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To clear Firefox history, open the browser’s history controls, choose whether to remove everything or only a particular entry or time range, and select the data categories you intend to delete. The steps differ on desktop, Android, and iPhone or iPad—and deleting history alone does not necessarily clear cookies, logins, or other site data.
Clear history in Firefox on a desktop computer
- Open the Firefox menu and choose History, then Clear Recent History.
- Open the When menu and choose a time range: the last hour, last two hours, last four hours, the current day, or Everything.
- Check the boxes for the data you want Firefox to remove. The available categories include browsing and download history, form and search history, cookies and site data, active logins, cache, offline website data, and site preferences.
- Select Clear. Firefox closes the dialog and removes the selected items.
These desktop controls are documented by Mozilla Support (updated June 11, 2026).
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Delete one site’s history and stored information
On desktop, open History → Manage History, find the site, and select Forget About This Site. This removes more than the history entry: Mozilla says it also removes that site’s cookies, cache, active logins, passwords, saved form data, and site exceptions or settings. Use it only if you are comfortable losing those stored details.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteOn Firefox for Android, open the three-dot menu, tap History, and tap the X beside the entry. On Firefox for iPhone or iPad, open the menu (at the top right on iPad), choose History, swipe right on the site entry, and tap Delete. On iOS, deleting a history entry does not also remove the site’s data or logins. The platform-specific steps are covered in Mozilla’s Android instructions and Mozilla’s iOS instructions.
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Clear browsing data on Firefox for Android
- Open the three-dot menu and tap Settings.
- Under Privacy and security, tap Delete browsing data.
- Select the categories you want removed. Mozilla lists open tabs, browsing history and site data, cookies and site data, cached images and files, site permissions, and downloads.
- Tap Delete browsing data.
Firefox’s menu layout can vary by app version. If the screens look different, look in Settings for the named Delete browsing data item.
Clear history on Firefox for iPhone or iPad
- Open the menu and choose History.
- Tap the trash icon.
- Choose Today, Today and Yesterday, or Everything.
To remove an individual entry instead, swipe right on it in History and tap Delete. To remove website data separately, go to Settings → Data Management → Website Data, then select a site or clear private data. Mozilla warns that clearing all private data cannot be undone.
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Choose carefully: history, cookies, cache, and site data are different
Firefox’s clear-data checkboxes affect different kinds of stored information. Selecting history does not mean every other category is automatically removed; check the boxes you actually want before confirming.
- Browsing and download history: records of pages visited and files downloaded in Firefox.
- Cookies and site data: information sites use for login status and preferences. Clearing it can sign you out or reset remembered settings.
- Cache: temporary page and media files Firefox saves to help sites load faster on later visits.
- Offline website data: information a site stores for offline use.
- Site preferences: saved choices such as zoom levels and permissions.
- Form and search history: data entered into forms and searches.
- Active logins: session information that can keep you signed in.
Automatically clear history when Firefox closes
Desktop
Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → History, configure custom history settings, turn on Clear history when Firefox closes, choose the categories in its settings, and save. Mozilla notes that this may not run if Firefox did not shut down normally.
Android
In Firefox Settings, enable Delete browsing data on quit and choose the categories. The clearing is tied to using Firefox’s Quit option to exit; simply leaving the app is not the documented quit procedure.
What clearing history does—and does not—do for privacy
Clearing history removes selected information stored in Firefox; it does not erase records held by websites or other parties. Private Browsing can reduce what Firefox saves locally during a private session, but it does not make you anonymous to the websites you visit, your internet service provider, or an employer or school managing the network. See Mozilla’s explanation of Private Browsing (updated July 4, 2026).
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Quick Recap
Troubleshooting
- A site still has you signed in: clearing browsing history alone may leave cookies or active logins intact. If you want to end the session, select the relevant category when clearing data; expect that other site preferences may also be removed.
- The Android menu does not match these steps: app layouts can differ. Open Settings and look for Delete browsing data under Privacy and security.
- Android data was not cleared when you left the app: enable Delete browsing data on quit and exit with Firefox’s Quit option.
- Automatic desktop clearing did not happen: Mozilla says the setting may not run after an abnormal shutdown. Close Firefox normally when relying on clear-on-close.
- You need to clear only an iPhone or iPad history entry: use the History screen’s swipe-right and Delete action; removing that entry does not also delete the website’s stored data.
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