How to search your browsing history on an iPhone, in Safari or Google Chrome

The search history on your iPhone's web browser can be helpful in taking you back to a site you want to see again, but scrolling through the whole list can be time consuming and annoying. Luckily, there's a search tool to help you get back to websites you may have visited a while ago

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The search history on your iPhone's web browser can be helpful in taking you back to a site you want to see again, but scrolling through the whole list can be time consuming and annoying. 

Luckily, there's a search tool to help you get back to websites you may have visited a while ago — without going through the trouble of trying to remember the date you visited it. 

This feature is available on both the Safari and Google Chrome browsers. Here's how to use it to search your web history on an iPhone. 

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How to search the history on your iPhone in Safari 

1. Open the Safari app.

2. Tap the book icon at the bottom of your screen. It is the second icon from the right. This will bring up your search history.

Click on the book icon to access your search history. Melanie Weir/Business Insider

3. Pull down on this History menu to reveal a bar at the top labeled "Search History" with a magnifying glass to the left of it.

Pull down to reveal the search bar. Melanie Weir/Business Insider

4. Tap the search bar you just revealed to bring up the keypad, and type your search query. The query doesn't have to be exact to bring up results.

Type your query into the search bar. Melanie Weir/Business Insider

5. The result you are looking for should appear. Tap it to return to the website you visited.

Tap the search result to return to the site. Melanie Weir/Business Insider

How to search history on your iPhone in Google Chrome

1. Open the Google Chrome app.

2. Tap the three dots in the bottom right hand corner of the screen. This will bring up an options menu.

Tap the three dots to open the menu. Melanie Weir/Business Insider

3. Tap "History," which is the second to last option on the list of items in blue. The icon looks like a clock with an arrow around the outside pointing counterclockwise.

Tap "History." Melanie Weir/Business Insider

4. On the new History page, tap the search bar at the top to bring up your keyboard.

Tap the search bar at the top. Melanie Weir/Business Insider

5. Type your search query into the search bar. 

Type to search your history. Melanie Weir/Business Insider

6. Tap the name of the site you were looking for. This will bring you back to the page.

Tap the relevant search result to return to the page. Melanie Weir/Business Insider
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Melanie Weir Freelance author Melanie Weir is a freelance author for Insider, mainly focusing on the Tech Reference section, but occasionally contributing to Lifestyle and Entertainment topics as well. She is also a freelance writer for ScreenRant, and is the Lead Weekend News Editor at TheThings.com. In her spare time she writes plays for both stage and screen. She can be reached at melanie.weir1008@gmail.com, or through LinkedIn. Read more Read less

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