# How do I clear URLS from Safari address bar drop-down list



## 2macfromwin (May 3, 2007)

How can I clear the list of urls keyed into (or, sadly, mis-keyed into) Safari's Address bar, which Safari uses forever more as an auto-complete list?  I do not have anything checked for auto-complete in Safari Preferences.  I have tried Reset Safari, Clear History, Empty Cache.  Those options clear everything else, but those old urls attached to the address bar do not die.

Running Safari 2.0.4
Tiger OSX 10.4.9
PowerPC G5 Dual 2 GHz
1 GB DDR SDRAM


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## bobw (May 4, 2007)

Choose History: Clear History, and then quitting Safari. In your user folder, go to Library/Safari and locate the history.plist file. Select the file, choose File: Get Info, and then click on the Locked option. Now close the window.

When you relaunch Safari, autocompletion will still work as expected on bookmarks, and it will also work for URLs you visit in the current session. But the next time you quit and restart Safari, the autocompletion data will vanish -- it can't be written to the locked .plist file. To return to normal autocompletion, deselect the Locked option in the history.plist file's Get Info dialog box.


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## 2macfromwin (May 4, 2007)

Thanks BobW, I appreciate your taking time to help.  I wanted to clear out that list completely, but now know that isn't possible as long as I have any bookmarks!  At the time I posted, I didn't realize the Address Bar's auto-completion list is pulled from both history and bookmarks.  Aarrrgh!  I have an extensive list of bookmarks, and didn't recognize some of the stranger urls.   Locking the history plist is a neat trick though for automatically clearing history after each session.

I'm at odds with Safari on the history function, too. I actually prefer to keep history a long time.  Most browsers allow some options, such as X number of urls to be stored, or X amount of space to allow, or X time-frame.  Safari, on the other hand, has a hidden max which, when I'm really active, I can exceed in a session or two and start losing history.  Safari offers me no options in that regard.  Otherwise I like Safari, but maybe I should think about using Firefox or Mozilla instead ....


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## easterhay (May 11, 2007)

If you click on the bookmarks "book" icon on the bookmarks bar, around fifth item down you'll see a "History" option.

Choose your date, highlight the offending link and hit delete. Don't know if this is what you're after, but it's a way of selectively keeping your history in check.


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## ankie212 (Nov 15, 2007)

it is like they have said go to your user then your library then find safari and delete the entire file but make sure you quit safari first, the file will reappear when you restart safari but everything will be cleared out , hope this helps

p.s. back up whatever you want to keep like bookmarks and stuff


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## tlv779 (Feb 10, 2009)

TO: bobw
REFERENCE: "clearing Safari address bar history"
I have Leopard and Safari is closed, but I can't find "history.plist" anywhere when I search for it. I think I'm following your instructions, but I must be missing a step. Can you help?
tlv779


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## Giaguara (Feb 10, 2009)

Hi tiv, bobw probably can't help you now any more - he's been dead for over a year. 
But others will...
~ (aka your home folder = macintosh hd/users/_yourusernamehere_)/Library/Safari/History.plist


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## lurk (Feb 10, 2009)

It is funny when these old threads come up, I almost forget he is gone.


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## tonyreedo (Oct 4, 2009)

Surely somebody knows how to take care of this annoyance.
I tried the history.plist thing by trashing it and locking it. That's not cutting it.

Problem is obvious in that the address bar keeps autocompleting with items in my bookmarks (that I don't want coming up.)

Firefox has addons to solve this. Please tell me Safari is as smart! OR, at least a way to create a private bookmarks folder. There's plenty of private browsing besides porn to keep off of my address bar. PLEASE HELP.

Thanks T


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## tonyreedo (Oct 4, 2009)

Why and how is this possible? There MUST be a simple check box to shut off this dangerous and annoying address bar function. I can type. I don't require autocomplete and don't need my clients seeing what I have bookmarked for g-d's sake!


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## DeltaMac (Oct 4, 2009)

'annoying' I can understand - how could that be 'dangerous'?

I can see that you haven't yet discovered the 'Private Browsing' feature under the Safari menu.
You can also clear those history items by choosing 'Reset Safari"
Why are you letting clients use the same account that you use?


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## tonyreedo (Oct 5, 2009)

Private browsing doesn't address my issue. I explained "dangerous" in that if you are sitting with a client at your computer, you may not want your bookmarks coming up in the address bar with autocomplete.
You'd understand that if you ever had the occasion to sit with a client or boss at your computer. Not to mention the example of the guy who earned a divorce that way. If you don't get "dangerous', try really inconvenient.

All that aside, please read my replies and you'll see that basic solutions don't address the issue.

I want to eliminate, turn off, stop the autocomplete function in the address bar, or at least to not have it autocomplete my bookmarks. "History" is NOT the problem. I repeat, it is NOT a "history" issue.

Anyone with a real solution, please respond. I'm hoping there is a file I can remove or hack, or an add on that cancels that function.

Thanks,
T


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## DeltaMac (Oct 5, 2009)

Does this help at all?

safari preferences.
auto-fill.
edit others
Remove all


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