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How to Find and Recover Search History on iPhone/iPad

iPhone knows a lot about you based on your search history. Moreover, it serves relevant advertising. It makes sense that parents monitor the search history on their children’s iOS devices. What about if the search history has been erased? This guide demonstrates three methods to help you find and recover deleted search history on Safari from an iPhone or iPad. So that you can learn about the device owner.

Deleted Search History

Part 1: Why You Should Delete Search History on iPhone

As mentioned previously, search history can deliver lots of information and may leak your secrets. Moreover, it is involved with your online activities. To avoid disclosure of personal privacy, you can delete your search history on your iPhone.

Clear History
Step 1

Run your Settings app.

Step 2

Choose the Safari option, and tap Clear History and Website Data.

Step 3

Read the notification on the pop-up dialog, and tap Clear History and Data to confirm search history deletion.

Part 2: How to Recover Deleted Search History from iCloud Backup

According to Apple, iCloud backs up lots of data on your iPhone including Safari history. If you turned on automatic backup or manually backed up your iPhone to iCloud, it is possible to find deleted search history. To restore an iCloud backup, you need to reset your device to the factory status. It means that all current data on your iPhone will be erased.

Step 1

Open the Settings app on your home screen.

Step 2

Choose the General tab, and pick Transfer or Reset iPhone on iOS 15 and above or Reset on iOS 14 and older.

Erase iPhone
Step 3

Tap the Erase All Content and Settings option. If prompted, input your Apple ID password or iPhone passcode to verify your ownership. Then tap Erase or relative option to confirm the action.

Step 4

When the factory reset finishes, your iPhone will restart on the Hello screen. Follow the on-screen instructions to set up the iPhone as a new device. You must not forget your iCloud password when you restore from iCloud.

Tip

Make sure to connect to a stable Wi-Fi network during setup.

Restore iCloud Backup
Step 5

Choose Restore from iCloud Backup on the Apps & Data screen.

Step 6

Sign in to your iCloud account with your Apple ID and password. Then pick the backup that may contain the deleted search history to restore it on your device.

Step 7

Complete the setup process and you can see deleted search history on Safari on your iPhone or iPad.

Part 3: How to Restore Deleted Search History from iTunes/Finder

iTunes is still a utility to manage iPhone data with a computer. For macOS Catalina and above, the Finder app is the successor of iTunes to back up your iPhone. If you regularly back up your device to your computer with iTunes or Finder, recovering deleted search history on iPhone is probable. Of course, your device will be overwritten.

Step 1

Hook up your iPhone to your computer with a compatible cable. If Find My is enabled on your iPhone, go to the Settings app, tap on your profile, choose Find My, press Find My iPhone, and toggle off Find My iPhone. Then enter your Apple ID password and tap Turn Off.

Restore iTunes Backup
Step 2

On Windows and macOS Mojave or older, run the latest versions of iTunes. Click the Phone button at the upper left side once your device is detected, and go to the Summary tab.

On macOS Catalina or newer, open the Finder app, click your device name, and head to the General tab.” /]
Step 3

Locate the Backups section, and click on the Restore Backup button if you have an available backup.

Step 4

Pick the right backup file from the drop-down list on the Restore From Backup dialog, and click on the Restore button. You should enter your iTunes Backup password if you've set it.

Select iTunes Backup
Tip

If the iTunes or Finder backup is encrypted, enter your password in the pop-up dialog.

Step 5

Keep your device plugged into your computer until restoration is complete. Then you might see deleted search history on your iPhone.

Part 4: How to Retrieve Deleted History on iPhone Without Backup

If you do not have backups for your iPhone data, it will become difficult to recover deleted search history on your device. In fact, even if you delete search history, it is still in your memory before overwritten by new data. That gives you a chance to get back lost data with a powerful tool. From this point, we recommend imyPass iPhone Data Recovery.

Main Features of iPhone Data Recovery

1. Find deleted search history on iPhone without backup.

2. View deleted search history and recover specific items.

3. Extract search history from iTunes or iCloud backup without resetting.

4. Easy to use and don’t require technical skills.

5. Support the latest versions of iOS and iOS devices.

How to Recover Deleted History on iPhone Without Backup

Step 1

Scan your data

Launch the best iPhone data recovery software after you install it on your PC. There is another version for Mac. Go to the Recover from iOS Device tab on the left side. Then connect your iPhone to your PC with a Lightning cable. Tap Trust on your iPhone if you link the two devices for the first time. Next, click the Start Scan button to begin looking for data on your iPhone.

Step 2

Find deleted history

Once the data scan is done, go to the Safari History tab under the Memos & Others heading on the left column. Pull down the top option, and pick Show Deleted Only. Now, you can view the deleted Safari history.

Step 3

Recover deleted history

At last, select the desired items, click the Recover button, set an output folder, and hit Recover again.

Conclusion

This guide has demonstrated three ways to recover deleted search history on an iPhone. When clearing history to protect your privacy, you may delete some items by mistake. With iCloud backup, you can get back the lost data. iTunes backup enables you to bring deleted history from your computer. imyPass iPhone Data Recovery is available to get back lost search history without backup. If you have other questions, please write them down below.

Penny Warren
Penny Warren

Penny Warren, a senior editor from imyPass, is specialized in MS Office software. You can find professional tutorials and solutions of MS Office software from her posts.

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