Your iPhone’s Safari web browser keeps a record of the websites you visit.
This can be a helpful tool if you’ve already read something and want to review it.
Our instructions will show you how to retrieve the iPhone’s Safari history in a few simple steps.
How to See Safari’s History on an iPhone
- Open Safari.
- Tap the book symbol at the bottom of the display.
- Tap the clock to view your history.
The sections below provide additional information and screenshots on how to view the Safari history on your iPhone.
When used without using a private browsing session, the Web browser on your computer or smartphone retains your browsing history.
When they are concerned, iPhone users typically seek to remove their browsing history. Yet, that history is helpful.
It can help you locate an intriguing article you read but can’t remember the Link for, or it can help you determine which merchant had the best deal on a product you were contemplating.
Every page you visit is recorded in the history of the Safari web browser on your iPhone.
The ability to access this history and tap on the page you wish to see makes it much simpler to return to a previously visited website.
You can learn how to use your iPhone’s Safari history and where to seek it fast by following our tutorial.
How to See Your iPhone’s Safari History
The steps in this post were carried out on an iPhone 13 running iOS 16. The identical techniques will work on the majority of other iPhone models and iOS versions.
If you recently updated to iOS 16, your address bar can suddenly appear at the bottom of the screen. If so, your screen could look different from the examples in the instructions below. The buttons for going back in time, however, are still in the same places.
Step 1: First, launch the Safari web browser.
Step 2: Touch the icon at the bottom of the screen that resembles an open book.
Step 3: Click on the tab that resembles a clock at the top of the screen.
Now that you know how to access it, you may utilize your iPhone’s Safari history to find anything you’ve previously seen and wanted to check again or share with someone else.
Your surfing history ought to be visible at this point. You can access the page by touching on one of the list entries. You can remove certain Web sites from this history by swiping left and choosing Remove.
The pages you’ve viewed and your browser’s search history will be combined. This suggests that the search terms you typed in at the top or bottom of the screen will also be shown.
Your search terms will appear next to websites like “google.com” or “bing.com,” depending on the search engine you use.
Continue reading our lesson below for more information on where to find and how to use history data in the Safari browser on your iPhone.
More Information on How to Check the Safari History on an iPhone
It’s crucial to be aware that while using Private Browsing, Safari does not save your history for visited pages. To switch between public and private browsing, tap the Tabs symbol (two overlapping squares) at the bottom of the screen. Then, select the Private option.
Unlike other iPhone browsers like Google Chrome and Firefox, Safari does not save browsing history. To view their histories, you would have to open those browsers.
The browsing history of the Safari app will remain unaffected by removing the browsing history of Safari. Unless you choose to erase the existing data for those browsers, the history menus of other browsers will still be accessible on your iOS device.
To completely erase your browsing history in Safari, navigate to Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data. Your cookies will also be removed, and you will also be signed out of any open accounts.
After clearing the browser history in Safari, you won’t be able to view any older browsing sessions. Safari will only display your browsing history after you’ve deleted it.
Your Safari history may be rather large if you haven’t already erased it. Usually, the device’s entire history is available for 30 days.
Safari History Video
How to Search History on an iPhone’s Safari
looking at your iPhone Another entertaining thing you can do with it is research the history of safaris.
By selecting the book icon at the bottom of the window, then the History tab at the top of the window, you may access Safari’s “Search History” section.
When you tap inside that field and enter a search term, a list of previous pages containing those search terms shows.
This is especially helpful if you can only remember a single word or phrase and can’t remember where you saw it or the website’s Address.
The history of any other open browsers on your iPhone, such as Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox, will also be kept and searchable in the same manner.
You can check out our guide on recording your voice on an iPhone if you have audio that you would like to save.
Commonly Asked Questions Regarding the iPhone’s History of Safari
How can I get the Safari history on my iPhone?
By launching Safari and selecting the book symbol at the bottom of the screen, you may see your entire browsing history while using the Safari browser on an iPhone.
Then, from the window’s top menu, choose the clock tab. The order of your browsing history is shown here. To see everything, scroll down or use the search bar. Touching a location in your past will take you there.
How do I view all of my Safari history?
When you select the book symbol and then the History tab in the Safari browser on your iPhone, the whole accessible Safari history is displayed.
To view your whole history in Safari on a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, select Show All History from the History menu.
How long has the history of the iPhone Safari been around?
The Safari browser stores the websites you view on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch for a month.
The Safari history on a Mac is kept for a year.
How is the history of the iPhone accessible?
If you open Safari on your iPhone, select the open book option, and then press the History icon, you may access a list of the Web pages you’ve visited in the past at any time.
This history excludes pages viewed in Private tabs and in other Web browsers like Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.
Choose History from the menu that appears after opening Chrome and clicking the three dots in the bottom right corner.
Open the Firefox iPhone app, select History by tapping the three horizontal lines in the bottom-right corner.
It’s critical to realize that the history displayed on your iPhone’s Safari browser is distinct from the history displayed on other mobile browsers like Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.
Also, when you delete your history in one browser, it does not necessarily delete it in another, and vice versa.
Gary Thompson has been in IT consulting since the mid 2000s, and enjoys writing about mobile devices and computers. His primary topics of interest include iPhones and Windows, but he has written about many other devices and applications.