Reference

Browsing history

Browsing history is the list of pages you have visited that your browser keeps for quick back-navigation, address-bar suggestions, and search. It uses little storage; clearing it is mainly about privacy and removes those suggestions, not your saved logins.

Storage conceptsGeneral

Browsing history

Also known as: web history, clear history, browser history

A log of pages you have visited
Uses little space — mostly a privacy concern
Clearing it does not sign you out

What history records

Each page you open is logged with its title, URL, and time, so you can step back through where you have been and so the address bar can autocomplete sites you visit often. It is a small database, not a media store, so it rarely affects free space.

History is separate from cache and cookies. You can clear history and stay signed in, or clear cookies and keep your history — they are independent toggles in every modern browser.

How to clear it

In Chrome, go to Settings > Privacy and security > Delete browsing data and tick Browsing history. In Safari on iOS, Settings > Apps > Safari > Clear History and Website Data clears history along with cookies and cache in one step, while clearing from inside the app lets you keep website data.

Clearing history removes address-bar suggestions and the visited-page list, which is why a familiar site may stop autocompleting afterward.

Related terms

Keep reading the reference.

Storage conceptsCookiesCookies are small text files a website stores in your browser to remember you between visits — keeping you signed in, holding cart items, and saving preferences. Clearing them frees a little space but signs you out of most sites and resets settings.General Storage conceptsBrowser cacheThe browser cache is a local copy of web page parts — images, scripts, stylesheets, and fonts — saved so pages reload faster on your next visit. Clearing it frees space and forces a fresh download, but never signs you out, since logins live in cookies instead.General Storage conceptsSite dataSite data is the umbrella term for everything a website stores on your device — cookies, localStorage, IndexedDB, and service-worker caches. It is what browsers list per site and what fills the storage a single site uses; clearing it removes all of those and resets the site.General Storage conceptsAutofill dataAutofill data is the information a browser saves to fill forms for you — addresses, names, payment cards, and saved passwords. It uses almost no space; clearing it is a privacy and convenience choice, since the browser will stop suggesting those entries.General

Act on it

Guides and tools for this topic.

Clean up phone storage