IE6: Clearing AutoComplete History

Contributed by AlexTheBeast

September 21, 2003

Tagged: Windows

IE will remember all your entries into forms if you let it. For example, IE will remember all your google search terms. This method describes clearing the form history from Microsoft’s IE.

This was requested because somebody wanted to know how to delete IE’s memory of google search terms. This method will erase all the autocompletion history in IE.

Tools

Internet Options

Content

AutoComplete

Clear Forms

An excellent program called Anti Tracks will do this automaticaly for you. The plugins allow you to clear your windows, IE, Mozilla, Office, and google histories automatically. Download a 15 day trial here. This is one of the few software packages that I recommend.

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Viewing 44 Comments

HaloEvo 5 years ago 1 point
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thanks very much for this guys :D

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davak 5 years ago 1 point
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No problem. I don't think anybody has the right to know for what a person searches.

Clean out the autocompletion information often.

Thanks for the kind words. Enjoy the site.

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Anonymous 4 years ago 1 point
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:D Thank you for simple, easily understood instructions, requiring no downloads. You are wonderful.

Con

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Anonymous 4 years ago 1 point
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I was looking for the answer to this particular little problem for a while.

Thanks.

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Guest 4 years ago 1 point
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:D Thanks a bunch!

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markgilcas 4 years ago 1 point
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I followed your steps to erase the google history and if worked just fine! The first time!

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guest 4 years ago 1 point
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hi..

the IE tools menu is disabled on my pc at work.. but i can get into the registry. could anyone pls tell me where i cud set the autocomplete off for forms on IE.. everytime i try to enter a username in a login form, i get the list of all loginnames i've ever used!! this is getting irritating.. any help wud be appreciated.

thx.
km.

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scotty68 4 years ago 1 point
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Ok, I give up. I have tried (several times) to clear the history from the address bar. It doesn't clear anything. If I type is "www.a.... it gives me every site I've been to. As well, if I click on the down arrow on the right side of the address bar it still gives me 10 or so sites ( these would be the sites I visited today)

please help

tks

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sali 4 years ago 1 point
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i am very thankfull 2 you that u helped me to remove google search history. i am searching some 'unawanted' from my office internet and i am always affraid about the autocompletion of this google search field. now it is ok.
once agan thanx.

saleena_15@yahoo.com

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mmll 4 years ago 1 point
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<ul id="quote"><h6>scotty68 wrote:</h6>Ok, I give up. I have tried (several times) to clear the history from the address bar. It doesn't clear anything. If I type is "www.a.... it gives me every site I've been to. As well, if I click on the down arrow on the right side of the address bar it still gives me 10 or so sites ( these would be the sites I visited today)

please help

tks</ul>

i have the same problem!

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bmckay63 4 years ago 1 point
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Would like to clear autocomplete, in msn search engine and yahoo search engine. Tried to do as stated, it did not clear.

Brian

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rider 4 years ago 1 point
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Have dug around in files and can't even find where it's stored. would love to get rid of address bar searches also. if anyone knows how....please post!!
even tried cleaning out temp files, old history files, etc.....

thanks

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rider 4 years ago 1 point
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guess i found the answer. this is off the google FAQ page.

-One note; if you are using MSN Explorer 8.0 or 9.0, there is currently
no way to clear the AutoComplete history for this browser. This issue
is known to the MSN team at Microsoft, but there is no indication that
they intend to ever fix this privacy issue.-

god bless microsoft.

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Anonymous 4 years ago 1 point
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this works!!!!!!

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Donna 4 years ago 1 point
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Does anyone hava a script/batch file that I can run to Clear Forms and Passwords?

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Anonymous 4 years ago 1 point
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if you uninstalled the msn browser and then reinstalled it would it take away the auto complete searches? or make no diffrence

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lauren 4 years ago 1 point
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[b]go 2 my computer and go 2 control pannel, thn click on internet options and down the bottom of that page it says clear history thn click ok, n ur dun! :D good luck xx

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icevitaman 4 years ago 1 point
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I cannot delete the autocomplete entries. None of the options for autocomplete in the tools/internet options/content/autocomplete work. I have pressed delete below the address bar when the urls are highlighted, and that doesn't work. Basically, I have tried everything people have said about solving this problem and none of them have worked.

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peter_mosteller@yahoo.com 4 years ago 1 point
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I've gone to Tools/Internet History and deleted all the files and history. I've also gone to the Content/Auto Complete and cleared forms, however I still get a few web addresses that continue to show up. How do I get rid of these too?

Thanks

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davak 4 years ago 1 point
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<ul id="quote"><h6>scotty68 wrote:</h6>Ok, I give up. I have tried (several times) to clear the history from the address bar. It doesn't clear anything. If I type is "www.a.... it gives me every site I've been to. As well, if I click on the down arrow on the right side of the address bar it still gives me 10 or so sites ( these would be the sites I visited today)

please help

tks</ul>

You just need to clear your history.

Tool -> Internet Options -> Clear History

http://www.tech-recipes.com/windows_tips99.html

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surgeon 3 years ago 1 point
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I cannot delete the autocomplete entries. None of the options for autocomplete in the tools/internet options/content/autocomplete work. I have pressed delete below the address bar when the urls are highlighted, and that doesn't work. Basically, I have tried everything people have said about solving this problem and none of them have worked.

I have the same problem with the uswer names in my messenger windows and other similar windows.. cannt get rid of all these usernames by hitting the delete key... HELPPPPPPPP

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Pause 3 years ago 1 point
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I'm having the same problem. Clearing history, forms, and temp files does not clear all of the addresses in autocomplete. The address bar is empy, and clicking the down arrow, shows that it's empty, until I type a letter, then a bunch of urls magically appear in the address drop down. But not all of them. For example, my bank's website. When I delete history and files, and type my bank's name, it doesn't appear in the auto complete, but other URLs that begin with the same letter do. Something else that's strange, some of the addresses are not URLs but website names. I suspect that there is a "qhost" history/autocomplete running in the background as part of some spyware to keep certain sites always in your autocomplete even when you clear it. But I wouldn't know how to go about finding it.

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Anonymous 3 years ago 1 point
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it worked for me :D

thanks

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