How to Recover Deleted History from Your Browser

Co-authored by Yaffet Meshesha

Last Updated: March 11, 2023

Using System Recovery

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Using Search Desktop Operations

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Using Log Files

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Using Cookies

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Other Options

To recover Internet history, you need to understand certain important aspects. One of them is where the Internet history get stored. The Internet history gets stored in the Windows Registry. There are also chances that the Internet history may get stored as Internet cookies too. The ways to recover deleted Internet history is, hence, meant to target these system resources and get the history.

Method 1

Method 1 of 5:

Using System Recovery

1
Use the System Restore tool to get the deleted history back. Here's what you have to do:
2
Click on Start and go to Programs. In the 'Programs' menu, click on 'Accessories' and then go to 'System Tools'.
- The 'System Tools' option will give way to various options. One of them is the 'System Restore'.
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3
Select that option, then pick a date that precedes the date when you cleared your Internet history.
4
Reboot and check your browser, the history should be right there.

Method 2

Method 2 of 5:

Using Search Desktop Operations

1
Keep in mind that there are cases in which the restore option of system recovery is disabled. In such cases, you can use a desktop search program. There are many desktop search programs available like Yahoo desktop search, Google desktop search, etc.
- If you remember a few keywords of what you want to search for in the Internet history, you can type it there in the search box and get it recovered.

Method 3

Method 3 of 5:

Using Log Files

1
Perform this procedure if the history was deleted a long time ago. Using System Restore would be pointless, as you'd end up losing too much recent data in the process. If you have intentionally deleted the Internet history and are now in a desperate need to get it back, then this is what can help you.
- A desktop search will also not be of much help in such cases. The log files are where all the operations that you perform in your system are stored. A look into the log files can also let you recover deleted Internet history.
- All Windows computers have this file extension that stores arbitrary data, the .DAT extension. In our scenario, the system uses a file called 'index.dat', that stores all the information of the operations you have performed.
2
Click on the Start menu, and go to the Control Panel.
3
Look for Folder Options and click on the icon. You will have three tabs in this window, the second of which is View.
4
Inside the View tab, look for, and select, the Show hidden files and folders option. There will be another check box under it called "Hide protected operating system files" (Recommended).
- Remove the check in its box. Apply changes and exit the window.
5
Go to My Computer and use the search tool to find all instances of index.dat in the C drive and the C drive only.
- You should now have multiple index.dat files in the search results.
  - To read a .dat file, we need to know the software that created the file. Sometimes, .jpg, .avi, .doc, etc. file extensions get renamed to .dat. In our case, we need to get the software that programmers used to create the index.dat files to read them.
- Try using Notepad through the Open With option, but more than half the information displayed will be garbage that you won't understand.
6
Google index.dat reader, or directly go to a software downloading site that you trust (like Softpedia or CNET) and get the reader. WinSpy is an example of such a reader.
7
Use the reader to view the index.dat files, in which you'll have all the information of the sites that you have accessed, when you accessed them and for how long.
8
In case of Firefox, it is the 'history.dat' file, which needs to be checked out.

Method 4

Method 4 of 5:

Using Cookies

1
Remember this information:
- Whenever we browse the Internet, certain cookies get downloaded and stored into our systems, without our knowledge. A look into these cookies can give you a fair idea of the web pages you have viewed.
- Find the option for recovering deleted cookies under one of the tabs in the 'Internet Options' dialog box of your browser.

Method 5

Method 5 of 5:

Other Options

1
Consider the other options that you can resort to. Depending on how important the data is, and what lengths you are prepared to go to in order to recover it, there are two things you can try.
- Install professional recovery software, which may cost a bit, but stands a better chance of recovering any lost data.
- Opt for professional data recovery services. Not only does this option cost a lot, it also means that you will have to send your hard disk to them.
2
Perform regular backups. Regular backups is always the best option to avoid a scenario where recovering deleted data becomes too difficult or impossible.
3
If you do follow the guidelines given here, make it a point to remember every step you take, so it becomes easier to retrace them, if need be.