Clear browsing history on Samsung Internet in three steps
To clear your browsing history on a Samsung device, open Samsung Internet, tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) at the bottom right, select Settings, then tap Privacy and choose Delete browsing data. Check the boxes for the data types you want to remove—history, cookies, cached images and files—then tap Delete. The entire process takes about 30 seconds.
If you use Google Chrome or another browser on your Samsung device instead of Samsung Internet, the steps are slightly different but follow the same general path: open the app, find the menu, go to Settings, and look for a "Clear browsing data" or "Delete data" option. Each browser stores this feature in a slightly different location, so the exact menu names will vary.
Key Takeaways
- Samsung Internet clears history through Settings > Privacy > Delete browsing data, and you can choose which types of data to remove.
- You can delete history from a specific time range (last hour, last day, all time) rather than only clearing everything at once.
- Clearing browsing history does not delete your saved passwords unless you specifically check that box during deletion.
- If you want history to stop being saved in the first place, turn on Private mode in Samsung Internet before browsing.
Choose what data to delete and how far back to go
When you tap Delete browsing data in Samsung Internet, a menu appears with checkboxes for different types of data. Browsing history is checked by default, but you will also see options for Cookies and site data, Cached images and files, Passwords, and Autofill data. Leave unchecked anything you want to keep—for example, if you want to clear history but keep your saved passwords, uncheck the Passwords box.
At the top of the same menu, you will see a dropdown that says All time by default. Tap it to choose a narrower range: Last hour, Last 24 hours, Last 7 days, Last 4 weeks, or All time. This is useful if you only want to remove recent history and keep older records. Once you have selected your data types and time range, tap the Delete button at the bottom to confirm.
Use Private mode to prevent history from being saved
If you do not want Samsung Internet to save your browsing history in the first place, use Private mode. Open Samsung Internet, tap the menu icon at the bottom right, and select New private tab. Any pages you visit in a private tab will not appear in your history, and cookies from those sites will not be stored on your device.
Private tabs look visually different—the address bar and background are darker—so you can tell at a glance whether you are browsing privately. You can have both regular and private tabs open at the same time. When you close a private tab, all data from that session is automatically removed. This is different from clearing history manually, because the data never gets saved to begin with.
Clear history on other Samsung browsers and apps
If you use Google Chrome on your Samsung device, open the app and tap the three-dot menu in the top right corner. Select Settings, then Privacy, then Clear browsing data. Choose your time range and data types, then tap Clear data. The layout is similar to Samsung Internet but the menu names are slightly different.
For Mozilla Firefox, open the app and tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) at the bottom right. Go to Settings, select Delete browsing data, and confirm. Other browsers like Microsoft Edge and Opera follow similar patterns: look for a Settings menu, find a Privacy or Data section, and select the option to clear or delete browsing data. If you cannot find it, search the app's help section for "clear history" or "delete data."
What happens when you clear your history
Clearing your browsing history removes the list of websites you have visited from your device. This means those sites will no longer appear in your address bar suggestions when you start typing, and they will not show up if someone else picks up your phone and looks at your browser history. However, clearing history does not hide your activity from your internet service provider or from the websites themselves—those records exist on their servers, not on your phone.
If you checked the box for Cookies and site data during deletion, websites may not remember your login information or preferences the next time you visit them. You might have to sign in again or re-enter settings you had customized. If you want to keep those conveniences, uncheck that box and delete only your history. Clearing cached images and files frees up storage space on your device by removing temporary copies of web pages and images.
Common mistakes to avoid when clearing history
The most common mistake is accidentally deleting your saved passwords. If you rely on Samsung Internet to store your passwords, be careful to uncheck the Passwords box before you tap Delete. Once passwords are cleared, you will need to re-enter them manually on each site until you save them again. If you are unsure which boxes to check, start by clearing only history and cached data, which are the safest options.
Another mistake is clearing history and then expecting it to stay cleared if you do not close the browser properly. On most Samsung devices, closing the app fully (not just minimizing it) ensures the deletion is complete. If you swipe the app away from your recent apps list, it closes completely. straightforward pressing the home button leaves the app running in the background, which should not affect your cleared data, but fully closing the app is the safest approach.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does clearing history delete my saved passwords?
Only if you check the Passwords box during the deletion process. By default, it is unchecked, so your saved passwords remain on your device. If you want to clear history but keep passwords, leave that box unchecked and tap Delete.
Can I undo clearing my history?
No, once you tap Delete and confirm, the history is permanently removed from your device. There is no undo button. If you are unsure whether you want to delete something, uncheck that box and only delete what you are certain about.
Will clearing history on my phone clear it on my other devices?
No, clearing history on your Samsung phone only affects that device. If you use the same Google account on multiple devices and have sync turned on in Chrome, clearing history in Chrome may sync across devices, but Samsung Internet history does not sync between phones.
What is the difference between Private mode and clearing history?
Private mode prevents history from being saved in the first place—nothing is recorded while you browse. Clearing history removes pages you have already visited. Private mode is better if you want to prevent tracking before it happens; clearing history is better if you want to remove old records.
How often should I clear my browsing history?
That depends on your privacy preferences. Some people clear it weekly, others monthly, and some only when they are about to hand their phone to someone else. There is no right answer—it is entirely up to you and how much storage space you want to free up.