No, clearing your browsing history does not delete everything permanently.
What Does Clearing History Delete?
- Websites you've visited: This includes the URLs of websites you have accessed, along with the timestamps of your visits.
- Search queries: Any searches you've made using your browser's search bar are removed.
- Download history: A list of files you have downloaded using your browser is deleted.
- Form data: Information you've entered into forms on websites, such as login details or addresses, is removed.
- Cookies: Small files used by websites to store information about your browsing preferences are deleted.
What Does Clearing History Not Delete?
- Downloaded files: Files you've downloaded remain on your device, even after clearing browsing history.
- Bookmarks: Websites you've saved for later access are not affected.
- Passwords: Passwords stored in your browser are generally not deleted when you clear browsing history.
- Offline data: Data stored locally on your device, such as offline web pages or downloaded videos, remains unaffected.
- Activity tracked by websites: Websites may still track your browsing activity even if you clear your history.
How to Delete Everything Permanently
To delete everything permanently, you need to use specialized tools or methods.
- Data wiping software: These programs overwrite your hard drive with random data, making it extremely difficult to recover deleted information.
- Physical destruction: Physically destroying your hard drive or storage device prevents data recovery.
Conclusion
Clearing browsing history removes specific data related to your browsing activity, but it does not delete everything permanently. If you need to delete data permanently, you should consider using data wiping software or physically destroying your storage device.
