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Help now Leave site

Staying safe while you read

Your safety comes first. If someone may see your screen, read this first; the rest can wait.

  • If you are not safe, call 911.
  • Leave site replaces only the page you are on with a weather page. It does not erase your history, your other tabs, synced devices or monitoring software.
  • The help lines: the National Domestic Violence Hotline, 1-800-799-7233, text START to 88788, or chat at thehotline.org; 988 by call, text or chat; RAINN, 1-800-656-4673; 911 for immediate danger. All free and confidential, day and night.
  • Internet use can be monitored and is impossible to erase completely. If you think yours is watched, use a safer device or call the Hotline.1
  • You do not have to stay anywhere you are not safe. Your safety comes first; questions about your iddah can wait until you are safe.

The Leave site button

It sits at the top of every page, in the same place. Tap it and this page is replaced at once with a weather page. It works even with scripts turned off.

From the keyboard: press Shift three times, or Esc twice, quickly.

It replaces only the page you are on. It cannot erase:

  • The pages you visited here before you pressed it: they stay in this browser's history.23
  • History synced to your other devices: if Chrome is signed in to a Google account, or Safari uses iCloud, the pages can show on every device on that account, including a shared tablet or computer.45
  • Searches saved in a Google account, which are kept apart from the browser's history.6
  • Other tabs or windows you have open, including private ones left open on the device.7
  • Monitoring software (spyware) on the phone or computer, or someone watching the network.13
  • Files you downloaded or pages you printed.78
  • The address itself: the name iddah.org says what the site is about, in your history and in anything that logs the sites you visit.

Private browsing

A private tab keeps these pages out of the browser’s history once you close it. Close every private tab when you finish.

Safari on iPhone
  1. Open Safari.
  2. Tap the More button.
  3. Tap New Private Tab. The address bar turns dark.
  4. To stop: tap the More button, then New Tab.
  5. On iOS 17 and earlier: tap the Tabs button and swipe to the Private tab group.

Safari will not remember the pages, searches or AutoFill from private tabs.9

The official steps ↗ · checked Oct 18, 2026

Chrome on Android
  1. Open Chrome.
  2. Tap More (the three dots), then the Incognito option (Google's page names it "Open in a new Incognito window"; on tablets, "New Incognito window").
  3. To stop: tap Switch tabs, open the Incognito tabs, and close them all.

Anyone who picks up the phone can open Incognito tabs left open, so close them all when you finish. Chrome can lock them: More, Settings, Privacy and security, "Lock Incognito windows when you leave Chrome".7

The official steps ↗ · checked Oct 18, 2026

Chrome on a computer
  1. Open Chrome.
  2. At the top right, select More, then New Incognito window. Or press Ctrl + Shift + N (Windows, ChromeOS) or ⌘ + Shift + N (Mac).
  3. To stop: close every Incognito window.

Downloads and bookmarks you save stay after you close it.7

The official steps ↗ · checked Oct 18, 2026

Safari on a Mac
  1. Open Safari.
  2. Choose File, then New Private Window. Its search field is dark.
  3. To stop: close the private window.

Any ordinary Safari windows open at the same time are not private. Delete anything you downloaded.8

The official steps ↗ · checked Oct 18, 2026

Removing a page from your history

Why one entry, not everything

Clearing your whole history could make someone more suspicious. Where it is safe, remove only the pages you want to keep private.23Official page ↗

Safari on iPhone
  1. Open Safari and go to the Start Page (or tap the Tabs button, then Add).
  2. Tap the History button, then the More button.
  3. Tap Select Websites and choose the ones to remove.
  4. Tap the Trash button.

10

The official steps ↗ · checked Oct 18, 2026

Chrome on Android
  1. Open Chrome.
  2. Tap More, then History.
  3. Find the entry and tap Remove beside it.

If Chrome is synced to a Google account, removing it here removes it on the other synced devices too.4

The official steps ↗ · checked Oct 18, 2026

Chrome on a computer
  1. Open Chrome.
  2. Select More, then History, then History.
  3. Check the box next to each page to remove.
  4. Select Delete, then Remove.

4

The official steps ↗ · checked Oct 18, 2026

Safari on a Mac

Apple's page opened today covers clearing history for a chosen period (History, Clear History), which also clears it on other devices using iCloud for Safari. Steps for removing a single page on a Mac were not confirmed on an Apple page, so none are given here.5Official page ↗

Searches you made

Google searches
  1. Go to myactivity.google.com while signed in.
  2. Find the search (you can filter by date).
  3. Select Delete on that item.

If you searched on Google while signed in, the search can be saved in the Google account even after you delete the browser's history or used a private tab signed in.46

The official steps ↗ · checked Oct 18, 2026

Safari and iCloud

Safari history, including recent searches, syncs across Apple devices that use iCloud for Safari, and clearing it on one clears it on all.5 We did not find an Apple page today describing searches kept in an Apple account apart from Safari, so we say nothing more about it.Official page ↗

Shared phones and computers

  • The safest device is one the other person has never had in their hands or connected to remotely: a friend's phone, or a library computer.23
  • Private browsing hides your visit from the device's history, but not from monitoring software, the network's owner (an employer or school), or whoever looks while the tab is open.7
  • Sign out of shared accounts (Google, social media) before you read here, or use a private tab.3
  • A phone can share its location and its call and text history. If you think it is being watched, the Hotline suggests having it checked for spyware or keeping a separate pay-as-you-go phone for private calls.1
  • This site stores nothing about you. It keeps only your light or dark theme choice and whether you closed a notice, on your device.

Help lines

Checked on Oct 18, 2026. Free and confidential.

  • Emergency services (911)

    911 · 24 hours

    Their site ↗

  • National Domestic Violence Hotline

    1-800-799-7233 (1-800-799-SAFE) · Text START to 88788 · Free. Confidential. 24/7.

    The Deaf Hotline, videophone 1-855-812-1001 (free, confidential, 24/7 ASL)

    Their site ↗

  • 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

    988 · Text 988 · available 24/7/365

    Deaf and hard-of-hearing options:

    Their site ↗

  • RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline

    1-800-656-4673 (800.656.HOPE) · Text HOPE to 64673 · free, confidential, 24/7 support in English and en Español

    Their site ↗

More help: What to do now →

Sources

  1. 1

    National Domestic Violence Hotline, "Internet Safety"

    Open: National Domestic Violence Hotline, "Internet Safety" ↗checked Oct 18, 2026
    Read the passage: source 1

    "Internet usage can be monitored and is impossible to erase completely." Cell phones can be used to track location and retrieve call and text history; if a partner may be monitoring the phone, consider having it checked for spyware at a service center, or a pay-as-you-go phone kept in a safe place for private calls.

  2. 2

    GOV.UK Design System, "Exit a page quickly" pattern

    Open: GOV.UK Design System, "Exit a page quickly" pattern ↗checked Oct 18, 2026
    Read the passage: source 2

    The page should tell the user that "their internet browsing history will not be erased, which can still put them at risk". Recommended basic steps: use a public device such as a library's, use private browsing, clear history. Warning: "clearing your history could make someone more suspicious"; "Try to only remove information about the websites you want to keep private."

  3. 3

    NNEDV Safety Net (techsafety.org), "Exit from this website quickly"

    Open: NNEDV Safety Net (techsafety.org), "Exit from this website quickly" ↗checked Oct 18, 2026
    Read the passage: source 3

    An escape button "is helpful only if someone is watching over your shoulder or enters a room". It "will not prevent the other person from going through your browser history or from knowing you were on that website if they are monitoring your device or internet activity remotely." Safest: use a device the person has never had physical or remote access to; sign out of other accounts such as Google first; use private mode; if it is safe, delete only the addresses you do not want stored.

  4. 4

    Google Chrome Help, "Check or delete your Chrome browsing history" (Computer and Android)

    Open: Google Chrome Help, "Check or delete your Chrome browsing history" (Computer and Android) ↗checked Oct 18, 2026
    Read the passage: source 4

    Deleting history in Chrome also deletes it on devices where you are signed in to Chrome with history synced to your Google Account; when synced, History also shows pages visited on other devices. Single items: Computer: More > History > History, check the box next to each site, Delete > Remove. Android: More > History, find the entry, tap Remove. Separately, Google search history is kept in the Google Account and deleted there.

  5. 5

    Apple, Safari User Guide for Mac, "Clear your browsing history in Safari on Mac"

    Open: Apple, Safari User Guide for Mac, "Clear your browsing history in Safari on Mac" ↗checked Oct 18, 2026
    Read the passage: source 5

    History > Clear History removes records for a chosen period. If the Mac and other Apple devices have iCloud set up for Safari, the history is removed from all of them. Downloaded files are not removed. Clearing does not clear histories kept by the websites themselves.

5 more sources, 6 to 10
  1. 6

    Google Account Help, "Delete your activity" (My Activity)

    Open: Google Account Help, "Delete your activity" (My Activity) ↗checked Oct 18, 2026
    Read the passage: source 6

    Searches and other activity saved in a Google Account are managed at myactivity.google.com, separately from the browser's history. A single item can be deleted (find it, click Delete on that item), or activity by date or product, or all activity.

  2. 7

    Google Chrome Help, "Browse in Incognito mode" (Computer and Android)

    Open: Google Chrome Help, "Browse in Incognito mode" (Computer and Android) ↗checked Oct 18, 2026
    Read the passage: source 7

    After an Incognito session ends, Chrome does not keep site data or a record of the sites visited, but it keeps bookmarks and downloaded files. Incognito "doesn't make you invisible": websites and organizations that manage the network (school, employer, internet provider) may see activity. Anyone using the device can open Incognito tabs left open. The session ends only when all Incognito windows or tabs are closed.

  3. 8

    Apple, Safari User Guide for Mac, "Browse privately in Safari on Mac"

    Open: Apple, Safari User Guide for Mac, "Browse privately in Safari on Mac" ↗checked Oct 18, 2026
    Read the passage: source 8

    In a private window the details of browsing are not saved and the sites visited are not shared with other Apple devices. Choose File > New Private Window; it has a dark Smart Search field. To stop, close the private window. Downloaded items stay until deleted. None of this applies to non-private windows that are also open.

  4. 9

    Apple Support, "Turn Private Browsing on or off on your iPhone" (105030, published May 5, 2026)

    Open: Apple Support, "Turn Private Browsing on or off on your iPhone" (105030, published May 5, 2026) ↗checked Oct 18, 2026
    Read the passage: source 9

    With Private Browsing, Safari will not remember the pages visited, search history or AutoFill. Turn on: open Safari, tap the More button, tap New Private Tab (iOS 17 and earlier: Tabs button, swipe to the Private tab group). The address bar turns black or dark. Turn off: More button, New Tab. Private tabs can be set to lock when the device locks.

  5. 10

    Apple Support, "Delete your Safari history, cache, and cookies on iPhone" (105082, published September 14, 2026)

    Open: Apple Support, "Delete your Safari history, cache, and cookies on iPhone" (105082, published September 14, 2026) ↗checked Oct 18, 2026
    Read the passage: source 10

    Delete a website from your history: open Safari, go to the Start Page, tap the History button, then the More button, tap Select Websites, select one or more, tap the Trash button. Clearing everything is in Settings > Apps > Safari > Clear History and Website Data.