How to Clear Safari History on iOS 26

Managing your browsing data is essential for maintaining privacy and freeing up storage space on your iPhone. With iOS 26, the process for clearing your Safari history, cache, and cookies has been refined. This guide will walk you through the various methods, from clearing all data to managing specific site information.

Clear History and Website Data

This method is the most comprehensive, as it removes your entire browsing history, clears all cookies, and deletes cached website files in one action. After performing it, you will be signed out of most websites, as the login sessions (often stored in cookies) are erased. However, your AutoFill information, such as saved contacts and credit cards, will remain intact.

Here are the steps to clear all history and data:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.

2. Scroll down and tap Apps, then find and select Safari from the list.

3. Scroll down to the History and Website Data section and tap Clear History and Website Data.

4. Select your desired timeframe (e.g., Last Hour, Today, Today and Yesterday, or All History).

5. Tap Clear History to confirm.

Clear Cookies and Cache but Keep Your History

If you want to resolve website loading issues or remove tracking data without losing your list of visited pages, this is the ideal method. It clears stored data like cookies and the cache, which are used to keep you logged into sites and save page elements for faster loading. 

To clear cookies and cache while preserving your history:

1. Open the Settings app and go to Apps > Safari.

2. Scroll down and tap Advanced.

3. Select Website Data.

4. Scroll to the bottom of the list and tap Remove All Website Data.

5. Confirm your selection by tapping Remove Now.

Delete Websites from History

For times when you only want to remove specific sites instead of your entire history, Safari offers a precise deletion option directly within the app. This is perfect for quickly cleaning up a few entries without affecting the rest of your browsing history.

Follow these steps to delete specific websites from your history:

1. Open the Safari app.

2. Tap the three-dot More button on the bottom right.

3. Tap the Bookmarks icon (shaped like a book).

4. Switch to the History tab by tapping the clock icon.

5. You can now either:

• Swipe left on an individual entry and tap Delete to remove it.
• For multiple sites, tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner, then tap Select Websites. Choose the sites you want to remove and tap the trash icon.

Block Cookies

If you want Safari to stop storing cookies altogether, you can disable them from Settings.

1. Open the Settings app and navigate to Apps > Safari.

2. Scroll down and tap Advanced.

3. Under the "Privacy" section, tap on Block All Cookies.

4. A confirmation pop-up will appear; tap Block All to proceed.

Conclusion

By following the methods outlined above, you can effectively manage your Safari browsing data on iOS 26. Whether you need a fresh start, want to troubleshoot a website, or simply maintain your privacy, these tools give you full control over your digital footprint. For ongoing privacy, remember you can also use Private Browsing mode, which prevents Safari from saving your history, cookies, and cache from the start.