Deleting your web browser history

As you browse the internet, the web browser keeps a record of each and every visited web page. This can be both a blessing and a curse. On the plus side, should you forget the address or name of a visited site, it can be quickly tracked down by searching the history.

However, anyone else that has access to the computer may also be able to view the list of pages you’ve been looking at – and this may be information you would prefer not to share.

In this Back To Basics, we’ll show how to use the browser’s history to your advantage and to keep things private when needed.

Accessing internet history
As most Computeractive readers use Internet Explorer, we’ll be focusing on this web browser.

Internet Explorer’s history can be accessed via the Favorites Center sidebar. This can be activated in a couple of ways. The first option is to click the Favorites button in the Favorites bar (beneath the Address bar) at the top of the program window.

Alternatively, click the Tools button in Internet Explorer’s menu bar, then Explorer Bars followed by History or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl, Shift and H. The sidebar appears on the left-hand side of the screen – click the History tab.

To prevent the sidebar from disappearing, click the Pin the Favorites Center button (a green, left-pointing arrow) to the upper right of the sidebar. Use the dropdown menu at the top of the Favorites sidebar to change the way the list of visited sites is displayed (you can sort by date, site, most visited and visited today).

Choose the Search History option and you’ll be able to search the history using keywords – type one or more words into the search box and click the Search Now button.