Understanding Private Browsing in iPhone Safari

When you’re using Private Browsing mode in Safari on your iPhone, the browser does not save your internet history, cookies, or cache. This means that once you close the Private Browsing window, there is no record of the websites you visited during that session.

Private Browsing, as its name suggests, is designed with user privacy in mind. However, this also means that you cannot access your browsing history during a Private Browsing session. If you want to view your internet history, you’ll need to exit Private Browsing mode.

How to Exit Private Browsing on iPhone Safari

Open Safari on your iPhone. Tap the tabs button (two overlapping squares) at the bottom right of the screen. Tap View History. After exiting Private Browsing, tap the bookmarks button (open book icon) at the bottom of the screen.

Note that the history from a Private Browsing session is not retrievable. This is the core functionality of Private Browsing designed to protect your privacy.

Why Can’t I View My Browsing History in Private Mode?

The reason you can’t view your history when private browsing is engaged is exactly that: to protect your privacy. Every time you use private browsing mode, your browsing history is not saved, not even for you. This might be disconcerting if you try to revisit a site you visited just a moment ago, but it is intentional.

If you want to access your browsing history, you need to manually deactivating the private browsing mode through your phone’s settings.

Accessing Browsing History for Desktop Safari Users

For users of Safari on a Mac or Windows, you have a few options to access your browsing history:

Mac Users

Open Finder. Click the “Go” menu and hold the option key. Click “Library” and open the Safari folder. Within the Safari folder, find the “WebpageIcons.db” file and drag it into your SQLite browser. In the SQLite window, click the “Browse Data” tab. Select “PageURL” from the Table menu. A list of visited URLs should appear in the window.

Windows Users

Click Start and open Computer. Click in the search bar in the upper-right corner and search for “WebpageIcons.” Note the pathway (mine was C:usersDavidAppDataLocalAppleComputerSafari). Open your SQLite browser and click “Open Database.” Choose your WebpageIcons.db file. In the SQLite window, click the “Browse Data” tab. Select “PageURL” from the Table menu. A list of visited URLs should appear in the window.

These steps allow you to manually access and view your browsing history on desktop Safari, affording you the convenience of reviewing your previous web activities without the privacy restrictions that come with private browsing mode on your iPhone.

Understanding these methods can be particularly useful for users who need to quickly check frequently visited sites or who work with sensitive information that they don’t wish to keep in their private browsing history.