Most newer browsers have the ability to browse sites privately. Here are instructions on how to enable private browsing mode, and how to empty your history and cache, so no one needs to know that you visited our site.
Enabling Private Browsing:
Internet Explorer
- Launch Internet Explorer.
- Click the “Safety” or “Tools” menu. Scroll down the pop-up menu and click “InPrivate Browsing.” The private browsing feature is activated.
- Click the “Open an InPrivate Browsing Window” link. A private browsing window launches. Use this window to browse the Internet.
Safari
- Launch Safari.
- Click the “Safari” menu on the top and click “Private Browsing.”
- Click “Yes” to confirm. You should now see the word “Private” on the right part of the address bar.
Firefox Version 3 and Above:
- Click on the Tools menu and select Start Private Browsing.
- The first time you turn on Private Browsing, Firefox will alert you that it will save your current windows and tabs for after you finish using Private Browsing. Click on Start Private Browsing to continue.
- Put a check mark next to “Do not show this message again” if you do not want to receive this alert the next time you turn on Private Browsing.
- You will then enter Private Browsing mode, and the Private Browsing information screen will appear.
- When browsing in Private Browsing mode, the Firefox window’s title will show (Private Browsing) during your session.
Google Chrome
- Launch Google Chrome.
- Click the wrench icon in the upper-right corner and click the “New incognito window” option. A new private browsing window launches.
- Alternatively, launch the private browsing window by right-clicking the “Google Chrome” browser tab on the taskbar and clicking “New incognito window.”
Deleting Your Browsing History:
Internet Explorer
- Click Start on the desktop.
- Go to Settings.
- Click Control Panel.
- Double-click Internet Options.
- Make sure the General tab is selected.
- Click Clear History in the History box.
- Click OK when it asks if you want to delete all items in your history folder.
- Click OK at the bottom of the General box to exit.
Safari
- Open up Safari.
- Go to the History menu.
- Choose ‘Clear History’ at the bottom of the pull down menu.
Firefox
- On the menu bar, click on the Tools menu, and select Clear Recent History….
- Select how much history you want to clear:
- Beside Time range to clear select how much of your history Firefox will clear. You can clear the history collected in the last one, two, or four hours; all previous hours of that day (Today); or all your history (Everything).
- You can choose to clear any or all of the items described above.
- (Firefox 3.5) Click the button next to Details to display what items to clear.
- Click Clear Now. The Clear Recent History window will close, and the data you have selected will be cleared.
Google Chrome
PC/Linux
- Open the Google Chrome browser. Hold “Ctrl,” “Shift” and “Delete” simultaneously. This is the keyboard shortcut to reach the browsing history menu. (If you have physical difficulty reaching multiple keys, enable sticky keys or follow the next step to access deletion options through the “Tools” menu.)
- Open the “Tools” menu and select “Options.” (The button for the “Tools” menu is a wrench.) Navigate to the third tab, labeled “Under the Hood,” and press the “Clear Browsing Data” button at the top.
- Check off “Clear Browsing History” as well as any other categories of data you wish to purge. Choose the browsing period you are erasing (e.g., the past hour, the past four weeks, everything). Press “Clear Browsing Data.”
Mac
- Navigate to the Chrome menu, on the menu bar. Select “Clear Browsing Data.”
- Select the “Clear Browsing History” check box and choose the period you are erasing (e.g., the past hour, the past four weeks, everything). Opt for “Everything” to erase your entire browsing history.
- Press “Clear Browsing Data.” This will erase all of your browsing information including visited Web pages, list of frequently viewed sites and cached text.
