IE6: Clearing AutoComplete History

Contributor Icon Contributed by AlexTheBeast Date Icon September 21, 2003  
Tag Icon 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.

    1. Click on Tools in the IE menu
    2. Select Internet Options
    3. Select the Content Tab
    4. Click the AutoComplete button
    5. Click Clear Forms
    6. Click OK
    7. Click OK again

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.

Previous recipe | Next recipe |
 
  • HaloEvo
    thanks very much for this guys :D
  • davak
    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.
  • Anonymous
    :D Thank you for simple, easily understood instructions, requiring no downloads. You are wonderful.

    Con
  • Anonymous
    I was looking for the answer to this particular little problem for a while.

    Thanks.
  • Guest
    :D Thanks a bunch!
  • markgilcas
    I followed your steps to erase the google history and if worked just fine! The first time!
  • guest
    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.
  • scotty68
    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
  • sali
    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
  • mmll
    <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!
  • bmckay63
    Would like to clear autocomplete, in msn search engine and yahoo search engine. Tried to do as stated, it did not clear.

    Brian
  • rider
    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
  • rider
    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.
  • Anonymous
    this works!!!!!!
  • Donna
    Does anyone hava a script/batch file that I can run to Clear Forms and Passwords?
  • Anonymous
    if you uninstalled the msn browser and then reinstalled it would it take away the auto complete searches? or make no diffrence
  • lauren
    [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
  • icevitaman
    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.
  • peter_mosteller@yahoo.com
    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
  • davak
    <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
  • surgeon
    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
  • Pause
    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.
  • Anonymous
    it worked for me :D

    thanks
  • Djoskobi
    <ul id="quote"><h6>Pause wrote:</h6>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.</ul>

    I can see those website names. If you type the first letter of a favorite website it also appears in the addressbar.
    After clearing my history and autocomplete I still have some URLs appearing when I type a letter. I don't know how to delete those, but I have hidden them by unchecking web adresses in the autocomplete settings.
  • Guest
    <ul id="quote"><h6>rider wrote:</h6>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.</ul>

    Okay, all of you with the problem of this not working for you, please read above.....obviously this won't clear your AutoComplete entries if you use MSN Explorer or messenger. It helps to read the entries before you say....."it won't work for me".
  • Anonymous
    Ur brilliant i needed to know that and wooda been in a bit of trubble if i ddint..thanks ur a genius
    :D
  • prs
    I had this problem forever as known of the "obvious" solutions that are supposed to work would solve this problem. I found a suggestion for the trial version of "smart protector" shareware elsewhere, and after days of searching for a solution, the problem was solved in 5 minutes. I don't know how they locate these stray addresses but it works!
  • guest
    i cant get my google tool bar to erase what ive searched and how do i know if I left any info trails on my computer
  • Anonymous
    hey how do i delete the stuff in the my history search engine ive tried the erasing cookies and the history itself and press ok but the stuff is still listed.help. :?
  • Anonymous
    hey how do i delete the stuff in the my history search engine ive tried the erasing cookies and the history itself and press ok but the stuff is still listed.help. :?
  • bishop
    Is there a way to delete, clear, whatever the entries in the Address bar? I have XP and IE6, and clear history, autocomplete, regedit, and temporary internet file removal have no effect whatsoever.
  • Guest
    Go to WindowsTemp and delete the History folder. Dont worry, the next time you boot, it gets recreated. this should solve your problem of MSN Explorer.
  • Anonymous
    Outstanding - my privacy is assured! :D

    Thanks,

    RW
    Australia
  • Anonymous
    Hmm, question What if your computer is controlled by an administrator and they have blocked off the clear history button. Is there another way to clear the addresses when you type "www.b" and it shows every "b" website you've been to etc..

    Oh and another tip, for those of you having trouble deleting the typed urls..

    All Steps Are done in Regedit!
    1. Go to the start menu and click run then type "regedit".
    2 Click on HKEY_CURRENT_USER
    3.Go to software
    4.Go to microsoft
    5.Then Internet explorer
    6.Then in the internet explorer folder delete the folder typed urls

    Then there all gone using regedit :)
  • mujo
    do ibera
  • Brenali
    Im so happy its gone! thanks sooooo much! i love this site.
  • Matt
    :D very helpful:)
  • Anonymous
    <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>
  • Anonymous
    If I have MSN and want to complete the entrances in the google bar and the like, do I delete the SPW folder in Intelliforms under the MSN folder in regedit. I don't want to delete something that my computer needs.
  • T-Bird
    open i.e.6, click into search field, mouseover the first item in autocomplete dropdown and hold down the delete key until all gone...
  • Anonymous
    how do u delete it? i didn't understand :?
  • Anonymous
    how do u do this for mozilla???
  • MickeyMouse
  • Anonymous
    Download and use:

    http://www.ccleaner.com/
blog comments powered by Disqus