How do I delete addresses that appear below the address field in my Web browser?

Answer: When you start typing a URL into your Web browser's address field, you may see a drop-down menu appear with several other addresses. These addresses all start with the same characters you are typing. When the addresses appear, you can use the up and down arrow keys to select them instead of having to type the entire URL. Once you have selected an address from the drop-down menu, press the enter key and your Web browser will open the selected location.

The web addresses that show up below the main address field typically come from your browsing history. So if you don't want these addresses to pop up, you must clear the browsing history from your Web browser. This can be done by choosing "Clear History" from the advanced settings in your browser preferences. The "Clear History" option may also appear in the History menu of your Web browser. You can also set the "Remember recently visited pages" number to zero and your browser won't record your browsing history.

Some browsers, such as Apple's Safari, use a combination of your browsing history and your bookmarks (favorites) to populate the drop-down menus. This means you must delete the bookmarks in order for them not to show up when you start typing. Of course, if you've chosen to bookmark a site, you'll probably find it useful to have it appear as soon as you start typing.

Published: March 21, 2005 — by Per Christensson