Aug62020

Think about all the things you use your browser for on a daily basis – social media, online banking, and online shopping are probably just the tip of the iceberg.  Now, consider the wealth of important and sensitive information about you and your life that your browser is privy to.  Scary eh?  Your browser is also an expert hoarder, and overtime holding onto so much data may not only put your privacy and security at risk but can also cause problems with logging into or loading websites. 

With so many of us spending more time at home and online, criminals will undoubtedly use it as an opportunity to scam innocent people and businesses.  So, we thought we would take you through the steps on how to clear out your cache, browser history and cookies safely and efficiently no matter what device you are using.

How to clear your browsing history, cache and cookies on a mobile device

Android
The steps to clear your cache, cookies, and history may differ depending on the model of your Android device and your preferred browser, but you should be able to clear you cache and data from your application management settings menu:

  1. Go to Settings and choose Apps or Application Manager.
  2. Choose All from the dropdown menu.
  3. In the list of installed apps, find and tap your web browser. Tap Clear Data and then Clear Cache.
  4. Exit/quit all browser windows and re-open the browser.

Android with Chrome browser

  1. Open the Chrome app.
  2. Tap the Menu (three stacked dots in right-hand corner) and select Settings.
  3. Tap the (Advanced) Privacy
  4. Tap Clear browsing data.
  5. From the ‘Time range’ drop-down menu, select All time.
  6. Check Cookies and site data, Cached images and files, and Browsing history. Then click on Clear data.
  7. Exit/quit all browser windows and re-open the browser.

Safari for iOS (iPhone/iPad)

  1. Open your Settings app.
  2. Tap Safari.
  3. Tap Clear History and Website Data and confirm.
  4. Exit/quit all browser windows and re-open the browser.

Chrome for iOS (iPhone/iPad)

  1. Tap Chrome menu and choose Settings.
  2. Tap Privacy.
  3. Tap Clear Browsing Data.
  4. Choose the data type you want to clear.
  5. Tap Clear Browsing Data.
  6. Exit/quit all browser windows and re-open the browser.

How to clear your browsing history, cache and cookies on desktop computers

Chrome

  1. In the browser bar, enter:  chrome://settings/clearBrowserData
  2. At the top of the ‘Clear browsing data’ window, click Advanced.
  3. Select the following:
    • Browsing history
    • Download history
    • Cookies and other site data
    • Cached images and files

From the ‘Time range’ drop-down menu, you can choose the period of time for which you want to clear cached information.  To clear your entire cache, select All time.

  1. Click Clear Data.
  2. Exit/quit all browser windows and re-open the browser.

Firefox

  1. From the History menu, select Clear Recent History. If the menu bar is hidden, press Alt to make it visible.
  2. From the Time range to clear: drop-down menu, select the desired range; to clear your entire cache, select Everything.
  3. Next to ‘Details’, click the down arrow to choose which elements of the history to clear; to clear your entire cache, select all items.
  4. Click Clear Now.
  5. Exit/quit all browser windows and re-open the browser.

Microsoft Edge

  1. Click the Hub icon (top right, looks like a star with three horizontal lines).
  2. Click the History icon (looks like a clock), and then select Clear all history.
  3. Select Browsing history, then Cookies and saved website data, and then Cached data and files. Click Clear.
  4. After the “All Clear!” message appears, exit/quit all browser windows and re-open the browser.

Internet Explorer 11

Note:

On January 12, 2016, Microsoft ended support for Internet Explorer versions prior to version 11 . UITS strongly recommends that you upgrade to a new operating system if your current system does not support Internet Explorer 11. If you experience difficulty with Internet Explorer, make sure compatibility mode is turned off.

  1. Select Tools, then Safety, then Delete browsing history. If the menu bar is hidden, press Alt to make it visible.
  2. Deselect Preserve Favourites website data, and select:
    • Temporary Internet files or Temporary Internet files and website files.
    • Cookies or Cookies and website data.
    • History.
  1. Click Delete. You will see a confirmation at the bottom of the window when the process is complete.
  2. Exit/quit all browser windows and re-open the browser.

Opera

  1. From the Opera menu, select Settings, then Privacy & Security, and then Clear browsing data.
  2. In the dialog box that opens, from the ‘Obliterate the following items from:’ drop-down menu, select the beginning of time. Select the following:
    • Browsing history
    • Download history
    • Cookies and other site data
    • Cached images and files
  1. Click Clear browsing data.
  2. Exit/quit all browser windows and re-open the browser.

Safari 8 and later

  1. From the Safari menu, select Clear History or Clear History and Website Data.
  2. Select the desired time range, and then click Clear History.

Go to Safari > Quit Safari or press Command-Q to exit the browser completely

While we are on this subject, it seems a good opportunity to clarify a few things for those of you who have heard the associated jargon but not too sure what it means.  Let’s just briefly and simply look at what ‘cookies’ and ‘cache’ are:

What are browser cookies?

We’ve no doubt that at some point you have experienced a notification pop up on screen whilst browsing the internet asking you to ‘accept cookies’ but you may not be entirely sure of what they are?  Put simply, they are small files that allow websites to remember your device and keep track of its activity.  Generally, most cookies will provide you with a better online experience and remove the inconvenience of having to input information that you share often, over and over again.  However, some cookies can be annoying or harmful and should be deleted.  By clearing your cookies regularly, you will erase as many traces of you as possible from their ‘memory’ files.

What is a browser cache?

The browser cache refers to the place on your hard disk where the browser keeps things it has downloaded in case they’re needed again.  It’s a bit like a library and is generally just there to make loading familiar pages easier for your connection and your device.  The cache does have a size limit and when it gets full, the items in it that haven’t been used in a while, are discarded to make space for items you are currently using.

Clearing the cache just means emptying it to clear up some space.  It does mean however, that the next time you display a webpage, everything must be downloaded anew.  It’s really a space saving exercise, although clearing your cache regularly will disable an expert hacker who may use your cache as a way to gather information about you.

So, there you have it.  Clearing your browser allows you to clear your list of previously visited pages (very handy at Christmas time when you don’t want anyone else that shares your device to see what websites you have been visiting to buy their presents!).  Clearing cookies means you are erasing the ‘memory’ files stored that ease your user experience, and clearing your cache refers to freeing up space on your hard disk where your downloads are stored.

By deleting all this browser history you will not only protect your personal and information from fraudsters, and secure your privacy, but you will also benefit from giving your browser a small performance boost and help to prevent errors from malfunctioning sites that are not reading your cookies or settings correctly.  It is particularly recommended to clean your browsing history on a regular basis if you share your device with others (even if they are a friend or family member), when your accounts or device has become compromised and someone else might have access to your data, and when the build up of old settings becomes too much for your computer to cope with and becomes a nuisance to use.

Above all else, like everything else in our lives, its always nice to have a sort out!

If you need further help deleting your history, just give one of the MML team a call, we’d love to help.