When you browse the internet you leave a lot of traces of your visit scattered along with your PC. Your browser cookies and cache are some of the major files where the websites you have surfed are stored. Another important location is the Windows Registry which stores all internet navigational details as your hard drive details. This blog will help you on how to permanently delete browsing history from a hard drive and also provide a bonus tip on how to remain anonymous online.
Why Should You Delete Your Search History From Your Hard Drive?
While wiping your web browser history is one approach to keep your browsing habits private, it is insufficient to keep your browsing patterns hidden from skilled IT professionals. Other reasons to remove your hard disk search history include:
- When you delete history files, you are merely deleting the structure of the files, not the information.
- Removing your web browser history for one browser does not affect the histories of other browsers, so you’ll have to repeat the process for as many as you use.
- Make some room on your computer’s hard disc.
How To Permanently Delete Browsing History From Hard Drive
Step 1: Press Windows + R on your keyboard to open the RUN box.
Step 2: In the text box, type regedit followed by the Enter Key.
Step 3: Click on Yes on the User Account Control Dialog box that will appear.
Step 4: The Windows Registry will now open.
Step 5: Navigate to the following Registry path.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > Internet Explorer > TypedURLs
Step 6: This Windows Registry hive will have many keys within. You will have to delete all of them to clear the hard drive history.
Step 7: The CTRL + A to select all keys at once does not work here. The only way to delete these keys is to select each file manually.
Step 8: Once you select a file, make a right-click and select Delete from the context menu.
Step 9: Click on the Yes button when you receive a prompt box to confirm the key delete.
Step 10: You can repeat this process for all files once every week because these keys will get recreated once you navigate and surf on the web.
Steps On How To Clear Hard Drive History on macOS
The process to clear hard drive history on macOS is much simpler as compared to Windows operating system. Here are the steps:
Step 1: Navigate to Finder.
Step 2: Now, click on Application followed by Utilities and then Disk Utilities.
Step 3: Click on the Erase tab and then click on “Erase Free Space”.
When you delete files from your hard disc, the information remains on the drive but is no longer visible to you. The “erase free space” option simply uses blank data to write over the data numerous times with numbers, making it impossible to recover your data.
Bonus TIp: Use Systweak VPN to mask your IP Address and Remain Anonymous
One of the best VPN services for Windows is Systweak VPN, which combines smart DNS with a kill switch. This VPN for Windows protects your online privacy by allowing anonymous browsing and concealing your IP address with military-grade AES 256-bit encryption. You may circumvent ISP throttling by using our free VPN service. Systweak VPN has several useful functions in addition to masking your IP address and protecting you from the dangers of public Wi-Fi. Some of the benefits are as follows:
There are no geographical limitations. All IP region-based restrictions imposed by streaming services like Netflix are removed when using a virtual private network application like Systweak VPN.
Maintains the user’s security and privacy. A VPN application provides privacy and protection by preventing hackers from tracing your original IP address or location. Viruses, malware, and other forms of trackers are also absent from your laptop.
Securely sharing Files. Data sent over a public Wi-Fi network is encrypted and unreadable by hackers, so you can rest easy.
It is also possible to acquire access from afar. If you activate your VPN on any network, including public Wi-Fi, you may rapidly set up remote access from your laptop to your business or home computer. This virtual private network, which will be hacker-proof, will be completely under your control.
Make your game experience better. Gamers can connect to games from multiple zones using Systweak VPN, which reduces lag and ping. It also safeguards your game credentials as well as other personal data.
The Final Word on How To Delete Your Hard Drive Browsing History
The complete procedure of clearing hard drive history should take no more than 10 minutes and does not necessitate a great deal of technical expertise. You won’t need to download any additional software to complete the procedures above. And at the same time using Systweak VPN will ensure that you do not leave any tracks online.
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