Clear Chrome Address Bar Suggestions

General
, ,
1

When you’re typing in Chrome’s address bar, it tries to be helpful by suggesting websites you’ve visited before. But sometimes, those suggestions can be old, wrong, or just plain annoying. Here’s how you can clean up those address bar suggestions.

Method 1: Removing URLs directly from suggestions

This is the most straightforward way to get rid of unwanted URLs from the address bar dropdown.

  1. Open Chrome and start typing the URL you want to remove. As you type, you’ll see a list of suggestions appear below the address bar.

    Address bar suggestions

  2. Find the specific URL you want to nuke from that list. Look for a little ‘x’ icon on the far right of the suggestion. Click the ‘x’ to remove the URL from your suggestions.

    Remove icon

  3. If the ‘x’ doesn’t show up, you can still get rid of the suggestion. Use the up/down arrow keys on your keyboard to highlight the unwanted URL. Once it’s highlighted, press SHIFT + DELETE to remove it.

    Keyboard removal

Method 2: Clearing Browsing History

If you’ve got a bunch of old URLs cluttering your suggestions, clearing your browsing history is a good way to clean things up all at once.

  1. Click the three dots (the menu icon) in the top-right corner of your Chrome browser. Hover over “History” and then click on “History” again in the submenu that appears, or simply press Ctrl + H to jump straight to the History page.

    Accessing History

  2. On the History page, click the “Clear browsing data” option on the left-hand side.

  3. A dialog box will appear. Select the time range for which you want to clear the data. Make sure the “Browsing history” option is checked. Once you’re ready, hit the “Clear data” button.

Method 3: Deleting History Files Manually

If you’re still seeing those pesky URLs after trying the other methods, you can manually delete Chrome’s history files. This should be used as a last resort and only if you’re comfortable messing with files.

  1. Open Windows Explorer and paste the following path into the address bar, replacing {username} with your actual Windows username:

    C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default

    Then, press Enter.

  2. In the folder that opens, find the files called “History” and “Web Data.” Delete these two files to clear out stored browsing data and autofill information that Chrome uses.

These steps should help you manage those address bar suggestions and make your browsing experience smoother.