If you were wondering how to recover Google Chrome’s deleted browsing history, here are a few methods to help you retrieve or view it. You might have searched for ways to remove pop ups or other things on the internet, and lost the browsing history. To recover or view the related information, select the workaround that is the most fitting for your case.
Restore from the Recycle Bin
Open the Windows Recycle Bin by double-clicking on its desktop shortcut. If you find the history files in it, including those related to the remove pop ups, select them by right clicking, and choose Restore option from the shortcut menu. In case you have not deleted the files permanently, then this will work. Otherwise, proceed to the next step.
Make Use of Windows DNS Cache
Firstly, ensure that your system is connected to the internet. Secondly, keep in mind to not shut down or reboot it after the history of Google Chrome is lost or deleted. Thirdly, follow the below steps in order to see the deleted history of the browser.
- Press Windows and R keys simultaneously.
- In the Open field of Run, key in cmd and press the Enter
- Key in the command ipconfig /displaydns and again press Enter.
Wait for a moment for the process to finish. When done, all recently visited sites will be displayed on the computer; you can view and find back history records that are significant to you.
Resort to Windows System Restore
Another way to retrieve the browsing history of Google Chrome is to resort to system restore. Follow the below steps to carry out the retrieval of deleted browsing history this way.
- Press the Windows key, type System Restore into the search box of the Start menu, and open it from the search results.
- Click on the Next button, look at the earlier restore points and choose the date, to which you would like to restore the computer.
- Wait for it to finish the operations. When completed, Windows will restart automatically. If not, restart the computer.
- After the reboot, open the browser to check whether its browsing history is back.
Rely on Google Chrome Cookies as a Workaround
All user information and records for visited sites are comprised in cookie files. Therefore, when users lose the browsing history of Google Chrome, they may need to access cookies in order to see it.
- Open the browser, type chrome://settings in its address bar and press the Enter
- In its Settings page, scroll down to and click on the Advanced
- Scroll down to, and click Content Settings. In the next page, you fill find Cookies; click on the option and find the info you want.
Get Help from Google’s My Activity Tool
If you were using Google Chrome being signed into your Gmail account, the browsing history could also be seen with this tool’s help. With it, you can view and control activities in your account with ease.
- Open Google and key in My Activity the search box. Open google.com/myactivity from the search results.
- Login with your Gmail credentials; ignore this step if you have already signed in to the browser with your Google account.
- You will see the activities in the next page and the related info.
Then, you can go to the particular activity to reach the objective of retrieving removed history in your account.
Resort to a Desktop Search Program
A desktop search program is used to search files in the system, instead of searching the web. Firstly, you have to get a proper program, and install it in the PC correctly (you would better select a different drive in it as the place to install it). Then, you have to type a keyword you can recollect from your memory into the search box in order to search and retrieve related history files.
View Removed History through Log Files
For history files that have been removed a long time ago, you can retrieve them with log files’ help. In fact, the index.dat is a database file that contains all websites you have previously visited. Once you search and find the said file, which is hidden in your system, you can list every web page and URL you have previously browsed. However, before you begin to search for the file, you have to change the settings to unhide the hidden files in Windows. For that, follow the below steps.
- Open a folder or Windows Explorer, click on the Organize button, and click Folder and search options.
- In the new dialog box, select the View tab and select the checkbox Show hidden files, folders and drives.
If you are still wondering how to get back the browsing history, then get in touch with our online computer tech support professionals for a solution.