How to Clear Search History on iPhone (Safari and More)

To clear search history on iPhone, open Settings > Apps > Safari, scroll down and tap Clear History and Website Data. Apple says this doesn’t change your AutoFill information. You can also clear history from inside Safari, remove a single site, or stop Safari from showing recent searches at all.

This guide covers how to clear history on iPhone, how to delete search history on iPhone for individual sites, and what clearing does not remove. Every iOS detail comes from an Apple Support page, linked where it appears. Where Apple doesn’t document something, I say so instead of guessing.

How to clear Safari history on iPhone

There are two routes. Both end in the same place.

From Settings

1. Open Settings, tap Apps, then tap Safari.
2. Scroll down and tap Clear History and Website Data.
3. Choose the timeframe to clear, then tap Clear History.

Apple’s Safari history page lists these steps. It also notes that if the button is gray, either there is no data to clear or your Screen Time web content restrictions are limiting it.

From inside Safari

Apple’s iPhone User Guide gives the in-app route:

1. Open Safari.
2. Go to your start page (or open a new tab), then tap the bookmarks icon. If your Tabs layout is Bottom or Top, the icon sits in a different place; see Apple’s page on changing the layout.
3. Open your history, then tap Clear History.
4. Under Clear Timeframe, choose how much of your browsing history to clear.
5. Tap Clear History.

Apple’s page does not list the timeframe options by name, and the options on your phone are the ones to trust. If you have more than one Safari profile, the same page says you can pick a profile to clear only that profile’s history, or choose All Profiles.

What clearing removes

According to Apple, clearing history removes the history of websites you visited and recent searches from your iPhone. It also removes cookies and the permissions you granted to websites to use your location or send you notifications.

That last part has a side effect. Sites will ask for those permissions again, and you will probably be signed out of some of them.

How to delete search history on iPhone for one site

You don’t have to wipe everything. To remove a single visit or a handful of sites:

1. In Safari, open the History button.
2. Tap More, then choose Select Websites.
3. Select the sites you want to remove, then tap the trash icon.

This is Apple’s method on the same support page. It’s the better choice when you only want one embarrassing search or gift idea gone, and you don’t want to lose your cookies and logins for every other site.

Clear cookies and cache but keep your history

If your goal is the opposite, keeping history and removing website data, Apple gives a separate path: Settings > Apps > Safari > Advanced > Website Data > Remove All Website Data > Remove Now. Apple describes this as clearing data used for tracking and by websites to save login information.

This is a different action from clearing history. If someone is checking what you searched for, it won’t help, because your history is still there.

Stop Safari from showing recent searches

When you tap Safari’s search field, Safari can show recent searches. To hide them, go to Settings > Apps > Safari and, under Search, turn off Show Recent Searches. Apple’s page says this hides the recent searches that appear when the search field is empty.

This only changes what appears in the field. Combine it with clearing history if you want both gone.

What clearing does not remove

Apple is explicit on one point. Clearing your browsing history in Safari doesn’t clear any browsing histories kept independently by websites you visited, or your browsing history in other apps.

In practice that means:

• Accounts on the sites themselves. If you were signed in to a shop, a video site or a search engine, that service may keep its own record tied to your account. You manage that in the service’s own settings.
• Other apps. The Google app, Chrome and other browsers keep their own history. Clear them in each app’s own settings, since Safari’s button doesn’t touch them.
• Your internet provider or network. Apple’s page doesn’t cover this and I won’t guess what your provider keeps.
• Other devices. Apple’s Safari history page doesn’t say whether clearing on one device affects others signed in to the same Apple Account. Apple does document that Private Browsing tabs are not shared across devices, covered below. Check your iPad or Mac after clearing if it matters to you.

I also looked for an Apple page describing a separate “clear search history” control for Spotlight or Siri suggestions and didn’t find one, so I have left it out rather than describe steps we can’t verify.

Browse without leaving history: Private Browsing

If you would rather not have a history to clear, use Private Browsing. Apple says private tabs don’t appear in History on your iPhone or in the list of tabs on your other devices, and tabs in Private Browsing aren’t shared with your other Apple devices, even when you’re signed in to the same Apple Account.

If you have a passcode set, Private Browsing locks when it isn’t in use. To control that, go to Settings > Apps > Safari and turn on Require Passcode to Unlock Private Browsing, or the Face ID or Touch ID version on supported models. Apple notes the lock may not engage immediately.

Our guide to Private Browsing on iPhone has the full steps, including how to open and close private tabs.

Browsing history and private photos are different problems

If you’re clearing history because someone else uses your phone, the searches are only part of it. Photos are a separate question with separate tools. Clearing Safari does nothing for your Photos library, and the Hidden album works differently from anything above. Our guide to hiding photos on iPhone covers what the built-in options do and where they stop.

When a vault app fits

Forevault is our vault app for iPhone, for the photo side of that problem. Files are encrypted on the device with AES-256-GCM. You can open it with a pattern on a 5×5 grid, a passcode or a password, and Face ID is optional. Separate vaults can use separate patterns, and the lock screen doesn’t list them. It has a 12-word recovery phrase, an encrypted backup to your own iCloud with “Test a restore”, and export to Photos or Files is always free. There is no account and nothing is collected. The free tier covers 100 photos, 10 videos and 3 vaults, and there is no calculator disguise.

It protects against someone holding your phone, not forensic analysis. Download Forevault on the App Store.

Frequently asked questions

How do I clear search history on iPhone?

Go to Settings > Apps > Safari, tap Clear History and Website Data, choose a timeframe and confirm. You can also clear from within Safari by opening your history and tapping Clear History.

How do I clear history on iPhone without losing my saved passwords?

Apple says clearing history and website data doesn’t change your AutoFill information. It does remove cookies, so you may be signed out of some websites and asked again for location or notification permissions.

How do I delete search history on iPhone for just one website?

Open the History button in Safari, tap More, choose Select Websites, select the sites and tap the trash icon. This removes only those entries.

How do I clear Safari history on iPhone for one profile only?

If you use Safari profiles, Apple’s guide says you can select a profile when you clear history to clear only that profile’s history, or select All Profiles.

Does clearing Safari history delete my Google or Chrome history?

No. Apple says clearing Safari history doesn’t clear browsing history in other apps or histories kept by the websites you visited. Clear those in each app’s or account’s own settings.

Can I stop my iPhone from saving history in the first place?

Use Private Browsing. Apple says private tabs don’t appear in History or in the tab list on your other devices. Turn off Show Recent Searches in Settings > Apps > Safari to stop recent searches appearing in the search field.