I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but when you clear your history to keep your browsing activities confidential, it's like moving a folder full of confidential documents from your desk into the desk's drawer. Even though the folder is gone from the direct view of unwanted people, but the documents still exist and can easily be found with a bit of extra effort.
In technical terms, your deleted browsing history can be recovered by unauthorized parties, even after you cleared them. Why is it so? Let's explore how Windows deletes confidential information and you'll know the answer in a short while.
But first, let's have a look at what browsing history actually is.
Your browsing history is made up of various items, such as, site URLs, cookies, cache files, download list, search history and so on. The type of files we need to focus on now is the cache files, because they are easy to recover and once recovered, they can reveal unauthorized parties basically everything about your Internet activities.
So what are the cache files and what do they do? Let's say you visit www.amazon.com for the very first time. The site has a distinctive brand logo, a checkout cart, a sign-in box and many other items that remain unchanged anytime you visit the site. The site also displays hundreds of products that are likely to stay on the site for some, or a long time to come. The way your browser is "thinking" is this: Why don't we save the permanent page elements to the computer so we don't need to download them again and again from the remote Amazon server when the guy returns to the site?
That's a really nice feature that speeds up browsing a great deal. However, please keep in mind that your browser caches everything it encounters just in case it needs to use that item again, be it a logo, an image, a photo, a video, a podcast, a site URL and so on. So after a while the cache folder turns into a digital travel diary that has a record of every websites you have ever visited and the activities you have performed on those sites.
Like I said, your browsing history includes the cache files. Now, the problem is that when you "delete" a file in Windows (it doesn't matter if it's a photo, a financial plan, or a cache file), the operating system doesn't bother shredding the sensitive information (overwriting it with random data). To save time and resource, it simply removes the file's reference from the directories (that's why your deleted browsing history seems to be gone) and moves the actual information contained in the file to a special area, called free space, on your computer's hard drive where it will be overwritten by new files over time. However, the problem is that Windows employs a user-independent pattern to overwrite deleted files so the overwriting can take weeks, months, or even years!
Since the confidential history files are actually not gone from your computer after deletion, they can be accessed and recovered by unauthorized parties using free file recovery tools available on the web.
Let's say your laptop gets stolen. To demonstrate what confidential information could be recovered from your stolen laptop, I cleared my browsing history on my own computer and run a file recovery tool on it (so now my computer represents your laptop). Here is what the guy could find out about my online activities:
Browsing history
As you can see, these excerpts from a recovered history log clearly show what sites I recently visited and even the date/time of visiting.
And it's not only general site URLs that can be recovered, but also the exact pages I visited on a particular site. A few examples from the recovered History Provider Cache:
The recovered History Provider Cache also has records of search terms I entered into the search box in Chrome:
Images/photos/videos
The hacker could also recover what images/photos I viewed on various websites. Recovered images and photos have weird names, like the one circled below, because, like I said, after deletion the file reference is gone. Nevertheless, the confidential files are still there to be recovered:
If the hacker opens these files with a photo manager, or multimedia application, such as, Windows Photo Gallery, RealPlayer, Picasa, etc, he can discover what photos/images I viewed on various sites. A few examples from my recovered history:
- Photos of items I browsed/purchased (Amazon, eBay, etc.)
- Photos I viewed (National Geographic, Playboy, Huffington Post, etc)
- Thumbnails of sites I visited
- Images/photos I uploaded to/downloaded from the web (Google Docs, Facebook, etc)
- Screenshots I made
- Images created for and pix used in web-design projects
- Screenshots from videos I watched (YouTube, Dailymotion, etc)
- Videos/movies I downloaded from the web
Audio files
It'd also be easy for the hacker to track what audio files I was listening to on various websites. The recovered items included:
- Songs
- Podcasts
- Voice recordings
- etc
Documents
Even though document files don't seem to be directly connected to browsing history, but there are two important points to mention in this regard:
- Many users open documents, such as, PDF files, in their browsers ( I often do)
- It's good to know that file recovery tools may restore confidential financial and private document, such as, deleted business plans, financial reports, medical records, etc, as part of the recovery process.
If you handled such documents on the web, the recovered docs can be directly linked to your online activities. In my case the recovered documents included:
- Financial plans
- A password list
- Email headers from my Gmail inbox
- Task titles from my Asana profile
- Article drafts
- Powerpoint presentations on company projects
How to permanently remove your browsing history?
So now you must be wondering: How do I securely and permanently remove my browsing history if my browser can't guarantee that? Here is the answer.
To securely and permanently remove your browsing history, you need to use a privacy software. These tools are designed to seek out and overwrite the confidential information contained in your history files with random characters so even if the files are restored, the original information is gone from them.
After a secure overwriting, even if the guy opens the same file that previously contained the photo of a Playboy girl, or a site URL, now all he can find is a bunch of nonsense characters in the file. Something like this:
If you wipe your browsing history daily, after you finished using your computer, you can make sure that your confidential activity traces can't be recovered by unauthorized parties. And it's not at all rocket science to wipe your history. Just follow the few easy steps described in this guide and you won't need to worry about your browsing privacy anymore!
FAQs
Since the confidential history files are actually not gone from your computer after deletion, they can be accessed and recovered by unauthorized parties using free file recovery tools available on the web.
Is it safe to clear all browsing history? ›
Here are some reasons to clear your browsing history, cache, and cookies: It protects your personal information from other people who use your device and third parties on the internet. It clears your device storage and helps your applications run more efficiently. It prevents you from using old forms.
When you delete search history is it gone forever? ›
Important: If you delete Search history that's saved to your Google Account, you can't get it back. You can delete a specific activity, or delete your Search history from a specific day, a custom date range, or all time.
Should you clear your browsing history on your phone? ›
Even if you're surfing the Internet on your new Android phone, from time to time, it's a good idea to clear out the history and cache. Clearing out the cache can improve performance, and clearing your history and auto-complete information can contribute to improving security.
Can the WiFi owner see what I search even if I delete it? ›
What If I Delete My Browsing History On My Device? Deleting your browsing history is like deleting your email's “Sent” folder. On your end, it's gone, but the information has already been sent. Your information is on the WiFi owners' router logs, even if you have cleared it on your end.
Does Google keep your search history forever? ›
Information retained until your Google Account is deleted
For example, after you delete a specific Google search from My Activity, we might keep information about how often you search for things, but not what you searched for.
Can hackers recover deleted search history? ›
In technical terms, your deleted browsing history can be recovered by unauthorized parties, even after you cleared them. Why is it so? Let's explore how Windows deletes confidential information and you'll know the answer in a short while. But first, let's have a look at what browsing history actually is.
How often should you clear browsing history? ›
It's best to delete your search history at least twice a month to reduce the chances of getting hacked.
How long is browsing history kept? ›
The U.S. government requires ISPs to keep records of customers' internet history for a minimum of 90 days, while the UK and European Union requires ISPs to keep browsing records for up to 12 months.
Why do people delete their search history? ›
Secondly, clearing your history helps prevent websites from tracking you and following you around the web – whether this is to glean more information on your likes and interests, or to sell you products via remarketing banner or search ads. For all the speed benefits of cached pages, they could cause bugs or errors.
Your web browser caches the web pages, images, and other files viewed by you on the Internet, so it can avoid downloading the same files each time you view them. By saving files to the cache, your browser reduces the loading time of web pages, and the amount of data downloaded.
Where does deleted history go? ›
Method 1: Go to the Recycle Bin
Recover deleted Google history: open the Recycle Bin to check whether the deleted history files are stored there temporarily. If YES, select them and choose Restore from the context menu. If NOT, you might have permanently deleted the browsing history.
Who can see my deleted search history? ›
Yes, simply by contacting your internet service provider. They are obligated by law to store records of your online activity. The only exception is that your provider could have already deleted the data if the history is older than the data retention period.
How do I stop Wi-Fi owner from viewing my history? ›
Your Wi-Fi owner or ISP can still see the websites you visited, but nothing about what you did while there. To stay secure no matter what website you visit, you can use an HTTPS browser extension like 'HTTPS Everywhere', which encrypts your activities, even on HTTP-based websites.
How do I protect my internet history? ›
5 ways to hide your browsing history from ISPs
- Use a VPN. Your internet service provider can't see your history when you use a VPN. ...
- Browse with Tor. ...
- Change your DNS settings. ...
- Install HTTPS Everywhere. ...
- Use a privacy-conscious search engine.
You're in control of what information you share with Google when you search. To browse the web privately, you can use private browsing, sign out of your account, change your custom results settings, or delete past activity.
Why is my Gmail account still showing up when I delete it? ›
Even if you deleted the account on Google, your phone is still trying to log into that account, and giving you the notification to tell you it's not working. You need to remove the account from your phone too. From the Settings app, scroll down to the Personal section and choose Accounts.
Can hackers see my incognito history? ›
While someone using your device won't be able to see your browsing history, incognito mode won't be able to stop hackers and identity thieves in their tracks.
Is it a good idea to clear history in Safari? ›
Clearing your browser history is important; not only does it improve the overall performance of the app, but it prevents you from filling out forms and using old information, making it a more secure way to browse the web.
What happens if I clear all my history on safari? ›
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. Frequently visited site list.
When you use a browser, like Chrome, it saves some information from websites in its cache and cookies. Clearing them fixes certain problems, like loading or formatting issues on sites.
Can the government see your internet history? ›
Right now, the government can collect the web browsing and internet searches of Americans without a warrant under Section 215. But, so far, there is no explicit Congressional authorization for the government to do that. The McConnell amendment would, for the first time, provide that authorization.
Can my Internet provider see my history? ›
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) can see everything you do online. They can track things like which websites you visit, how long you spend on them, the content you watch, the device you're using, and your geographic location.
Do websites keep your IP address? ›
Every time you visit a website, your IP address is collected and stored on a server. Anyone who owns that server can go and look up your IP.
Why does my search history come back after I delete it? ›
Your browser may be set to not store your search history. You may be using a private browsing mode, such as incognito mode, which does not save your search history. If you are using a public or shared computer, the search history may have been cleared by someone else.
How often should I clear Safari history? ›
Most people only need to clear their caches once every month or two. That's generally the point when your browser will build up a cache large enough to start slowing things down. If you frequent a large number of sites, you should err on the side of clearing your cache more often.
Is browsing history stored on hard drive? ›
Is browsing history stored on the hard drive? Yes. Your browsing history is stored on your hard drive as a cache file. This file contains all of your browser's app data, including your browsing history, cookies, saved passwords, and web form information.
What happens if you clear activity history? ›
Clear your activity history
If you have multiple accounts, and your work or school account is the primary account on the device, then clearing your activity history will delete any of your work and/or school activity history that is synced to the cloud.
Is it safe to clear all history from Safari? ›
Yes. Clearing Safari cache, history, and cookies will log you out of the websites you are currently logged into.
Is clearing history in Safari the same as clearing the cache? ›
In the Safari app , you can erase your browsing history and data to clear the cache on your iPhone. This removes the history of websites you visited and recent searches from your device.
While clearing Safari's cache alone will not delete your passwords, clearing your history and cookies can. That's because when you empty your cookies, you will lose their password data saved in Safari as well. And keep in mind that clearing your history also clears its associated cookies.
Can someone see your history after you clear it? ›
When you clear your browser history, you're only deleting the history that's locally stored on your computer. Clearing your browser history doesn't do anything to the data stored on Google's servers.
Can the government see my deleted search history? ›
Can police recover deleted internet history? Yes, simply by contacting your internet service provider. They are obligated by law to store records of your online activity.
Is it OK to clear history on iPhone? ›
Clearing your iPhone's browsing history once in a while is a good idea because it helps protect your privacy and makes your device run better.
Does Safari keep history in private? ›
Private Browsing is Safari's implementation of private browsing mode present in all modern browsers. Here's what it does: It prevents your browsing from appearing in the History on your iPhone. Your Private Mode tabs don't appear on your other connected Apple devices.
Does Safari keep all history? ›
Safari remembers the websites you've visited for as long as a year, so you can easily return to them.
How often should you clear cookies? ›
As a general rule, you should clear your browser cache and cookies at least once a month, or more often if you experience any of the following: slow running or crashing browsers, difficulty loading websites or features, outdated or incorrect information or images on some websites, the need to free up storage space on ...
How long is browsing history stored? ›
The U.S. government requires ISPs to keep records of customers' internet history for a minimum of 90 days, while the UK and European Union requires ISPs to keep browsing records for up to 12 months.
How do I permanently delete browsing history from my hard drive? ›
How to delete your Windows hard drive search history
- Type “run” in the desktop search bar. In the search results, click on Run.
- In the run search box, type “regedit” and click OK.
- Right-click on each entry and then click Delete. Click Yes when prompted to confirm.
