How to Delete History from Wi-Fi Router?
Most people don’t know this, but your Wi-Fi router keeps logs of the websites you visit. And not just you, but any device connected to the wi-fi network, including those in incognito mode.
This poses serious privacy risks and calls for you to act. One way to protect yourself and your data would be using a VPN or, more easily, deleting the router history.
Below is a step-by-step guide to help you access and delete the router history from your desktop browser.
6 Steps for Deleting History from Wi-Fi Router
Step 1: Find the router’s IP address
To access your router settings on your browser, you’ll need to know its IP address. An IP address is usually an 8-digit number as ‘000.000.0.0’.
You can find this number in your router’s manual or using the Command Prompt (cmd) on a Windows computer.
Suppose you can’t find your manual, type ‘cmd’ on the Windows search bar, or use the ‘WIN + R’ shortcut and type cmd. A command prompt window will pop up.
In the window, type this command: ipconfig/all, then press Enter.
How to Delete History from a Wi-Fi Router
In the results section, look for the value of ‘Default Gateway‘. Those eight numbers define your IP address. The most common router IP addresses are 192.168.1.1, 192.168.01, and 192.168.2.1.
How to Delete History from a Wi-Fi Router – default gateway
Step 2: Open your router settings
How to Delete Wi-Fi Router History – Enter your router IP address
Once you know your IP address, open the address bar on your browser and type in its value. It will lead you to the router settings login page.
Every router has its default username and password written on its user manual.
If you don’t have the manual, you can always check online on the manufacturer’s page for the default login details for that router.
If you’ve forgotten the password to your router, try resetting it back to its default settings.
Most routers use the default username admin, and the password can be 1234 or even a password.
If this doesn’t work, either check the back of your router and see if the default user name and password are printed on it.
Enter your admin username and password, and you’ll have access to the settings dashboard.
Step 3: Visit the system logs
Your router history logs are usually stored in your router dashboard’s system logs or the Administrative Events Log section.
Depending on your router’s brand, this section is usually located on the navigation bar, either at the top or the left side of the page.
Once the system log page opens, you’ll have access to a string of IP addresses (for each connected device), and the domain addresses for the websites visited.
Step 4: Clear the logs
Your final step is clearing the logs you see in the system logs. You should see a clear log button at the bottom of the page.
Clicking it will prompt you to confirm whether you want to delete the logs. Click yes, and all the data will be erased.
A good practice in cases where you might need the log details in the future is to copy-paste the logs to a hard drive before deleting them.
If you don’t want to clear all your logs, you can select specific devices connected to the router to delete their logs.
To do this, look around the navigation bar for the ‘Attached devices’ feature. This name could be slightly different for different router brands.
This page shows all the devices connected to the Wi-Fi and lets you view the logs for specific devices. Each device appears as its IP address.
Double-click on a device to see its logs, then click the clear logs button to delete its history.
Keep in mind: For routers such as Linksys, you must ensure that the logging feature is enabled to access the browsing history.
Step 6: Delete your browser history
Even after you delete your Wi-Fi router history, you should remember to delete your browser history. Go to your browser settings and ensure that all history is deleted.
Otherwise, deleting the router history will be pointless.
Contact your local IT expert for help if these steps don’t work.
Alternative Way Clear Router History: Clear Router Cache
An alternative to clearing your router’s browsing data is to clear its cache. The cache refers to a part of the router responsible for storing instructions about settings.
To clear your cache, you’ll have to reset the entire router.
For some router brands, doing this also deletes the router history. Here’s how to do it:
Take a small object like a paperclip to hold down the reset button. It’s usually at the back for most routers.
Hold the paperclip (or alternative object) until the lights on the router fade out. The cache is now cleared.
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