Cover Your Tracks
Staying safe online
If you are worried that someone might check what you do online, a few simple habits can reduce the traces you leave behind. None of this is complicated, and you don't need to do everything at once — read through, pick what fits your situation, and take it at your own pace.
The Quick exit button does not delete your browsing history.
Pressing Quick exit opens a neutral website in a new tab and replaces this page with a search engine, so this site is no longer on your screen and doesn't sit behind the back button. But your visit can still appear in the device's browsing history, in the address bar's suggestions, and on other devices signed in to the same account. The steps below explain how to deal with each of those.
What the Quick exit button does — and doesn't do
- It does: take this site off your screen immediately, open an everyday website (the weather) over the top, and replace this page in the current tab so pressing "back" doesn't return here.
- It doesn't: delete this site from your browsing history, remove it from address-bar suggestions, or hide it from anyone who shares your iCloud or Google account.
Think of it as a way to react quickly if someone walks in — not as a way to hide that you were ever here.
The safest option: use a device they can't check
If you are concerned that your phone or computer is monitored, the most reliable protection is to use this site on a device the other person has no access to:
- A public library computer — free to use, and nothing is linked to your accounts.
- A work computer, if your workplace feels safe.
- A trusted friend's or family member's phone.
No amount of history-clearing on a monitored device is as safe as simply using a different one.
Private (incognito) browsing
Private browsing means the browser doesn't save your history, cookies or search suggestions for that session. It's the easiest way to visit this site without leaving an entry in your history. Two things to know: it only helps for pages you open after switching to a private window, and it doesn't hide your activity from your internet provider or from monitoring software installed on the device.
Safari (iPhone and iPad)
Open Safari and tap the tabs button (two overlapping squares, bottom right). Tap the tab-groups menu in the centre of the bottom bar, then choose Private. Tap the + to open a new private tab. The address bar turns dark when private browsing is on. When you're finished, switch back the same way — and close your private tabs.
Safari (Mac)
From the menu bar choose File → New Private Window, or press Shift + Command + N. The address bar shows a dark background while you're private.
Chrome (phone or computer)
On a computer: click the ⋮ menu (top right) and choose New Incognito window, or press Ctrl + Shift + N (Windows) / Command + Shift + N (Mac). On a phone: tap the ⋮ menu and choose New Incognito tab. You'll see a dark window with a hat-and-glasses icon.
Firefox (phone or computer)
On a computer: open the ☰ menu and choose New private window, or press Ctrl + Shift + P (Windows) / Command + Shift + P (Mac). On a phone: tap the mask icon next to the tab counter to switch to private tabs.
Edge (phone or computer)
On a computer: click the … menu (top right) and choose New InPrivate window, or press Ctrl + Shift + N. On a phone: tap the tabs button, then choose InPrivate.
Deleting specific history entries
If you've already visited this site outside a private window, you can remove just those entries rather than wiping everything. Deleting all history can itself draw attention if someone regularly checks the device — removing individual pages is quieter.
Safari (iPhone and iPad)
Open Safari, tap the book icon, then the clock tab to see your history. Swipe left on any single entry and tap Delete. Avoid "Clear" unless you want everything gone.
Safari (Mac)
Choose History → Show All History from the menu bar. Right-click (or Control-click) the entries you want to remove and choose Delete.
Chrome
Open the ⋮ menu → History (on a computer, press Ctrl + H / Command + Y). Tick the box next to each entry you want to remove, then choose Delete. On a phone, tap the ✕ beside an entry.
Firefox
On a computer: press Ctrl + Shift + H (Windows) / Command + Shift + H (Mac) to open the history library, right-click an entry and choose Delete Page. On a phone: open the ☰ menu → History and tap the bin icon beside an entry.
Edge
Open the … menu → History (or press Ctrl + H). Hover over an entry and click the ✕ to remove just that page.
Also check the address bar: start typing the first letters of this site's name and see whether it's suggested. Deleting the history entries usually removes the suggestion too. If the site was bookmarked or added to your reading list, remove that separately.
Shared accounts and synced devices
This is the trace people most often miss. If your phone, tablet or computer is signed in to the same iCloud or Google account as someone else's device, your browsing can appear on their screen:
- Synced tabs and history — Safari, Chrome, Firefox and Edge can all show "tabs from your other devices" on any device signed in to the same account. Deleting history on your device may not remove what has already synced elsewhere.
- Shared family devices — an old iPad the children use, a smart TV browser, a shared home computer: each keeps its own history.
- What to check — on iPhone: Settings → your name, to see which devices are on your Apple account. In Chrome: the profile icon, to see which account is signed in and whether sync is on.
If you share an account, prefer private browsing (nothing syncs from a private window) or a device outside the account.
Email trails
If you contact anyone by email about your situation — this site, a solicitor, a support service — remember that emails leave their own trail:
- Sent messages sit in your Sent folder, and deleted ones in Bin/Trash until it's emptied.
- Email accounts signed in on a shared device, or with a password the other person knows, can be read without you knowing.
- Consider setting up a new email address the other person knows nothing about, on a free provider, and only ever opening it in a private window or on a safe device.
If you're worried right now
If you think your devices are being monitored, or you feel unsafe, you don't have to work this out alone. In an emergency always call 999.