how far back to go. Choose your time range at the top — "All time" clears everything, or pick "Last hour," "Last 24 hours," "Last 7 days," "Last 4 weeks," or "Last 90 days."
Check the boxes next to what you want to remove. "Cookies and site data" and "Cached images and files" are usually checked by default. Leave "Passwords" unchecked unless you want to delete saved passwords too. Tap "Clear data" at the bottom. Your history is gone when ready.
Clear history in Safari on iPad
Open Safari and tap the book icon at the bottom of the screen (or the clock icon if you are using an older iPad). Tap "History" at the top. Swipe left on any entry to delete it, or tap "Clear" in the bottom right corner to delete everything at once.
If you want more control over what gets deleted, go to Settings instead. Tap Settings, scroll down to Safari, and tap "Clear History and Website Data." Choose what to delete from the menu that appears. You can clear history, cookies, or both. This method is faster if you want to clear everything without opening Safari itself.
Clear history in Firefox on Android or iPad
Open Firefox and tap the three-line menu at the bottom right. Tap "History," then "Clear recent history." A menu appears asking how much history to delete — choose "Everything" to clear all of it, or pick a specific time range. Check the boxes next to "Browsing & read history" and any other data you want to remove. Tap "Clear" to finish.
Firefox also lets you set automatic deletion. In the menu, go to Settings, tap "Privacy," and turn on "Delete browsing data on quit." From then on, Firefox will clear your history every time you close the app.
Clear history in Edge on Android or iPad
Open Edge and tap the three-dot menu at the bottom right. Tap "History," then "Clear browsing data." Choose your time range at the top. Check the boxes next to the data you want to delete — browsing history, read history, cookies, and cached data are common options. Tap "Clear now" to delete everything you selected.
You can also set Edge to clear history automatically. In the menu, go to Settings, tap "Privacy," and turn on "Clear browsing data." Choose how often you want this to happen — every time you close the app, daily, or weekly.
Clear search history from your tablet's main search bar
Many Android tablets have a search bar on the home screen that stores what you type. To clear this history, open the Google app (or your tablet's default search app) and tap your profile picture in the top right. Tap "Settings," then "Privacy and security," then "Clear search history." Confirm that you want to delete it.
On iPad, the search history from Spotlight (the search bar you access by swiping down from the top) is harder to clear separately. It is tied to Safari history and Siri suggestions. Clearing Safari history through Settings will remove most of it, but some suggestions may remain. There is no separate toggle to clear only Spotlight history.
Set your browser to delete history automatically
If you want your tablet to clear history without you having to do it manually, most browsers can do this. In Chrome, go to Settings, tap "Privacy," and turn on "Clear cookies and site data." In Safari on iPad, go to Settings, scroll to Safari, and tap "Clear History and Website Data" — you can set this to happen daily or weekly. Firefox and Edge both have similar options in their Settings menus under Privacy.
Automatic deletion usually happens when you close the app or at a time you set. The downside is that you lose the ability to go back and find a website you visited recently. If you use automatic deletion, consider keeping passwords saved so you do not have to re-enter them every time.
What clearing history does and does not do
Clearing history removes the record of websites you visited and searches you performed. It also removes cookies (small files websites use to remember you) and cached data (images and files your browser stored to load pages faster). Your tablet will no longer suggest those websites when you start typing in the address bar.
Clearing history does not sign you out of accounts unless you also clear cookies. It does not delete saved passwords unless you specifically choose to. It does not remove files you downloaded — those stay in your Downloads folder. It does not hide your activity from your internet provider or your network administrator if you are on a work or school network.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does clearing history delete my saved passwords?
No, unless you check the "Passwords" or "Saved passwords" box when clearing data. Most browsers keep passwords separate from history. If you want to delete a specific password, go to your browser settings and find the saved passwords list, then delete it from there.
Will clearing history sign me out of my accounts?
Not usually. Signing out requires deleting cookies, which is a separate option. If you clear history but leave cookies checked off, you will stay logged into most websites. If you want to stay logged in but clear history, uncheck the "Cookies" box.
Can I clear history for only one website?
Yes, in most browsers. In Chrome and Edge, open History, find the website you want to delete, and tap the checkbox next to it, then delete. In Safari, swipe left on the entry and tap "Delete." In Firefox, long-press the entry and tap "Delete."
What if I want to keep some history but delete other parts?
When you clear browsing data, you can choose which types of data to delete. Uncheck the boxes next to anything you want to keep — for example, uncheck "Passwords" if you want to keep those saved. You can also choose a time range so you only delete recent history, not everything.
Does clearing history hide my activity from my internet provider?
No. Your internet provider can see what websites you visit regardless of whether your browser history is cleared. Clearing history only removes the record from your tablet. To hide your activity from your provider, you would need to use a VPN, which is a separate tool.