This page explains what the Quick Exit button does, and what it does not do. It also covers how to clear what your browser remembers, and how to browse without leaving a record.
How Quick Exit works
The Quick Exit button sits in the bottom-right corner of every page. You can also press the Esc key three times quickly.
- This tab is sent straight to a weather site, and this site is removed from that tab’s back button.
- A second tab opens on the same weather site, so there is something ordinary on screen.
- Quick Exit does not erase your browser history. Anything you visited before is still saved until you clear it.
Clearing your browser history
Chrome
- Open the three-dot menu in the top-right corner.
- Choose History, then History again.
- Select Delete browsing data (older versions say Clear browsing data).
- Set the time range, tick Browsing history, then confirm.
- To remove single entries instead, tick the boxes next to those pages in the history list and choose Delete.
Safari
- On a Mac: open the History menu, then Clear History, and pick a time range.
- On an iPhone or iPad: open Settings, scroll to Safari, then tap Clear History and Website Data.
- To remove single entries on a Mac, open History then Show All History, right-click a page and choose Delete.
Firefox
- Open the menu button with three lines in the top-right corner.
- Choose History, then Clear recent history.
- Set the time range, tick Browsing and download history, then confirm.
- To remove single entries, open History then Manage history, right-click a page and choose Delete Page.
Clearing everything from a set time range looks less unusual than deleting a few specific pages. If someone checks the history and finds one gap, that gap can raise questions on its own.
Private and incognito browsing
A private window does not save history, cookies, or form entries on the device once you close it. Open one before you visit, and close it when you are done.
- Chrome: three-dot menu, then New Incognito window. Shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+N, or Command+Shift+N on a Mac.
- Safari: File menu, then New Private Window. On iPhone, tap the tabs button and switch to Private.
- Firefox: menu button, then New private window. Shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+P, or Command+Shift+P on a Mac.
Private browsing hides your activity from other people using the same device. It does not hide it from monitoring software installed on the device, from the person who pays for the internet service, or from an employer’s network.
If you think your device is being watched
Monitoring software can record everything typed on a phone or computer, including anything you delete afterwards. If that is a possibility, the safest step is to use a different device rather than to clean up this one.
- A public library computer. Library staff can help you get started and do not need to know why.
- A computer at a community centre, shelter, health clinic, or school.
- A phone or laptop belonging to someone you trust, who is not connected to the person you are worried about.
- A phone that is not on a shared family plan, and is not linked to shared cloud or location sharing.
Changing settings on a monitored device can be noticed. If you are unsure, reach out from a safer device first and ask someone to help you plan.
Getting help now
- 911 — if you are in immediate danger.
- National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888 — free, confidential, 24 hours a day, with interpreters available.
- Text BeFree to 233733 — if a call is not safe or not possible.
Calls and texts appear in your phone records. If someone else can see those records, a public phone or a phone belonging to someone you trust is safer.