When you use Internet Explorer, all the websites you access are stored in your history. This mechanism makes it very easy to trace the sites you have visited and is used by Internet Explorer to provide auto-completion functionality for web addresses. You can access your history directly from your browser or through the "File Explorer" window. Viewing the history in Microsoft Edge, the internet browser built into Windows 10, is just as easy using a very similar method.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Internet Explorer 7 or a Later Version
Step 1. Select the star icon located in the upper right corner of the browser window
The favorites sidebar will appear. To go directly to the "History" tab of the favorites panel, you can use the hotkey combination Ctrl + H.
- In Internet Explorer 7 and 8, the button to view favorites is located on the left side of the favorites bar.
- If you are using a tablet with Windows 8 operating system and the version of Internet Explorer 11 for mobile devices, to view the history, you need to start the browser in "Desktop" mode. The only way to access your history using the mobile app is to browse the sites that are suggested to you as you type a URL in the address bar. You can quickly switch to "Desktop" mode by tapping the wrench icon and choosing the "Display on desktop" option.
Step 2. Go to the "History" tab
If you used the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + H, the page in question will already be displayed on the screen.
Step 3. Choose how to organize the results
By default, your history is sorted by date. To sort by website name, most visited sites, or visited today, use the drop-down menu at the top of the side panel. To change how the history is displayed, select one of the following modes: "View by date", "View by site", "View by number of visits" or "View by order of visits today". If you wish, you can also perform a custom search within your history.
Step 4. Select a result to view or expand its content
Based on your viewing preferences, your history may be organized into categories. Select one to view links to specific pages. For example, when you use the "View by site" view mode, selecting a particular website will show a list of all related web pages that you have visited.
Step 5. Search for a specific site using the "Search History" option
Select that item from the drop-down menu and search for a specific page or website.
Step 6. Use the history entries to create a new favorite
Any item in your history can be added to your favorites simply by selecting it with the right mouse button and choosing the item "Add to favorites". You will be asked to choose a folder in which to store the new favorite and to give it a name.
Step 7. You can delete an item of the history by selecting it with the right mouse button and choosing the item "Delete" from the context menu that appeared
You can do this for each individual history entry or for an entire category.
Part 2 of 3: Microsoft Edge
Step 1. Press or tap the "Hub" button
It is available at the top of the browser window, characterized by a paragraph icon.
Step 2. Go to the "History" tab
The icon of that tab is characterized by a clock.
To access the history directly, you can use the hotkey combination Ctrl + H
Step 3. Find the history entry you are looking for
The items in the history are grouped into three categories: "Last Hour", "Last Week" and "Previously".
Step 4. Delete the desired entries by selecting or tapping the relevant "X" icon
You can delete a single item or an entire group of items.
To completely clear your history, select or tap "Clear all history". Make sure the "Browsing history" checkbox is checked, then press the "Clear" button
Part 3 of 3: Accessing the History Folder
Step 1. Open the "Run" window
You can do this from the "Start" menu or by using the hotkey combination ⊞ Win + R.
Step 2. Type the shell: history command into the "Open" field and press the Enter key
The "History" folder of the user currently logged on to the computer will be displayed.
You cannot browse the contents of the "History" folder belonging to another account, even if you are using the computer administrator account
Step 3. Select the time range you want to view
The "History" folder contains four folders: "3 weeks ago", "2 weeks ago", "Last week" and "Today". All entries prior to the last three weeks are grouped under the "3 weeks ago" folder.
Step 4. Select the website folder you want to browse
All of your history entries are grouped into folders, based on the website they refer to. Each subdirectory contains links to the web pages you have visited.
Step 5. Double click an item to view its web page
The chosen item will be opened using the default internet browser, which may not be Internet Explorer.
Step 6. Add a history item to your favorites
To do this, select the link in question with the right mouse button, then choose "Add to favorites" from the context menu that appeared. You will be asked to choose a folder in which to store the new favorite and to give it a name.
Step 7. Delete a history item
You can do it exactly like you delete any other file present on your Windows system. Select the item in question with the right mouse button, then choose "Delete" from the context menu that appeared. If you wish, you can also perform a multiple selection. Alternatively, you can drag and drop selected items to move them to a different folder or to the Windows recycle bin.
