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How to delete frequently visited websites on your iPhone in Safari, or turn off the feature entirely

iphone safari
It's easy to delete your frequently visited sites on an iPhone in Safari. Shutterstock

  • You can delete frequently visited web pages on your iPhone in the Safari browser. 
  • When you open a new tab in Safari, your frequently visited sites will appear under your favorites. 
  • It's easy to delete individual sites from your frequently visited tab, or hide this section entirely. 
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
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Many of our preferences are fleeting and change from week-to-week based on what's new.

Last week, you may have been checking an eBay bid over and over again.

The week before, you might have been pulling up a weather site to monitor the chance of snow.

And next week, you could be fixated on kicking your addiction to Reddit.

Safari, however, keeps your preferences rather static. Fortunately, there is a way to wipe away frequently visited web pages that no longer serve your current interests on an iPhone.

Here's how to do it.

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How to delete frequently visited web pages on an iPhone

1. Open the Safari application.

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Apple's proprietary Safari web browser is the default. But if you've taken the time to download and use other browsers, you'll need to adjust your settings in those apps. Emma Witman/Business Insider

2. Tap the bottom right corner of an existing Safari page — the icon is two squares overlapping one another — and tap the "+" sign in the middle to create a new, blank Safari window.

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When you pull up a new, blank Safari window, you'll see both your Favorites and Frequently Visited. Emma Witman/Business Insider

3. Tap and hold the page you'd like to delete under "Frequently Visited."

4. On iOS 13, a preview of the page will pop up, with a window of options in the bottom left. On iOS 12 or earlier, you'll only see a black-and-white "Delete" option above the icon in Safari. Either way, tap "Delete."

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The Delete option will stand out, appearing in red. Emma Witman/Business Insider

You can also disable frequently visited web pages entirely by going into the Safari section of Settings and toggling off "Frequently Visited Sites." 

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Turn off frequently visited sites in the Safari section of Settings. Emma Witman/Business Insider
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