Does anybody know how to only delete web history when you are using Safari 8?

[denniskim527]

So, while using safari 8 on Yosemite, I deleted my web history today, and was surprised to find out that not only my web history, but my cache and push services were completely gone.

So, is there a way when I push the top bar and delete history, that I can only delete the 'history' and do not interfere with the other?


Thanks!

 

[ACDIT]

So, while using safari 8 on Yosemite, I deleted my web history today, and was surprised to find out that not only my web history, but my cache and push services were completely gone.

So, is there a way when I push the top bar and delete history, that I can only delete the 'history' and do not interfere with the other?


Thanks!

Yes , open a new tab , click on history ---> show history , and remove everything manually from there !

 

[3282868]

Yes , open a new tab , click on history ---> show history , and remove everything manually from there !

Manually? That's not a reasonable resolution. Prior to Safari 8, clearing history did just that, cleared history. Now it removes logins, cookies, website verification (a big PITA as financial sites require a one-time authentication that is removed), and much more. Private browsing isn't the solution as I like to revisit sites while I work and it won't save authorizations. This is a huge imposition that many of us developers have filed with Apple, yet no one has received acknowledgement. As I use iCloud extensively, it would be a shame to have to switch to Firefox or Chrome.

 

[Prospekt]

Manually? That's not a reasonable resolution. Prior to Safari 8, clearing history did just that, cleared history. Now it removes logins, cookies, website verification (a big PITA as financial sites require a one-time authentication that is removed), and much more. Private browsing isn't the solution as I like to revisit sites while I work and it won't save authorizations. This is a huge imposition that many of us developers have filed with Apple, yet no one has received acknowledgement. As I use iCloud extensively, it would be a shame to have to switch to Firefox or Chrome.

Do the step mentioned above + Cmd-A, delete? That'll select the entire history and delete it. Is that what you mean?

 

[bmac89]

I really don't understand why Apple removes such a simple feature for no apparent reason. Removing it negatively impacts usability and does not even simplify things for new users. I see no benefit for removing it.

Whilst it is not hard to manually delete history, it just baffles me why they make these backward steps.

If you just want to remove cookies for example you have to go through multiple steps in the preferences instead of a simple Safari>Reset Safari > ....

It seems they try to dumb everything down to the point where you end up actually needing to go through multiple steps just to do a simple task.

 

[deviant]

I really don't understand why Apple removes such a simple feature for no apparent reason. Removing it negatively impacts usability and does not even simplify things for new users. I see no benefit for removing it.

Whilst it is not hard to manually delete history, it just baffles me why they make these backward steps.

If you just want to remove cookies for example you have to go through multiple steps in the preferences instead of a simple Safari>Reset Safari > ....

It seems they try to dumb everything down to the point where you end up actually needing to go through multiple steps just to do a simple task.

You should tell that to apple, not us. They are the ones who actually can do something about it.

 

[3282868]

You should tell that to apple, not us. They are the ones who actually can do something about it.

We (developers) have since day one. No one else I know has received any acknowledgment from Apple, not even the usual "this isn't a bug, bug report closed" email confirmation.

Apple is going to have a field day when this hits the public. Various family member who tried 10.10 recently called asking why they have to keep logging back into sites and having their systems verified by their banks each time they revisit. Most people don't understand "Clear history and website data..." means a complete wipe. Before Safari 8, it just meant history. This will piss a lot of consumers off...

 

[Patriot24]

This will piss a lot of consumers off...

It will also protect a lot of consumers that do not understand the difference between clearing history and clearing cookies/logins/etc.

I suspect that this is part of Apple's push to be seen as more secure and privacy-friendly than the competition. Defaulting to clearing everything can help prevent unauthorized access.

Right, wrong, or indifferent, they'd probably tell you to use a Private Window for the things that you don't want stored in your history.

 

[3282868]

It will also protect a lot of consumers that do not understand the difference between clearing history and clearing cookies/logins/etc.

I suspect that this is part of Apple's push to be seen as more secure and privacy-friendly than the competition. Defaulting to clearing everything can help prevent unauthorized access.

Right, wrong, or indifferent, they'd probably tell you to use a Private Window for the things that you don't want stored in your history.

How about giving people a choice? That would make them wonder what the differences are and educate themselves rather than being forced a certain method that will likely confuse them further. Sometimes when you decide for people, they resist and will most likely be confused. In this instance, having to re-authorize your computer(s) every time you enter a bank/financial site or having to login to your accounts when you're not used to it makes it more cumbersome, not secure.

As for private browsing, many like to revisit sites in their history (which they clear once done for the day) and it won't save authorized logins. So that isn't an option, I've tried.

Keep in mind, we're tech savvy, the majority of computer users are not.

btw, I found many are not clearing their history as they don't want to go through all of it over and over again, and don't know how to clear just their history, which actually makes them more prone to security issues.

 

[Patriot24]

How about giving people a choice? That would make them wonder what the differences are and educate themselves rather than being forced a certain method that will likely confuse them further. Sometimes when you decide for people, they resist and will most likely be confused. In this instance, having to re-authorize your computer(s) every time you enter a bank/financial site or having to login to your accounts when you're not used to it makes it more cumbersome, not secure.

Security experts would likely react by saying that:

• Choice can be the enemy of security
• Users will not educate themselves, so security needs to happen by default
• "Ease" is often synonymous with "insecure"

Apple has a long history of designing with non-savvy masses in mind. As tech-savvy folks we may not like it, but they likely view this as a "feature" rather than a "bug".

 

[3282868]

Security experts would likely react by saying that:

• Choice can be the enemy of security
• Users will not educate themselves, so security needs to happen by default
• "Ease" is often synonymous with "insecure"

Apple has a long history of designing with non-savvy masses in mind. As tech-savvy folks we may not like it, but they likely view this as a "feature" rather than a "bug".

Why wouldn't they learn? Surely after clearing History as they have been used to would not make one immediately associate it with losing all their data and verifications. Having worked at the retail level and now corp. in marketing, a lot of people bring their systems in for simple issues, causing Genius bar backups and a mass gathering towards back of house operations. What I know from experience, people will not realize the change in Safari 8, will call AppleCare or make an appointment with the Genius bar, which will take time away from customers who have serious issues.

Instead, they should allow the user to decide on what is cleared instead of forcing them into one solution. This would prompt the user to ask themselves what the differences are and an easy google search would inform them. Instead, many that finally make the connection that clearing history is somehow related are simply not clearing it to avoid the hassle of entering in logins, needing re-authorization for all their bank accounts which only is necessary one time but it wiped out with this change. This leaves their system open to more security issues than allowing them the to make a choice, have safari give a simple explanation in Preferences about each choice which will educate the user, and thus everyone is happy.

The developer forums are filled with threads on this matter, so it's not as simple as you make it seem.

 

[Patriot24]

Yeah, I'm not arguing with you. But folks need to understand that there are rational reasons for such changes. If it turns out to be bad, they'll change it back.

For what it is worth, Safari on iOS has functioned in the same manner for as long as I can remember. Being that iOS is in more hands than OS X, perhaps they've discovered that most users don't complain and decided to make things consistent between OSes.

Lastly, the advent of iCloud Keychain gives them one more reason to claim that ending login sessions isn't as big of a deal due to the relative ease of logging back in (2FA accounts nonwithstanding).

Don't shoot the messenger.

 

[steve62388]

Yeah, this is critical. I belong to a streaming service that uses cookies to register your device and it only allows one device change per month. (Sky Go really does suck).

I have now accidentally deleted my cookies and can't access my service, Safari does not warn you that cookies will be deleted as well as history. I have Time Machine and have tried restoring an old version of ~/Library/Cookies/Cookies.binarycookies but this doesn't work, my cookies list is still empty. Does anyone know how I can restore my cookies?

Thanks.

 

[AlanShutko]

Why are you clearing your history?

The use case that Apple is trying to solve is people who clear their history thinking that it will remove any trace that they've visited a site.

If you clear history for a different reason, that use case should be documented in the bug report so that Apple knows not only what you are trying to do, but WHY you are doing it.