Staying safe online

The advice on this page comes from Women’s Aid, Refuge and the browser makers’ own help pages. We last checked it on 6 October 2026. Each helpline shows the date we last checked it.

How to delete your browsing history

Web browsers keep a record of the pages you visit, called your history. You can delete all of it, or only the pages you choose.

You don’t have to delete everything. Women’s Aid suggests deleting only the pages you’re worried about. If someone checks your history and knows you were online at a certain time, it can help to leave some ordinary, non-sensitive history for them to see.

Where to find it in each browser

• Google Chrome on a computer: select More (the three dots at the top right), then Delete browsing data. Choose a time range, tick Browsing history, then select Delete data. To remove single pages, select More, then History, tick the pages and select Delete.
• Google Chrome on an Android phone: tap More, then Delete browsing data. Choose a time range, tick Browsing history, then tap Delete data.
• Microsoft Edge: select Settings and more (the three dots), then Settings, then Privacy, search, and services. Select Clear browsing data, then Choose what to clear.
• Safari on an iPhone: open the Settings app, tap Apps, then Safari, then Clear History and Website Data.
• Safari on a Mac: in Safari, choose History, then Clear History.
• Firefox: Mozilla explains the steps in its guide Delete browsing, search and download history on Firefox.

If you’re signed in to Chrome and your history is synced, deleting it also deletes it on your other devices that are signed in.

Your search history

Search engines and online accounts can keep their own record of your searches, even after you delete your browser history. For example, if you’re signed in to a Google Account, your searches may be saved in “My Activity”. Google explains how to delete your activity.

Private browsing

A private browsing window doesn’t keep a record of the pages you visit on your device once you close it. Each browser has its own name for it: Incognito in Chrome, InPrivate in Microsoft Edge, Private Browsing in Safari and a private window in Firefox.

It has limits:

• Files you download and bookmarks you save are kept.
• The websites you visit, and whoever runs the network you’re on, such as an employer, a school or your internet provider, may still be able to see what you do.
• Close every private window or tab when you’ve finished. In Safari on an iPhone, private tabs stay open until you close them.

Using a safer device

If you can, look for information on a device the person harming you can’t get to. Women’s Aid suggests a computer at a local library, a friend’s house or work.

If you think your phone or computer is being watched

Some people use hidden software, called spyware or stalkerware, to track what someone does on their phone or computer. A partner or ex-partner might also get into your phone or online accounts, or use location settings or tracking devices to follow where you go.

Refuge’s Tech Safety website has step-by-step guides to securing your phone, online accounts, location settings, social media, email and smart devices. Refuge warns that some changes you make to your security or privacy might alert the person harming you, so take things at your own pace. If you’re worried your device is being watched, it may be safer to visit from a different device.

You can also talk it through with the National Domestic Abuse Helpline.

Helplines for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and for men, are in our Support Directory.

If someone is abusing you online, for example threatening you or sharing images of you, read our guide to online abuse.

More detailed guides

• Women’s Aid: Cover your tracks online
• Refuge Tech Safety: guides to securing your phone, accounts and devices
• Google: Check or delete your Chrome browsing history
• Google: Browse in Incognito mode
• Microsoft: View and delete browser history in Microsoft Edge
• Microsoft: Browse InPrivate in Microsoft Edge
• Apple: Clear the history and cookies from Safari on your iPhone
• Apple: Clear your browsing history in Safari on Mac
• Apple: Browse the web privately in Safari on iPhone
• Mozilla: Firefox private browsing

Checked on 6 October 2026. Browsers and apps change their menus, so check the help pages above if a step looks different.