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How to Manage History and Browsing Data on iPhone

Instructions for getting rid of personal browsing data

By Scott Orgera Scott Orgera Writer Scott Orgera is a former Lifewire writer covering tech since 2007. He has 25+ years' experience as a programmer and QA leader, and holds several Microsoft certifications including MCSE, MCP+I, and MOUS. He is also A+ certified. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on April 2, 2022 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email

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Expand Jump to a Section History, Cache, and Cookies Step-by-Step: Clear History and Private Data Block All Cookies Delete Data from Specific Websites Frequently Asked Questions

What to Know

To clear your browsing history, go to Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data.To block all cookies, go to Settings > Safari > Block All Cookies.To remove website data, go to Settings > Safari > Advanced > Website Data > Edit and choose a site. This article explains how to manage and delete browsing history, cache, and cookies on Safari, Apple's default web browser for iOS and macOS devices.

iPhone History Cache and Cookies

Browser data stored on your iPhone includes history, cache, and cookies. When stored, the data delivers faster load times, automatically populates web forums, tailors advertisements, and provides records of your web searches. Here's an overview of the types of browser data that is stored on your iPhone: Browsing history: This is a log of the web pages you visited. It's helpful when you want to return to those sites.Cache: The cache comprises locally stored web page components such as images, used to speed up load times in future browsing sessions.Autofill: This information includes form data such as your name, address, and credit card numbers.Cookies: Most websites place these bits of data on your iPhone. Cookies store login information and provide a customized experience on subsequent visits. While this data may be useful to store, it is also sensitive in nature. Whether it's the password for your Gmail account or the digits on your credit card, much of the data left behind at the end of your browsing session could be harmful in the wrong hands. In addition to the security risk, there are privacy issues to consider. That's why it's important to understand what this data comprises and how it can be viewed and manipulated on your iPhone. This tutorial defines each item in detail and walks you through managing and deleting the respective data. It is recommended that Safari be shut down before deleting private data components. For more information, learn how to close apps on the iPhone.

Clear Browsing History and Other Private Data

Follow these steps to clear your browsing history and other data on the iPhone. Open the Settings app, located on the iPhone home screen. Scroll down and select Safari. Scroll to the bottom and select Clear History and Website Data. If the link is blue, it means Safari stored browsing history and other data on the device. If the link is gray, there are no records or files to delete. Select Clear History and Data to confirm the action. This action also deletes cache, cookies, and other browsing-related data from the iPhone.

Block All Cookies

Apple has taken a more proactive approach to cookies in iOS, allowing you to block all that originates from an advertiser or other third-party website by default. Follow these steps to block all cookies: Open the Settings app, located on the iPhone home screen. Scroll down and select Safari. Scroll down to the Privacy & Security section and turn on the Block All Cookies toggle switch. Older versions of iOS provided several options for blocking cookies: Always Block, Allow from Current Website Only, Allow From Websites I Visit, or Always Allow.

Delete Data from Specific Websites

If your goal isn't to remove private data in one fell swoop, you can clear data saved by specific websites in Safari for iOS. Open the Settings app, located on the iPhone home screen. Scroll down and select Safari, then scroll to the bottom and select Advanced > Website Data. Select Edit in the upper-right corner. Alternatively, tap Remove All Website Data at the bottom. Select the red dash icon next to the websites whose data you would like to delete, then select Delete. Repeat this process until you are satisfied. When you are finished, select Done. FAQ How do I turn off private browsing on iPhone? To turn off private browsing mode on iPhone and iPad, open Safari and hold down the Tabs icon, then tap Private > Tabs. To open a new non-private tab, hold down the Safari icon, then tap New Tab.
How do I view my private browsing history on iPhone? Private mode on iPhone hides your browsing history, but you can still view it by going to Settings > Safari > Advanced > Website Data.
How do I recover deleted browsing history on my iPhone? To restore browsing history from a backup, open iTunes and select the iPhone icon > Restore Backup, choose the backup file, then select Restore. To recover browsing history via iCloud, sign in to your iCloud account and tap Settings > Restore Bookmark.
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