Clear History on iPhone: Safari, Chrome and more

Whether for privacy reasons, due to storage issues, or simply to clean up – deleting browser history on the iPhone is one of the most common tasks. With iOS 26, Apple slightly changed the menu structure in Safari, which has caused confusion for some users. Below, we show all the ways to delete history in Safari, Chrome, and other apps – step by step and up-to-date for iOS 26 or later.

Browser history saves every website visited – useful for finding them again, but also a privacy risk on shared or unsecured devices. In addition to the history, cookies, cache data, and website data accumulate, taking up storage space and making browsing behavior traceable. iOS 26 offers several ways to selectively or completely delete this data. Regularly clearing your history benefits your privacy and often also improves browser performance.

Clear Safari History: Via the Settings

The fastest way to delete your entire Safari history is through the iPhone settings.

1. Settings > Apps > Open Safari
2. Scroll down and tap on Clear history and website data
3. Select the desired time frame : last hour, today, today and yesterday, or entire history
4. If Safari profiles are set up: select a specific profile or "All Profiles".
5. Tap Delete history

This will delete your browsing history, cookies, and saved website data. Bookmarks, saved passwords, and AutoFill data will be retained. The deletion process is synchronized across all devices using the same Apple ID via iCloud – so your history will also disappear from your iPad and Mac.

If the "Clear history and website data" option is grayed out, this is usually due to active Screen Time restrictions. Under Settings > Screen Time > Content restrictions > Web content, "Unrestricted access" must be selected.

Clear Safari History: Directly in the App

The history can also be deleted directly in Safari – useful if individual entries need to be removed.

1. Open Safari
2. Tap the bookmark icon (book icon).
3. Switch to history (clock icon)
4. Tap Delete at the bottom
5. Select and confirm the desired time frame.

Individual entries can be removed by swiping left on the respective entry and tapping the trash can icon. This allows you to selectively delete specific pages from your history without deleting everything.

Delete only Website Data – without the History

Sometimes you only want to delete cookies and cache, but keep your browsing history. This is possible via a separate method:

1. Settings > Apps > Safari > Advanced > Open website data
2. Here, all saved website data is listed, sorted by size.
3. Delete individual entries by swiping left or tap Remove all website data at the bottom.

This method is particularly useful if a specific website is not working properly and the cache needs to be cleared.

Delete Chrome History on iPhone

Users who use Chrome instead of Safari will delete their history within the app:

1. Open Chrome
2. Tap the three dots (bottom right).
3. Select Settings, then Privacy and Security
4. Tap on Clear browser data
5. Select the time period and check the desired data types (browser history, cookies, cache)
6. Tap on Clear browser data and confirm

Chrome history is not deleted via iPhone settings – this only works within the Chrome app.

Private browsing: Don't save your Browsing History at all

Anyone who wants to prevent Safari from saving their browsing history at all can use the "Private Browsing" mode.

In Safari, tap the Tab icon, then tap Private and open a new private tab. In private mode, neither history nor cookies are saved. The address bar appears grayed out or displays the word "Private". Since iOS 17, private tabs are automatically locked after a period of inactivity and can only be reopened with Face ID, Touch ID, or the device passcode.

Delete App History and Search History

Besides the browser, other apps also save a history:

Apple Maps: Recently searched places can be deleted directly in the Maps app: scroll down to "Recent," swipe on an entry, and delete it—or tap "Recent" and then "Delete" to remove all. Location history (Significant Places) can be deleted under Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services > Significant Places > Clear History.

App Store: You can delete your search history in the App Store by tapping the X next to a search suggestion in the search field or by deleting the entire search history.

Siri Suggestions: Siri learns from your usage patterns and suggests apps, contacts, and websites. You can disable these for individual apps under Settings > Siri > Siri & Search Suggestions. You can remove saved voice requests from Apple's servers via Settings > Siri > Siri & Dictation History > Clear Siri & Dictation History.

Keyboard dictionary: All user-added words and autocorrect entries can be deleted under Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Keyboard Dictionary .

What gets removed when you delete the history – and what doesn't?

Important: Deleting your browsing history via iCloud will apply to all devices using the same Apple ID. If you only want to delete your history on one device, you must first disable Safari synchronization under Settings > Apple ID > iCloud > Stored in iCloud > Safari.

Deleting History on your iPhone – the most important points at a glance

Safari history can be deleted in two ways: via Settings (Settings > Apps > Safari) or directly in the Safari app via the History menu. Cookies and cache can also be deleted separately without removing the history. Chrome history is deleted exclusively within the Chrome app. Those who don't want to leave any history at all can use Safari's private browsing mode. History deletion is synced across all connected devices via iCloud.

For more tips on cleaning up your iPhone, see the article Clear iPhone Cache. If you're experiencing persistent problems, you can find help under Reset iPhone. The best products for you: Our Amazon storefront offers a wide selection of accessories, including those for HomeKit. (Image: Shutterstock / photoschmidt)

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Frequently Asked Questions: Deleting History on iPhone

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