Clear browser data on a shared computer

Published 2026-10-24

When you sign in to a website on a library, school, hotel or friend's computer, the browser quietly keeps traces. Some are harmless and some, such as an open session or a saved password, could let the next person use your accounts. This article lists what browsers store, shows the best habit (a private window), and walks through clearing the data in the four main browsers.

What a browser keeps

Cookies and other site data: small records that keep you signed in and remember settings. A sign-in cookie is the most sensitive item, because it can act as your key to an open session. Many web apps also store data in the browser's own storage, for instance a messenger that keeps your conversation history on the device.
Browsing history: the list of pages you visited.
Cached images and files: copies of page parts, which can include pictures you viewed.
Download history, and the downloaded files themselves, which sit in a folder rather than in the browser.
Autofill data and saved passwords, if you accepted an offer to save them.
Site settings and permissions, such as allowing a site to use your camera.
Data that web apps and installed web apps keep for themselves.

Clearing history does not clear everything. Apple notes, for instance, that clearing Safari's history does not clear browsing histories that websites keep on their own, and that it also removes the location and notification permissions that websites were given. Sites also keep records on their own servers, which no browser setting can erase.

The best habit: use a private window

A private window is designed to forget. Chrome's help explains that Incognito stores some data, such as cookies and site data, only temporarily and removes it when you close all Incognito windows. Edge calls its version InPrivate, Firefox calls it Private Browsing and Safari calls it Private Browsing as well. They differ in details, so read the notice each one shows when you open it.

Open a private window before you sign in to anything.
Close every private window when you finish. The data is dropped when the last one closes.
Remember what private does not do: it does not hide your activity from the network owner, your employer or the websites; it only stops the browser from keeping local traces.
Do not download files or save passwords on the shared machine unless you can delete them after.

Before you clear: sign out

Sign out of each website first. Clearing cookies would sign you out anyway, but signing out properly ends the session on the server too, which is safer. Then close the tabs of services that sit open, such as e-mail and chat. For a messenger that stores your history on the device, leave the conversation or remove the site data afterwards so nobody can scroll through it.

Google Chrome on a computer

Open Chrome and select More at the top right, then Delete browsing data. You can also type Delete browsing data in the address bar and choose the action that appears.
Choose a time range such as Last hour or All time. For a shared computer, All time is the safe choice if you cannot remember when you started.
Select Cookies and other site data. Add Browsing history and Cached images and files. The same screen lists Download history, Autofill form data, Site settings and Hosted app data.
Select Delete data.

If you were signed in to Chrome, Google's help warns that deleting data also removes it from your Google Account and from other devices where you are signed in. On a shared computer the better practice is not to sign in to Chrome at all; use a guest or private window. Signing out of Chrome also signs you out of your Google Account on websites.

Chrome on Android

Tap More on the right of the address bar and select Delete browsing data.
Choose a time range. The default is the last 15 minutes, so change it if you need more.
Tap More options to pick data types. The page lists Browsing history, Tabs, Cookies and site data, Cached images and files, Saved passwords, Autofill form data and Site settings.
Tap Delete data. Deleting cookies while signed in to Chrome does not sign you out of your Google Account.

Microsoft Edge

Select Settings and more, then Settings, then Privacy, search, and services.
Select Clear browsing data, then Choose what to clear next to Clear browsing data now. The shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Delete opens the same options.
Pick a time range from the drop-down, tick the data types you want to remove, and select Clear now.

Microsoft's help says that if sync is on, items that are synced are cleared on all synced devices, and that you should turn sync off if you want to clear data only on the device you are using.

Mozilla Firefox

Open the menu and choose Settings, then Privacy and Security.
Find Cookies and Site Data and select Clear Data. Make sure cookies and cached files are ticked.
To remove history too, open the History menu, choose Clear Recent History, set the range to Everything and select what to clear.
For a single website, click the padlock in the address bar and use the option to clear cookies and site data, or use Manage Data in the same settings section.

Mozilla also offers Forget About This Site in the history library, which removes the history, cookies, cache, logins, saved passwords and other data of one site together. Be aware that clearing cookies logs you out of sites.

Safari on a Mac, iPhone and iPad

On a Mac, open Safari, choose History, then Clear History, and pick how far back to clear from the pop-up menu. Apple says this also removes the location and notification permissions that websites were given. To see how Safari handles website data and settings, use Safari's Settings and the Websites pane described in Apple's guide.
On an iPhone or iPad, open Settings, tap Apps, choose Safari, scroll down and tap Clear History and Website Data. Choose the timeframe and tap Clear History. Apple states that this does not change your AutoFill information.
To clear cookies and cache but keep the history on an iPhone, go to Settings, Apps, Safari, Advanced, then Website Data, tap Remove All Website Data and confirm with Remove Now.
If the clear button is grey, Apple says either there is no data to clear or web content restrictions in Screen Time are in the way.

After clearing: the rest of the checklist

Delete the files you downloaded and empty the recycle bin or trash.
Remove any saved passwords from the browser's password manager.
Close the browser completely, and sign out of the computer if it has accounts.
Change the password of any account you had to use on a computer you do not trust, and turn on two-step verification where available.
If you suspect a keylogger or a monitored machine, do not enter sensitive passwords there at all.

About ChatLite

ChatLite keeps your conversations in the browser you used, and it has no delete-all button, so on a shared computer clear the site data for chatlite.net as described above. The guide on chat history and local data lists exactly what is stored.

References

Official documentation used to check this article. Pages are maintained by their owners and may change.

Reviewed against ChatLite's current behavior on 2026-10-24.