How to Clear Cookies and Browsing History on Your Device

If you’re concerned about someone seeing that you visited our website, you can clear your browsing history and cookies. Here’s how to do it on the most common devices:

Important Note: Our website includes a LEAVE SITE button that lets you quickly switch to the BBC homepage. This is useful if you need to exit fast, but it does not delete your browsing history or cookies. If someone has access to your device, they could still see that you visited our site. Follow the steps below if you want to remove that information if that is a concern.

Please also note that instructions may vary slightly depending on your device model, operating system version, or browser updates.

Mobile Devices

iPhone or iPad (iOS)

Safari Browser

  1. Open Settings (grey gear icon)
  2. Scroll down and tap Safari
  3. Scroll to the bottom and tap Clear History and Website Data
  4. Confirm by tapping Clear History and Data

Tip: On newer iOS versions, you may also see options to clear data for specific time ranges or websites.

Chrome Browser

  1. Open Chrome
  2. Tap the three dots (bottom-right on older versions, top-right on newer versions)
  3. Tap History, then Clear Browsing Data
  4. Choose Time Range (All Time recommended)
  5. Check Browsing History, Cookies, Site Data, and Cached Images and Files
  6. Tap Clear Browsing Data and confirm

Android Phones or Tablets

Chrome Browser

  1. Open Chrome
  2. Tap the three dots (bottom-right on older versions, top-right on newer versions)
  3. Tap History, then Clear Browsing Data
  4. Choose Time Range (All Time recommended for full removal)
  5. Check Browsing History, Cookies, Site Data, and Cached Images and Files
  6. Tap Clear Browsing Data and confirm

Samsung Internet

  1. Open Samsung Internet
  2. Tap Menu (three horizontal lines) > Settings
  3. Tap Privacy, then Delete Browsing Data
  4. Select what you want to delete: Browsing History, Cookies and Site Data, Cache
  5. Tap Delete and confirm

Amazon Fire Tablets

Silk Browser
  1. Open Silk Browser
  2. Tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines)
  3. Go to Settings
  4. Tap Privacy > Clear Browsing Data
  5. Select History, Cookies and Cache
  6. Tap Clear Data

Laptops Desktops & Other Devices

Windows or Mac

Google Chrome

  1. Open Chrome
  2. Click the three dots (top-right)
  3. Go to History > Clear Browsing Data
  4. Choose Time Range (All Time for full removal)
  5. Check Browsing History, Cookies and Other Site Data, and Cached Images and Files
  6. Click Clear Data

Safari (Mac)

  1. Open Safari
  2. Click Safari in the menu bar (top-left) > Clear History
  3. Choose All History
  4. Click Clear History

Tip: For deeper cleaning, go to Preferences > Privacy > Manage Website Data and remove stored cookies.

Microsoft Edge

  1. Open Edge
  2. Click the three dots (top-right)
  3. Go to Settings > Privacy, Search, and Services
  4. Under Clear Browsing Data, click Choose What to Clear
  5. Select All Time, tick Browsing History, Cookies and Other Site Data, and Cached Images and Files
  6. Click Clear Now
Chromebook
Google Chrome (Default Browser)

  1. Open Chrome
  2. Click the three dots (top-right)
  3. Select History > Clear Browsing Data
  4. Choose Time Range (All Time recommended)
  5. Tick Browsing History, Cookies and Other Site Data, and Cached Images and Files
  6. Click Clear Data

Linux Devices
Firefox Browser
  1. Open Firefox
  2. Click the menu icon (three horizontal lines)
  3. Select Settings > Privacy & Security
  4. Scroll to Cookies and Site Data and click Clear Data
  5. Tick Cookies and Site Data and Cached Web Content
  6. Click Clear

Other things you can do to protect your privacy:

Private browsing: Next time, consider using Incognito Mode (Chrome), Private Browsing (Safari), or InPrivate (Edge). These modes don’t save history.

Clear your history after each visit: If you share your device, clearing history after each session adds extra privacy.

If you’re worried about your safety or experiencing abuse, you’re not alone.

Organisations, you can contact:

National Domestic Abuse Helpline (UK) – 0808 2000 247 (24/7)
Women’s Aid Live Chat – https://www.womensaid.org.uk
Men’s Advice Line – 0808 801 0327
Childline – 0800 1111

For more resources, visit https://www.gov.uk/domestic-abuse