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How do I delete items I've been to using Google?

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Summary: Follow these steps to delete your browser's history.

How can I delete items I have been to on Google?

That question could mean a couple of things: the history of web sites you've visited, or perhaps the responses that auto-fill shows you as you type in your next Google search. The "trick" is that neither has anything to do with Google at all. But both have everything to do with your browser.

If you just want to delete the list of sites you've visited, whether you found them via Google or got to them some other way, you need to clear your browser's history and cache. In Internet Explorer:

  • Click on the Tools menu
  • Click on Internet Options...
  • Click on the General tab, if it's not already showing
  • In the Temporary Internet files section, click on Delete Files...
  • Make sure Delete all offline content is checked
  • Press OK
  • In the History section, click on Clear History, and answer Yes to the confirmation.
  • OK your way back out.

If what concerns you is the list of previous search terms that start to show as you type in a new search term for Google, that's just your browser's AutoComplete feature at work. It works on most web forms, and the Google search page is just one of those forms. To delete the contents of the AutoComplete list in Internet Explorer:

  • Click on the Tools menu
  • Click on Internet Options...
  • Click on the Content tab
  • In the Personal information section, click on the AutoComplete button
  • Click on the Clear Forms button, and answer Yes to the resulting confirmation

Your Google AutoComplete history, as well as the AutoComplete history for any other web forms is now erased.

Article C2360 - May 29, 2005

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Recent Comments
24 Comments

How do I delete SOME SELECTED items only?? Parts of my "history" are useful, to look through and remind myself how I got X or Y. Much is useless. I want to delete it. Can't see how, and Google's own advice tells me, after a few manoeuvres, to click on a button called "delete items"--which has been rendered inoperative!!

Posted by: stephenhj at January 24, 2010 1:45 PM

Leo,
Your link is the fifth of sixth site I've come across and the info, while a little bit different, still isn't doing the job for me.
What I want to do is delete "all" the history in the Google drop down window. The "clean google search history" command in "their" dropdown window is not working when you click on it. How can I clean everything out of this window as I've done in the IE drop down history? Or is that possible. Everybody is saying the same thing and it's still not working.
Please help,
Dennis

Posted by: Dennis Botz at February 8, 2010 10:26 AM

I cannot delete cached items from my google search pages.
I have tried clearing browser history, but cached pages keep showing up.

Posted by: tom slayte at February 14, 2010 9:21 AM

i have tryed to delete google drop down but the list is to long so i have lost the delete history down the bottom,i have to longer list some how i cant get to the bottom or see delete histoy.

Posted by: waimarie edmonds at February 19, 2010 9:50 AM

I'm trying to delite Google drop downs but list is too long, how do I reach delite history

Posted by: scott at March 18, 2010 11:56 AM

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