Clearing Safari History and Website Data on Your iPhone

Selecting "Clear History and Website Data" in your iPhone's Safari settings removes your browsing history, cookies, and cached files, while also giving you the choice to either keep your current browser tabs open or close them all at once. This article explains the exact data that gets deleted during this process, how it impacts your connected Apple devices, and the difference between choosing to close or keep your active tabs.

What Data Gets Deleted

When you confirm the action to clear your history and data, Safari immediately erases several types of information from your device:

  • Browsing History: The list of web pages you have visited is completely removed. Safari will no longer suggest these sites in the address bar when you type unless they are saved as bookmarks.
  • Cookies and Site Data: Any files that websites have saved to your phone to remember you are deleted. This means you will be signed out of almost all websites, and any site-specific preferences (like dark mode settings or items left in a shopping cart) will be reset.
  • Cached Files: Temporary files, such as images and scripts that Safari saves to make websites load faster on repeat visits, are wiped. This frees up a small amount of storage space on your iPhone.
  • Website Permissions: Any location, camera, or microphone permissions you previously granted to specific websites are reset to their default states, meaning sites will have to ask for your permission again.

Impact on Other Apple Devices

If you have Safari enabled in your iCloud settings, clearing your history on your iPhone does not just affect that single device. It will also clear your browsing history across all other devices—such as your iPad or Mac—that are signed into the same Apple ID.

What Data Remains Safe

Clearing your history and website data is not a factory reset of the browser. The following information is not deleted during this process:

  • Saved Bookmarks and Favorites
  • Reading List items
  • Saved Passwords and AutoFill contact/credit card information (these are managed separately in your iPhone's Passwords and AutoFill settings)
  • Tab Groups and Pinned Tabs

Choosing to Close All Tabs

Depending on your iOS version, Safari will either present a pop-up asking if you want to "Close Tabs" or provide a toggle switch labeled "Close All Tabs" before you confirm the deletion.

If you choose to close your tabs:

  • Every standard and Private Browsing tab currently open in Safari is immediately closed.
  • The next time you open the Safari app, you will be greeted with a fresh, blank Start Page.
  • This option failsafe-protects your privacy by ensuring that a cleared website isn't accidentally reloaded the moment you open the browser.
  • Note that any tabs you have organized into specific "Tab Groups" or tabs you have explicitly "Pinned" will not be closed by this action.

Choosing to Keep Tabs Open

If you choose the "Keep Tabs" option (or leave the "Close All Tabs" toggle turned off):

  • All of your currently open web pages will remain in your Safari tab view.
  • Because the underlying cookies and session data for those pages have just been erased, the tabs are essentially reset in the background.
  • When you open Safari and tap on one of these kept tabs, the page will reload. If you were logged into an account on that page (such as an email client or social media site), you will immediately be logged out and returned to the website's sign-in screen.
  • Any unsaved data typed into forms on those kept tabs will be lost upon reloading.