How to clear keyboard history?

By HotBotUpdated: August 8, 2024

Keyboard history can accumulate over time and may include sensitive information such as passwords, personal messages, or other confidential data. Clearing this history is essential for maintaining privacy and security. This comprehensive guide will cover various methods for clearing keyboard history on different devices and operating systems.

Clearing Keyboard History on Windows

Clear Individual Words

On Windows, you can clear individual autocomplete suggestions from the keyboard history by following these steps:

• Start typing the word you want to delete.
• Use the arrow keys to highlight the unwanted suggestion.
• Press Shift + Delete to remove the suggestion from the history.

Clear Entire Keyboard History

If you prefer to clear the entire keyboard history, follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app by pressing Win + I.
2. Navigate to Devices > Typing.
3. Scroll down to the Typing insights section.
4. Click on Clear typing history to erase all saved data.

Clearing Keyboard History on macOS

Clear Predictive Text History

To clear the predictive text history on macOS, follow these steps:

1. Open System Preferences from the Apple menu.
2. Select Keyboard.
3. Go to the Text tab.
4. Click the + button to add a new rule.
5. Enter a common word in the Replace field and leave the With field empty.
6. Click Add and then remove the rule. This action will reset the predictive text history.

Reset Keyboard Dictionary

For a more thorough approach, reset the keyboard dictionary by opening the Terminal and entering the following command:

defaults delete -g NSUserDictionaryReplacementItems

Clearing Keyboard History on Android

Clear Individual Words

To delete individual words from the keyboard history on Android:

• Start typing the word you want to delete.
• When the word appears in the suggestions, long press on it.
• Select Remove or Forget from the pop-up menu.

Clear Entire Keyboard History

To clear the entire keyboard history on Android, follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Navigate to System > Languages & input > Virtual keyboard.
3. Select your keyboard (e.g., Gboard).
4. Go to Dictionary > Delete learned words.
5. Confirm the action by entering the provided code.

Clearing Keyboard History on iOS

Reset Keyboard Dictionary

To reset the keyboard dictionary on iOS devices:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Navigate to General > Reset.
3. Select Reset Keyboard Dictionary.
4. Enter your passcode if prompted and confirm the action.

Clear Specific Words

Although iOS does not provide a straightforward way to delete specific words from the keyboard history, you can use the following workaround:

• Type the unwanted word in any text field.
• Long press the word and select Select.
• Tap Replace and choose a different word.
• Repeat this process several times to reduce the likelihood of the unwanted word appearing as a suggestion.

Clearing Keyboard History on Third-Party Keyboards

Gboard

To clear the keyboard history on Gboard:

1. Open the Gboard app.
2. Go to Settings > Advanced.
3. Select Delete learned words and data.
4. Enter the provided code to confirm the action.

SwiftKey

To clear the keyboard history on SwiftKey:

1. Open the SwiftKey app.
2. Go to Account > Data.
3. Tap Clear typing data and confirm the action.

Additional Tips for Managing Keyboard History

Regular Cleaning

Regularly clear your keyboard history to maintain privacy and ensure that the suggestions remain relevant to your current typing habits.

Use Incognito Mode

When typing sensitive information, consider using the incognito mode available on many virtual keyboards. This mode prevents the keyboard from saving any data during the session.

Keep Software Updated

Ensure that your operating system and keyboard apps are always up to date. Updates often include security patches and improvements that can help protect your data.

In the realm of digital privacy, the small steps we take today can significantly impact our security tomorrow.

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