How do I delete...

T

Ted Witcher

Registered
...the previously navigated-to websites from the URL window? I don't want something objectionable coming up when anyone comes over and presses, say, the letter "b." Along the same lines, I have acquired so many email address "suggestions" when I start typing a new email (in Mail), how can I edit this list?
 
If you are using Safari, and the sites are not in bookmarks, go to the top bar and pull down the "History" menu. Choose "Clear History" at the bottom.

Next time you go to sites you don't want in there, go to the menu under "Safari" and choose "Private Browsing"

I found all this because I didn't want my wife to find out I was researching a surprise present for her - honestly! ;)
 
I've tried that, and I still get a whole list of possible URLs when I type a letter in the window (this is in Safari). Any other thoughts?
 
Have you ever used "Safari Enhancer" or similar? That will set the length of time the history is stored. Might still be in the background.

Or you could use it and set history to 1 day.

Or clear the Safari cache? (in Safari Prefs just down from Private browsing). Or use Enhancer to set it at a low number. Might be finding things in the cache even after clearing history.
 
I am sorry to say this but people here have missed the target with their suggestions. So just open Safari->Preferences then click on the 'AutoFill' menu tab. Under the check mark for 'Other Forms' click on 'Edit'. When the window slides down you can individually clear certain sites or just remove all of them to start clean. Once you do that you can then uncheck the 'Other Forms' box to stop Safari from remembering the previous sites autofill portion.
 
"AutoFill", as far as I know, has nothing to do with remembered locations and the URL bar -- it has to do with auto-filling HTML forms on web pages.

All three "AutoFill" options are UNchecked on my system, and the URL bar still displays a menu of remembered locations.
 
ElDiabloConCaca said:
"AutoFill", as far as I know, has nothing to do with remembered locations and the URL bar -- it has to do with auto-filling HTML forms on web pages.

All three "AutoFill" options are UNchecked on my system, and the URL bar still displays a menu of remembered locations.
Click to expand...

Then something is wrong in your system. A cookie or something is remembering you. I bet if you did the 'Reset Safari' function then the remembering would go away.
 
Satcomer said:
Then something is wrong in your system. A cookie or something is remembering you. I bet if you did the 'Reset Safari' function then the remembering would go away.
Click to expand...

I disagree. AFAICT, the checkboxes in Preferences>Autofill have absolutely nothing to do with auto-suggestion of URLs in the Address Bar. I know -- you'd think they'd be related. But apparently they aren't.

I, too, have been looking for a way to clear the auto-fill in the Address Bar. I don't want to *eliminate* the feature; I just want to clear its cache so that certain, ahem, undesirable URLs stop appearing when I type the first few letters of a desired site. I've tried deleting various documents from the preferences folder, but haven't struck gold, yet.

If anyone finds this, please chime in. Thanks....
 
I want to clear it out because it seem to always remembers the way I mistyped something once and offers it up first every time.
 
'How do I delete the previously navigated-to websites from the URL window' - simple.

01. Quit 'Safari'.
02. Locate and open the 'Safari' folder ('~/Library/Safari/').
03. Delete the 'Bookmarks.plist' and 'History.plist' files.
04. Open (launch, run) 'TinkerTool', click on its 'Safari' icon button, set the 'History: Storage: Visible items in main history menu:' and 'Maximum number of stored items:' popup menus to 'None', and quit 'TinkerTool'.
05. Open (launch, run) 'Safari'.
06. Never add a URL to either the 'Bookmark Menu' or the 'Bookmark Bar'.

Once you add a Bookmark to either the 'Menu' or 'Bar', and / or maintain a 'history' of previously visited web sites - 'Safari' will fabricate the URL drop-down list of URL's (that you see as you enter a URL) based on the 'Bookmarks.plist' and / or History.plist' entries.

[
Added 22.30, 04.05.2006

Naturally, as you visit web sites, they too are appended to the drop-down list. However, when 'Safari' is quitted, and then later opened (launched, ran), the drop-down list is void of any previously visited web sites.
]
 
barhar said:
'How do I delete the previously navigated-to websites from the URL window' - simple.

01. Quit 'Safari'.
02. Locate and open the 'Safari' folder ('~/Library/Safari/').
03. Delete the 'Bookmarks.plist' and 'History.plist' files.
04. Open (launch, run) 'TinkerTool', click on its 'Safari' icon button, set the 'History: Storage: Visible items in main history menu:' and 'Maximum number of stored items:' popup menus to 'None', and quit 'TinkerTool'.
05. Open (launch, run) 'Safari'.
06. Never add a URL to either the 'Bookmark Menu' or the 'Bookmark Bar'.

Once you add a Bookmark to either the 'Menu' or 'Bar', and / or maintain a 'history' of previously visited web sites - 'Safari' will fabricate the URL drop-down list of URL's (that you see as you enter a URL) based on the 'Bookmarks.plist' and / or History.plist' entries.
Click to expand...

Wow. Thanks for the detailed reply. Just a couple of things, though:

1. I don't want to delete my bookmarks. So if that's required to stop URLs from auto-completing, that's a problem. (I do sync bookmarks, however, via .Mac. But I'm not sure if the sync server would see deleted bookmarks on this machine and delete them on all the others, or if it would replace the deleted bookmarks on this machine.

2. It seems your recipe is for *stopping* the URL drop-down list from appearing, all together. That might work for some users, but I just wanted to remove a couple of "problem" URLs. If that's not possible, I suppose I could "ignore" step 06 and start over with a fresh list that doesn't include those URLs.

But again, if this involves deleting all bookmarks, this solution won't work for me. Any additional thoughts you have would be appreciated.

Thanks again.
 
Ted Witcher said:
Along the same lines, I have acquired so many email address "suggestions" when I start typing a new email (in Mail), how can I edit this list?
Click to expand...

In Mail, I think going to Window --> Previous Recipients will let you edit out those email addresses, although I'm not quite sure. I think of that list as being more for Mail's spam filter. Please let me know if it works.
 
minckster said:
In Mail, I think going to Window --> Previous Recipients will let you edit out those email addresses, although I'm not quite sure. I think of that list as being more for Mail's spam filter. Please let me know if it works.
Click to expand...

Um, dude, we're talking about Safari, not Mail. :)
 
'I don't want to delete my bookmarks.' - there are third party URL managers.

'... but I just wanted to remove a couple of "problem" URLs. ...' - no can do.

'Any additional thoughts you have would be appreciated.' - excluding the above URL manager suggestion, I have no more.
 
Ted Witcher, have you managed it yet?
A previous poster mentioned the Reset Safari option. Have you tried it (Safari menu, Reset Safari)? Apologies if you have and I missed the ref.
Alternatively, in Safari - View, Bookmarks Bar. On Bookmarks Bar click book icon, far left. In the Bookmarks organiser window click History (panel on left). Navigate through the different dates to see if these rogue URLs come up anywhere there. If so, highlight and delete.
Hope it works.
Otherwise you could just stop surfing trainspotter.net and i'm-thinking-of-switching-to-windows-from-mac.com if you're so ashamed of your browsing habits!

EDIT, I cocked up the instruction to open up the bookmarks bar before. It's right now.
 
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