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I can’t clear my history on Safari!
I can’t clear my history on Safari. It is very irritating because I know how to but the “clear” button is grayed out and I cant push it. I cleared everything in settings, but when i search things that I accidentally searched before pop up. I don’t understand why I cannot clear history when I push the bookmark button, and it is really annoying that it is grayed out. I tried looking it up, everything all the websites say to do are from a long time ago and they do not work, like when you go to General in Settings, there is supposed to be a button that says “Restrictions”, but there isn’t anymore. Please help me!
iPhone 7, iOS 12
Posted on Mar 20, 2019 5:03 PM
Posted on Mar 20, 2019 5:07 PM
On iOS 12, the restrictions has moved to a new location:
Settings > Screen Time > Content and Privacy Restrictions > here
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Mar 20, 2019 5:07 PM in response to cherry_ontop
Mar 23, 2019 7:17 PM in response to cherry_ontop
Turn off Screen Time Restrictions.
Mar 23, 2019 3:39 PM in response to ckuan
what do i do after that to make it so the clear button in history is not grayed out?
Mar 23, 2019 3:47 PM in response to cherry_ontop
Then it will only grated out after you tap the button.
Why Can’t I Clear My History on Safari? Solutions and Answers
- Safari allows you to clear your history for a certain length of time, or you can clear the whole thing.
- You may just need to restart your device to clear your history.
- Remember that the steps for iPhone and iPad will be roughly the same.
If you’re having issues because you can’t clear your Safari history, know that a solution isn’t too far behind. I love using Safari for a great browsing experience, but I was recently unable to clear my history, which was giving me some problems. Fortunately, I discovered a solution to my problem. Let’s take a look at some troubleshooting steps and solutions.
Why Is My Clear History Button Grey?
If your Clear History button is grey, the most likely reason is that you do not have any History to clear. However, you may also be experiencing a grey Clear History button due to certain Content & Privacy Restrictions within Screen Time being enabled. You can check on iPhone via Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Allowed Apps and ensure that Safari is enabled. Note, however, that this will require your password.
On Mac, you can disable Screen Time via System Settings > Screen Time> Content & Privacy > Content Restrictions . Ensure Access to Web Content is set to Unrestricted. Of course, if you didn’t set up Screen Time in the first place, this likely isn’t your issue. Keep reading for further solutions.
How Do I Clear My Safari History and Cache?
1. how to clear your safari browser history.
If you need to clear your Safari history, you can check out our full guide here . However, note that on iOS, clearing your history is as easy as going to Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data . For Mac, all you need to do is open Safari and select History > Clear History from the menu bar. With both Mac and iOS you are able to choose how much of your history you delete based on time.
2. Disable iCloud Sync for Safari
If you’re still having issues clearing your Safari browsing history, it may just be that you need to disable iCloud sync for Safari. This default option shares your history and your reading lists across all your Apple devices. It may be the case that some history or content did not sync properly.
Disable iCloud Sync iOS
Time needed: 2 minutes
If you need to disable iCloud Sync on iOS, follow these steps.
Disable iCloud Sync macOS
- From the Apple Menu, go to System Settings .
- Select [Your Name] .
3. Reset Network Settings (iOS Only)
If you are still looking for an effective solution to your clear history issue, you may want to consider resetting your network settings.
- Go to the Settings app.
4. Delete History Manually (Mac Only)
If you need to clear your Safari history on Mac and are having problems, remember you can delete your history manually.
- While holding down the Command key, select the following items: History.db , History.db-lock , History.db.shm and History.db.wal .
- Empty your Trash.
Why Can’t I Clear History in Safari?
The most likely reason that you’re unable to clear your Safari history is that there is no history left to clear. However, if you’re having issues, look at basic things, such as restarting your Apple device or ensuring that Screen Time restrictions are not preventing you from clearing your history. You may also want to consider that iCloud Sync may prevent you from properly clearing your history.
Being able to clear your entire history from Safari is incredibly useful. However, it’s only useful if it’s working correctly. Fortunately, solutions for your history clearing problems are rather easy, so there’s little to worry about. Not clearing your history can be a common issue for many users. However, a comprehensive solution is available.
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Fixed: Can’t Clear History in Safari on iPhone & iPad
Clearing your browsing history in Safari has many benefits, such as protecting your personal information and freeing up space to keep the browser running smoothly. However, you might have noticed that the Clear History and Website Data button is grayed out or that some websites are still there after your attempt. If you are wondering why you can't delete your Safari history, don't worry! We will explain why and provide solutions to fix the problem.
Disable Content & Privacy Restrictions
Unsync safari over icloud, delete all items in safari reading list, block cookies, restart, reset, or restore.
Content & Privacy Restrictions is a feature that sets up age limits and protects children from inappropriate content. This feature can prevent you from deleting your browsing data in Safari. Please read our article about Content & Privacy Restrictions .
With iCloud, your browsing history is synced across all your Apple devices. As a result, it can occasionally lead to items reappearing in the browsing history of your iPhone or iPad. Here's how to stop Safari from syncing over iCloud.
If the tips mentioned above don't solve the issue, you will need to use basic troubleshooting solutions. First, restart your device. If that fails, reset your settings, and if that also fails, restore the device to factory settings. For reference, read our article that will guide you on how to do these basic troubleshooting solutions .
If you found this article helpful, you may enjoy other troubleshooting articles, like what to do if your Apple Watch steps are not accurate , and what to do when iPhone calls are going straight to voicemail .
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How to Fix Safari’s Clear History, Website Data Grayed Out Issue
If there’s one thing that I love about Safari, it’s the fact that I can clear up my browsing history and site cookies in record time. iOS has the functionality seamlessly integrated into the Settings app, which eliminates the need to wade through cumbersome menus and what not.
However … there’s a slight problem. Usually, you just tap the Clear History and Website Data option and be done with it. But what if the entire option is grayed out? Not ideal if you don’t want someone else to know what you’ve been up to, right?
To put any concerns to rest, there’s nothing wrong with your iPhone or iPad. It’s happens due to an iOS restriction imposed on Safari that blocks adult-related content and certain specific websites. Chances are that you set it up and forgot about the whole thing later on.
Regardless, you can re-enable the Clear History and Website Data option by lifting the said restriction, but that requires an input of your Restrictions passcode in the first place.
Lifting the Restriction
As the issue is related to an iOS site restriction, you need to temporarily lift it before you can begin using the Clear History and Website Data option. So, let’s see how you can do that.
Step 1: On the Settings screen, tap General, and then tap Restrictions.
Step 2: To proceed, you need to insert your Restrictions passcode, which is NOT the usual passcode that you use to unlock your device.
Step 3: Scroll down the Settings screen, and then tap Websites under the Allowed Content section.
Step 4: On the subsequent screen, you should find either the Limit Adult Content or Specific Websites Only options enabled.
To lift the restriction, you need to enable the All Websites option.
Step 5: Once you’re done, exit the Restrictions panel, and then tap Safari within Settings. You should now find the Clear History and Website Data option enabled.
After clearing your history and site data, simply go back to the Restrictions panel to re-impose the site restriction if you want to.
Only Deleting Website Data
If you only want to delete locally cached data and cookies to resolve site-related issues or free up storage space while keeping your browsing history intact, then you really don’t need to lift the site restriction to be able to do that.
Yes, the Clear History and Website Data option is grayed out, but notice that Advanced option just below it? Tap it, and on the subsequent screen, tap Website Data.
You should now find a list of sites that have certain amounts of data cached locally. Simply tap Remove All Website Data, and you should be good.
About Resetting the Restrictions Passcode
You aren’t really supposed to mess with the Restrictions passcode if you didn’t set it up in the first place. However, there might be instances where you just enabled the site restriction and forgot the Restrictions passcode altogether. If that’s the case, then resetting it’s going to be a major pain!
Getting rid of the Restrictions passcode requires a complete restoration of your iPhone or iPad via iTunes, and to make matters even worse, you lose all your data in the process since you can’t just restore to a previous backup either. This is due to the fact that the Restrictions passcode is also restored along with previous data, so you need to set it up as a new device when prompted during the restoration procedure.
Once again, you LOSE all your data, so make sure to fully sync your contacts, notes, photos, documents and other data to iCloud before you proceed. Also, consider creating a backup to your PC via iTunes as a safeguard just in case you run into any problems syncing stuff back from iCloud.
Even then, you still lose locally stored data . Hence, take appropriate action to back them up before proceeding.
If you have no prior experience performing complete iOS system restores, then I really don’t recommend that you do it yourself since the entire process is too risky. Instead, consider taking your iOS device to the local Genius bar or let an Apple Authorized Service Provider do the job for you instead.
Consider Using Another Browser
Hopefully, you remembered your restrictions passcode and got your browsing history cleared up easily.
If you share your device with your children or other people, then this issue should become a regular occurrence since Safari’s private tabs don’t work with the site restrictions in place either.
Hence, consider using a dedicated privacy-focused browser such as Firefox Focus for instances where you want some privacy. It’s insanely lightweight and removes your browsing data in a flash. And even better, you can uninstall the browser easily before handing over your device to someone who shouldn’t have unrestricted access to the Internet.
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Last updated on 03 February, 2022
The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.
The article above may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. The content remains unbiased and authentic and will never affect our editorial integrity.
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Dilum Senevirathne
Dilum Senevirathne is a freelance tech writer specializing in topics related to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, Microsoft Windows, and Google web apps. Besides Guiding Tech, you can read his work at iPhone Hacks, Online Tech Tips, Help Desk Geek, MakeUseOf, and Switching to Mac.
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Safari Clear History and Data grayed out on iPhone? 4 Fixes!
You’ve been surfing Safari for a while, and you want to clear your history. In many cases, clearing your history data helps fix loading issues with certain websites.
But if the option “Clear History and Website Data” is grayed out in Safari, here are a few quick solutions to the problem.
Before you begin: Note that this option will be gray if there’s no current browsing history or web data. After you visit a site, the option will become blue and usable. If you regularly use Safari and still find the delete history option unusable, on the other hand, take a look at the solutions in this guide.
Why is Clear History grayed out on my iPhone?
There are a number of reasons this option may be grayed out for you. As we previously mentioned, if you haven’t browsed any sites yet, or recently cleared your data and forgot, the option will be gray.
The culprit can also be hidden somewhere in your settings, like Screen Time Restrictions. If this sounds like it may apply to you, read on for the solution.
Safari’s Clear History and Website Data may also simply be grayed out due to a bug. Go through the other main solutions first; if they don’t yield any results, it’s likely a software hiccup. If that’s the case, we have a fix ready and waiting.
Now, let’s get into the solutions.
- Disable Screen Time Restrictions
- Restart your iPhone
Other workarounds to fix Safari Clear History option grayed out
- Reset All Settings on iPhone
1. Disable Screen Time Restrictions
If you use Screen Time to enable limited web access, the option for Clear History and Website Data will be grayed out. Here’s how to disable it.
- Open Settings and tap Screen Time . Enter your passcode if asked.
- Or tap Content Restrictions .
Now, go back to the first Settings screen, tap Safari , and you will find that Clear History and Website Data is no longer grayed out. It’ll be blue, and you can tap it.
2. Restart your iPhone
The above solution fixes this issue in almost all cases. But in the rare situation, it doesn’t, and Safari’s clear history button is still grayed out (or if you didn’t have Screen Time enabled in the first place), restarting your iPhone or iPad is the next go-to fix.
Use the physical buttons on your device to turn it off. You can also do the same via Settings → General → Shut Down . After a few seconds, turn your iPhone back on.
Note : If a simple restart fails, consider force restarting the device .
Is Clear History and Website Data still grayed out? Time to move on to other workarounds.
Apart from the above two sure-fire fixes, some additional tips have worked for a small subset of iPhone users. Let’s look over them briefly, then, check if Clear History and Website Data is still grayed out. Once you’re done, you can re-enable these options.
- Turn off Safari iCloud Sync : Open Settings → your name from the top → iCloud → switch off the toggle for Safari.
- Clear Safari Reading List : We’ve covered how to clear your Safari Reading List here .
- Block Cookies : Inside Settings, tap Safari and turn on the toggle for Block All Cookies. Note : Many websites won’t work as intended when this is enabled. Make sure to turn it back off after you check the clear history button.
- Delete Website Data from Advanced pane : You can also choose to delete website history by launching Settings → Safari → Advanced → Website Data → Remove All Website Data. (Or, tap Edit and delete the data for any desired websites.)
If nothing has worked so far, it’s time to move to more involved measures.
4. Reset All Settings on iPhone
This will erase all the settings you have altered or added. This includes Wi-Fi networks, Bluetooth devices, Keyboard settings, VPN configurations, etc.
However, personal data like applications, music, images, videos, etc., will remain as is. Still, it’s always wise to back up your iPhone first before a reset of this nature.
Open Settings → General → Reset → Reset All Settings → enter your iPhone passcode if asked and confirm. To read a more involved guide, see our article on the topic .
After the process completes, there’s a very good chance you’ll be able to clear your Safari history and web data.
These are the most effective ways to clear Safari History and Website Data successfully. Did any of the solutions work for you? Let us know in the comments.
In case you’re interested, we’ve put together a list of some other third-party browsers that you may want to use in place of Safari. Or, you can even look into changing the default browser on iPhone and iPad .
- How to Add Credit Cards to Safari AutoFill on iPhone, iPad, and Mac
- Safari Slow on iPhone and iPad? Here are 8 Solutions to Fix It
- How to Close All Safari Tabs at Once on iPhone and iPad
- Disappearing Safari tabs on iPhone and iPad? 10 Working fixes
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Why Can’t I Clear My History on Safari Mac
Clearing your browsing history can be beneficial for several reasons, including (but definitely not limited to) protecting your privacy and clearing some storage space on your Mac. But what can you do if you can’t clear your history on Safari on your Mac?
As an Apple computer tech, I’ve seen this issue come across my desk several times. The good news is that there are a few troubleshooting steps you can take to get Safari working again and clear your history.
Let’s get to it.
Table of Contents
Key Takeaways
Fix 1: clearing your history, fix 2: restart your mac, fix 3: update macos, fix 4: content restrictions, fix 5: turn off icloud syncing, fix 6: delete manually , fix 7: keep your mac free from junk, final thoughts.
- Typically, clearing the history for Safari is a very easy and streamlined process. Simply open the history menu and click Clear History . You can also try updating macOS and restarting your Mac in order to make Safari cooperate.
- Apple has (somewhat) recently added a content restriction feature that, if it is set with the right combination of settings, can prevent you from clearing your history. The Clear History option will appear grayed out. I’ll show you which settings to turn off when you need to clear your history.
- iCloud Syncing with your other Safari-enabled devices can also create trouble when clearing your history. You can try to clear history, but all websites and cookies may not be removed . We’ll show you how to turn off iCloud sharing in order to allow yourself to fully clear your history.
- If all else fails, you can still manually clear your browsing history from Safari.
7 Fixes for When Safari Won’t Clear History
If you are finding that you are trying to clear your search history and you can’t seem to figure out why it isn’t working, I’m here to help! I will give you several reasons as to why your Safari history is not clearing and walk you through the ways to fix them.
First, in order to know that we are unable to clear our history on Safari, you need to know how to do so. Take the following steps:
With Safari Open, Click the History Menu at the top of your screen and hit Clear History from the drop-down menu.
In the pop-up, decide which time frame you would like to delete the history for: the last hour, today, yesterday, or even all of your history.
Click Clear History to confirm.
Your Safari may be frozen, hung up on a stuck process, or otherwise unable to access its own storage space. If this is the case, the easiest way to fix this is by restarting your Mac .
Restarting your Mac allows for all the current processes that are running to stop and allows for the computer to access your Safari history again.
Using the Apple Menu, Click Restart.
Let your Mac restart automatically, then try clearing your history again. If that does not work, proceed to the next step.
Another reason why you may not be able to clear your history on Safari is that there could be a problem with the software. If that is the case, then updating macOS might be helpful because Safari is an application that is managed and updated through macOS.
If Apple is aware of a specific problem and released a fix for it, then macOS will be your way to get it resolved. To update your system, take the following steps:
In the Apple Menu at the top of your screen, choose System Settings.
In the General tab on the left, Navigate to Software Update. If a software update is found, follow the onscreen instructions to complete the macOS update.
If you are attempting to clear your history using the instructions above, but the items appear “grayed out,” then you may have some content restrictions set up that do not allow you to clear your history.
Content Restrictions are a relatively new feature on MacBooks, and one of the features restricts the ability to clear history . This is to provide higher safety for children and teens who may be using your Mac.
To disable these content restrictions, take the following steps:
In the Apple Menu, Select System Settings.
Navigate to Screen Time and Content & Privacy under the Restrictions Section.
If this is turned on, choose Content Restrictions.
The Access to Web Content setting being set to “Allowed Websites Only” appears to disallow the user from clearing the history for many people.
If you have children or teens using your MacBook and you choose to have these restrictions turned on, you will need to change it to Unrestricted Access or turn off the restrictions completely in order to clear your history.
If you do not have a need for restrictions, I recommend turning Content and Privacy off Completely.
Another feature that may cause interference in your ability to delete your history on Safari is iCloud Syncing. iCloud Syncing with Safari can be a very helpful tool, but can prevent your Mac from being able to delete your Safari history.
By turning off iCloud Sync for Safari momentarily, you may be able to clear your history. To do this, take the following steps:
Using the Apple Menu, click on System Settings.
Next, choose your Name on the Left and select iCloud.
Under Apps Using iCloud, Choose Show All.
Finally, turn off iCloud for Safari by clicking on the blue switch. This will disallow Safari to sync over iCloud.
Attempt to clear your history again and, if desired, turn iCloud for Safari back on.
Lastly, if all else fails, you can also try to delete your Safari history manually. Your Mac stores your history in 4 primary files, which are titled History.db, History.db-lock, History.db-shm, and History.db-wal.
Note : You may not be able to see all 4 files—this is ok! You might not have all of them. You also don’t need to worry about replacing the files manually. When you delete these files, you are deleting the history, and the files will be recreated when you open Safari again.
With Finder open, click Go from the menu at the top of your screen and select Go to Folder from the drop-down.
Type ~/Library/Safari to find the folder that contains the files for Safari history
Select the 4 files that are named “History” . Drag and Drop them into the trash. To select all 4 files at the same time, press the shift key and click on each file.
Voila! You should now have a clear browsing history on Safari.
If you want to prevent unexpected issues, such as not being able to clear your history on Safari, from happening again, you should keep your Mac’s software as optimized as possible . There are many ways to do this, but the most convenient way is to use a comprehensive Mac cleaner and maintenance suite.
One of my favorite apps for keeping an eye on the health of my Mac is CleanMyMac X . This app has tons of built-in features for making sure your Mac runs smoothly, such as a malware scanner, disk-space analyzer, and junk file removal tool.
Clearing out system junk, running optimization tasks, and freeing up disk space are activities that you should carry out at least occasionally. To do so, just download and install CleanMyMac X, and select one of the options from the left sidebar. If you’ve never scanned your computer before, a quick Smart Scan should reveal plenty of opportunities to clean things up.
Plus, when you’re not actively scanning, you still have a handy tray icon to keep an eye on your Mac’s health.
While not a free app, it does go a long way in preventing unforeseen issues and minor bugs in Safari and other built-in software.
I have discussed several reasons why you may be unable to clear your history on the Safari application. Additionally, there are explanations as to how to fix all of these reasons and even an “if all else fails” solution.
These items included restarting your Mac and updating macOS, but I also discussed things like content restrictions, iCloud syncing, and manually clearing history using Finder. Restarting your Mac and updating macOS are simpler tasks that can help reset any processes that are causing issues when you are trying to clear your history.
Content restrictions and iCloud syncing are items that you can find in your settings that can also potentially conflict with your ability to clear Safari history. Lastly, manually clearing your history is a last-resort type of item that should work if the other items in this article do not.
If you want to prevent issues like this from happening again, it is a good idea to keep your Mac clean and optimized with a program like CleanMyMac X .
Which of these solutions worked for you? Did you learn anything about Safari that you did not know before? Let us know in the comments!
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How to clear Safari browsing history on iPhone and iPad
Clear Safari browsing history on iPhone and iPad in a few simple steps
You'll definitely want to know how to clear Safari browsing history on iPhone and iPad . Know how to delete browsing history is part of basic user operation on all your devices, and is especially if you share devices with others.
Luckily, deleting browsing history on Safari is easy and can be done in just a few taps, and is the same on iOS and iPadOS, so whether you're using an iPhone 15 Pro or an iPad Air , these steps will apply.
Remember, though, that deleting your browsing history only stops your activity being visible on that device. Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) will still be able to see the webpages you have visited. If you want to stop that, for ultimate privacy, you'll need to use one of the best VPN services .
The following screenshots were taken on an iPhone running iOS 17 . If you aren't running the latest version of your device's OS, we can show you how to update an iPhone or how to update an iPad .
- In Safari, tap the book icon
- Go to the history tab (clock)
- Select how far back to clear
Read on to see full illustrated instructions.
1. In Safari, tap the book icon
Firstly, open Safari and tap the book icon in the bottom bar.
2. Select the history tab (clock icon) and tap Clear
Now select the history tab (clock icon) and tap Clear at the bottom.
3. Select how far back to clear and tap Delete
Now choose how far back you'd like to delete : last hour, today, today and yesterday, or all time.
If you like, you can toggle on Close All Tabs , which will close every open tab that isn't in a tab group (we can show you how to use tab groups if you aren't sure).
Finally, when you're happy, hit Delete .
As you can see in the screenshot above, if you now go back to the history tab, your history will have been deleted.
For more iPhone tutorials, check out our guides on how to transfer data from iPhone to iPhone , how to clear RAM on iPhone , how to delete multiple contacts on iPhone and how to rearrange the iOS 17 Messages '+' menu .
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Peter is Reviews Editor at Tom's Guide. As a writer, he covers topics including tech, photography, gaming, hardware, motoring and food & drink. Outside of work, he's an avid photographer, specialising in architectural and portrait photography. When he's not snapping away on his beloved Fujifilm camera, he can usually be found telling everyone about his greyhounds, riding his motorcycle, squeezing as many FPS as possible out of PC games, and perfecting his espresso shots.
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Clear your browsing history
You can remove all records that Safari keeps of where you’ve browsed during a period of time you choose. If your Mac and your other devices have the iCloud Safari feature turned on, your browsing history is removed from all of them. Clearing your browsing history in Safari doesn’t clear any browsing histories kept independently by websites you visited.
Open Safari for me
Choose History > Clear History and Website Data, then click the pop-up menu and choose how far back you want your browsing history cleared.
When you clear your history, Safari removes data it saves as a result of your browsing, including:
History of webpages you visited
The back and forward list for open webpages
Top Sites that aren’t marked as permanent
Frequently visited site list
Cookies and website data saved while visiting webpages
Recent searches
Icons for open webpages
Snapshots saved for open webpages
List of items you downloaded (downloaded files aren’t removed)
Websites added for Quick Website Search
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Safari doesn't save my history
- Thread starter anonymous4a
- Start date Nov 25, 2014
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anonymous4a
Macrumors 6502.
- Nov 25, 2014
Safari isn't keeping a record of my history after each session and all of my previous history is gone . I can no longer see website suggestions when I enter the first few letters of a website. This all started about a week ago but before that it was fine . Is there something changed in the settings ?
macrumors Westmere
- Nov 26, 2014
anonymous4a said: Safari isn't keeping a record of my history after each session and all of my previous history is gone . I can no longer see website suggestions when I enter the first few letters of a website. This all started about a week ago but before that it was fine . Is there something changed in the settings ? Click to expand...
macrumors 68000
- Nov 27, 2014
For general > preferences .. I selected "remove history items manually" . Is that right ? I am not in private browsing mode , whenever I quit out of safari and open it back up , I lose all my history from my previous session . I used to have 1+ years worth of history in safari and up until last week , it's no longer showing up in safari . BUT when I go to /library/safari/history.plist , I can clearly see history.plist ( about 20 mb)
- Nov 28, 2014
anonymous4a said: For general > preferences .. I selected "remove history items manually" . Is that right ? Click to expand...
- Nov 30, 2014
GGJstudios said: Yes. Click to expand...
macrumors newbie
- Dec 15, 2014
I had the same problem for the last 7 days and didn´t know where it came from. The solution was to delete all history and data via the last option in the history field. Maybe this will help one another. Greets from Germany
- Dec 5, 2017
macrumors member
- Sep 16, 2018
Mysha said: Hello, was there ever a fix found on this problem with safari all of a sudden not saving browsing history. My history is cleared every day even when the window stays open. I'm on remove history manually, I don't see any extensions or plugins... Any suggestions? Click to expand...
- Dec 12, 2018
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How to Clear Safari Profile Web History on iPhone
In iOS 17 , Apple has increased the options available for clearing Safari's web history and website data. You can even clear Safari's cache for a specific Safari profile. Keep reading to learn how it works.
If a site you regularly frequent has elements that have stopped working, or if a site has stopped loading completely, there may be a conflict between an older version of it that Safari has cached and a newer one. Or perhaps you simply want to protect your privacy by wiping the slate clean and removing all the data associated with websites you've visited.
With iOS 17, Apple doesn't just let you clear Safari's history and website data for a specific timeframe. You can also clear the cache for a specific Safari Profile. (Profiles are is designed to help separate your browsing sessions into things like Work, School, or Personal: For more on how to use Profiles, click this link .)
How to Clear Safari Cache
Here's how to clear Safari history and website data on iPhones running iOS 17, and iPads running iPadOS 17 .
- Open the Settings app.
- Scroll down and tap Safari .
- Tap Clear History and Website Data in blue.
- Choose a timeframe in which to clear your history: Last hour , Today , Today and yesterday , or All history .
- Choose a specific profile to clear from the list, or check All Profiles .
- To close all open tabs within your timeframe and profile(s), toggle on the switch next to Close All Tabs .
- Tap Clear History , then confirm when prompted.
That's all you need to do. The next time you open the associated profile(s), you should notice that all web history for the chosen timeframe will be gone.
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If Safari isn't loading websites or quits on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
If you can't load a website or webpage, or Safari quits unexpectedly, follow these steps.
Connect to a different network
Try to load a website, like www.apple.com , using cellular data. If you don't have cellular data, connect to a different Wi-Fi network , then load the website.
If you're using a VPN (Virtual Private Network), check your VPN settings . If you have a VPN turned on, some apps or websites might block content from loading.
Restart your device
Turn off your device and turn it on again.
Restart your iPhone
Restart your iPad
Restart your iPod touch
Clear website data
You can clear website data occasionally to improve Safari performance.
Go to Settings > Safari.
Tap Clear History and Website Data.
Tap Clear History to confirm.
Turn on JavaScript
Turn on JavaScript if it's not already on.
Go to Settings > Safari > Advanced.
Turn on JavaScript.
Get more help
If the issue continues and only affects a certain website or webpage, check if you have Private Relay turned on. You can temporarily turn off Private Relay in iCloud Settings . If Safari still doesn't load websites and you tried all of these steps, contact the website developer for more help.
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How-To Geek
How to wipe your browsing history automatically in safari on mac.
Safari records all your web activity, so it's best to occasionally clear it with Safari's self-destruct tool. Here's how it works.
Your browser records all your web activity. Therefore, for added privacy, it's best to regularly clear your browsing history. Safari on your Mac can take care of this for you and automatically wipe your history every once in a while. Here's how to set it up.
Launch Safari on your Mac from the Launchpad or by looking it up on Spotlight .
Next, click "Safari" from the left corner of the menu bar and select "Preferences." Alternatively, you can press Cmd+comma on your keyboard to head directly into this menu.
Under the "General" tab, locate the "Remove History Items" option.
From the dropdown beside it, you can select how often Safari should delete your browsing history. You can have it cleared as frequently as every day or every year.
When you enable this setting, Safari automatically wipes logs of the websites you visit, your web searches, and more.
If you prefer reviewing your browsing history before clearing it, you can choose "Manually" from the dropdown and periodically erase your web activity from Safari yourself.
At the bottom of the "General" section, you'll also find a separate setting called "Remove download list items." With this option, you can configure Safari to automatically remove the list of files you downloaded (but not the files themselves).
You can have them wiped after a day, as soon as you quit Safari, or when the download is unsuccessful.
Enabling these won't affect your Safari browsing data on other Apple devices such as an iPhone or an iPad. As of yet, the options to automatically wipe your browsing history and the download list are not available on Safari's iOS and iPadOS apps.
There's a lot more you can do for a more secure experience on Safari, including browsing in incognito mode by default and optimizing it for maximum privacy .
COMMENTS
My safari history won't clear I wanted to clear my safari history, as it gets in my nerves when it isn't clear. I went to clear it, however the button is greyed out, and I can't press it. When I go to settings the clear history button doesn't work either. Please help.
How to stop syncing Safari over iCloud on a Mac: On macOS Catalina and later: Go to System Preferences > Apple ID > iCloud. On macOS High Sierra and earlier: Go to System Preferences > iCloud. Untick the box next to Safari. Now open Safari and from the menu bar, go to: Safari > Clear History… > Clear All History.
Select Reset Network Settings and confirm your decision. 4. Delete History Manually (Mac Only) If you need to clear your Safari history on Mac and are having problems, remember you can delete your ...
Step 1: Open Safari on your iPhone. Step 2: Tap the Book icon at the bottom. Step 3: Tap the glasses icon to switch to the Reading List tab. Step 4: Tap the Edit option in the bottom right corner ...
Tap your Apple ID. Tap iCloud. You may need to tap Show All if Safari does not appear on this screen. Turn off Safari. Tap Keep on My iPhone. Tap Apple ID. Tap Settings. Tap Safari. Tap Clear History and Website Data.
So, let's see how you can do that. Step 1: On the Settings screen, tap General, and then tap Restrictions. Step 2: To proceed, you need to insert your Restrictions passcode, which is NOT the ...
Disable Screen Time Restrictions. Restart your iPhone. Other workarounds to fix Safari Clear History option grayed out. Reset All Settings on iPhone. 1. Disable Screen Time Restrictions. If you use Screen Time to enable limited web access, the option for Clear History and Website Data will be grayed out.
Key Takeaways. 7 Fixes for When Safari Won't Clear History. Fix 1: Clearing Your History. Fix 2: Restart Your Mac. Fix 3: Update macOS. Fix 4: Content Restrictions. Fix 5: Turn off iCloud Syncing. Fix 6: Delete Manually. Fix 7: Keep Your Mac Free From Junk.
For Mac. Go to Finder > Applications or press Command + Shift + A. Now locate your browser folder and open it. Run its uninstaller tool and follow the instructions. If you can't find an uninstaller, drag the app to the Trash bin on your Dock. Then, two finger click on the Trash bin and choose Empty Trash.
In Safari, tap the book icon. Firstly, open Safari and tap the book icon in the bottom bar. 2. Select the history tab (clock icon) and tap Clear. Now select the history tab (clock icon) and tap ...
Go to Settings > Safari. Tap Clear History and Website Data. Clearing your history, cookies and browsing data from Safari won't change your AutoFill information. ... Some features on a site may not work. Use content blockers. Content blockers are third-party apps and extensions that let Safari block cookies, images, resources, pop-ups and other ...
Choose History > Clear History and Website Data, then click the pop-up menu and choose how far back you want your browsing history cleared. When you clear your history, Safari removes data it saves as a result of your browsing, including: Remove all records that Safari keeps of where you've browsed during a period of time you choose.
Nov 26, 2014. #3. anonymous4a said: Safari isn't keeping a record of my history after each session and all of my previous history is gone . I can no longer see website suggestions when I enter the first few letters of a website. This all started about a week ago but before that it was fine .
Scroll down and tap Safari. Tap Clear History and Website Data in blue. Choose a timeframe in which to clear your history: Last hour, Today, Today and yesterday, or All history. Choose a specific ...
Go to Settings > Safari. Tap Clear History and Website Data. Tap Clear History to confirm. Turn on JavaScript. Turn on JavaScript if it's not already on. Go to Settings > Safari > Advanced. Turn on JavaScript. Get more help. If the issue continues and only affects a certain website or webpage, check if you have Private Relay turned on.
Launch Safari on your Mac from the Launchpad or by looking it up on Spotlight . Next, click "Safari" from the left corner of the menu bar and select "Preferences." Alternatively, you can press Cmd+comma on your keyboard to head directly into this menu. Under the "General" tab, locate the "Remove History Items" option.