Clear Firefox browsing history (URLs, downloads, bookmarks, visits, etc.)

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Works with any Linux distroWorks with any Linux distribution that can run bash scripts.

• Linux onlyThis script improves your privacy on Linux
• Single actionThis page belongs to a script, containing basic changes to achieve a task.
• Impact: High

  System Functionality / Data Loss Risk: High

  This action improves privacy with high impact when you run the recommended script.

• Bash (Shell script)These changes use Linux system commands to update your settings.
• Sudo/root requiredThis script requires privilege access to do the system changes
• Fully reversible

  You can fully restore this action (revert back to the original behavior) using this website.

  The restore/revert methods provided here can help you fix issues.

Overview

This script targets the Firefox browsing history, including URLs, downloads, bookmarks, and site visits, by deleting specific database entries.

Firefox stores various user data in a file named places.sqlite. This file includes:

• Annotations, bookmarks, and favorite icons (moz_anno_attributes, moz_annos, moz_favicons) ¹
• Browsing history, a record of pages visited (moz_places, moz_historyvisits) ¹
• Keywords and typed URLs (moz_keywords, moz_inputhistory) ¹
• Item annotations (moz_items_annos) ¹
• Bookmark roots such as places, menu, toolbar, tags, unfiled (moz_bookmarks_roots) ¹

The moz_places table holds URL data, connecting to various other tables like moz_annos, moz_bookmarks, moz_inputhistory, and moz_historyvisits ². Due to these connections, the script removes entries from all relevant tables simultaneously to maintain database integrity.

Bookmarks: Stored across several tables (moz_bookmarks, moz_bookmarks_folders, moz_bookmarks_roots) ³, with additional undocumented tables like moz_bookmarks_deleted ⁴.

Downloads: Stored in the 'places.sqlite' database, within the 'moz_annos' table ⁵. The entries in moz_annos are linked to moz_places that store the actual history entry (moz_places.id = moz_annos.place_id) ⁶. Associated URL information is stored within the 'moz_places' table ⁵. Downloads have been historically stored in downloads.rdf for Firefox 2.x and below ⁷, and downloads.sqlite later on ⁷.

Favicons: Older Firefox versions stored favicons in places.sqlite within the moz_favicons table ⁵, while newer versions use favicons.sqlite and the moz_icons table ⁵.

By executing this script, users can ensure their Firefox browsing history, bookmarks, and downloads are thoroughly removed, contributing to a cleaner and more private browsing experience.

Not Advised

This script should only be used by advanced users.

This script is not recommended for daily use as it breaks important functionality.

Consider creating a system backup before doing any changes.

Sources

PrivacyLearn.com maintains strict sourcing standards for accuracy, integrity and up-to-date content. Our content relies on authoritative sources including vendor documentation, industry standards, and verified research. Learn more about our verification process and quality standards in our editorial standards page.

• Places.sqlite - MozillaZine Knowledge Base. kb.mozillazine.org. (2022).
  Original: https://kb.mozillazine.org/Places.sqlite
  Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20221029141626/https://kb.mozillazine.org/Places.sqlite
• Places.sqlite.schema.pdf. Mozilla Wiki. (2022).
  Original: https://wiki.mozilla.org/images/0/08/Places.sqlite.schema.pdf
  Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20221030160803/https://wiki.mozilla.org/images/0/08/Places.sqlite.schema.pdf
• Places:BookmarksComments. MozillaWiki. wiki.mozilla.org. (2022).
  Original: https://wiki.mozilla.org/Places:BookmarksComments
  Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20221029145432/https://wiki.mozilla.org/Places:BookmarksComments
• Add a `moz_bookmarks_deleted` table for tombstones · Issue #514 · mozilla/application-services. GitHub. github.com. (2022).
  Original: https://github.com/mozilla/application-services/issues/514
  Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20221029145447/https://github.com/mozilla/application-services/issues/514
• Mozilla Firefox History Location. Firefox History Viewer. foxtonforensics.com. (2022).
  Original: https://www.foxtonforensics.com/browser-history-examiner/firefox-history-location
  Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20221029145535/https://www.foxtonforensics.com/browser-history-examiner/firefox-history-location
• Where does Firefox store SQLITE download history. Firefox Support Forum. Mozilla Support. support.mozilla.org. (2022).
  Original: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1319253
  Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20221029145550/https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1319253
• Downloads.rdf. MozillaZine Knowledge Base. kb.mozillazine.org. (2022).
  Original: https://kb.mozillazine.org/Downloads.rdf
  Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20221029145712/https://kb.mozillazine.org/Downloads.rdf

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• Free
• Open-source

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Help

How to apply or restore "Clear Firefox browsing history (URLs, downloads, bookmarks, visits, etc.)" using script

• ≈ 3 min to complete
• Tools: Web Browser
• Difficulty: Medium
• ≈ 5 instructions

1. 1

   Download

   Download the script file by clicking on the   Apply protection  button above.
   Use   Undo protection button above to restore changes.
2. 2

   Keep the file

   If warned by your browser, keep the file.
3. 3

   Open

   Open the downloaded file.
4. 4

   Exit

   Once it's done, press any key to exit the window.
5. 5

   Restart

   Restart your computer for all changes to take effect.

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• ≈ 3 min to complete
• Tools: privacy.sexy
• Difficulty: Simple
• ≈ 4 instructions

privacy.sexy is free and open-source application that lets securely apply this action easily with more advanced options.

1. 1

   Open or download

   Open or download the desktop application
2. 2

   Choose script

   1. Search for the script name: Clear Firefox browsing history (URLs, downloads, bookmarks, visits, etc.)
   2. Check the script by clicking on the checkbox.
3. 3

   Run

   Click on ▶️ Run button at the bottom of the page.

   This button only appears on desktop version (recommended). On browser, use 💾 Save button.

Run commands

Copy and run commands manually Requires technical knowledge

Apply

Apply changes

# Delete files matching pattern: "~/.mozilla/firefox/*/downloads.rdf"
if ! command -v 'python3' &> /dev/null; then
  echo 'Skipping because "python3" is not found.'
else
  python3 <<EOF
import glob
import os
path = '~/.mozilla/firefox/*/downloads.rdf'
expanded_path = os.path.expandvars(os.path.expanduser(path))
print(f'Deleting files matching pattern: {expanded_path}')
paths = glob.glob(expanded_path)
if not paths:
  print('Skipping, no paths found.')
for path in paths:
  if not os.path.isfile(path):
    print(f'Skipping folder: "{path}".')
    continue
  os.remove(path)
  print(f'Successfully delete file: "{path}".')
print(f'Successfully deleted {len(paths)} file(s).')
EOF
fi
# Delete files matching pattern: "~/.var/app/org.mozilla.firefox/.mozilla/firefox/*/downloads.rdf"
if ! command -v 'python3' &> /dev/null; then
  echo 'Skipping because "python3" is not found.'
else
  python3 <<EOF
import glob
import os
path = '~/.var/app/org.mozilla.firefox/.mozilla/firefox/*/downloads.rdf'
expanded_path = os.path.expandvars(os.path.expanduser(path))
print(f'Deleting files matching pattern: {expanded_path}')
paths = glob.glob(expanded_path)
if not paths:
  print('Skipping, no paths found.')
for path in paths:
  if not os.path.isfile(path):
    print(f'Skipping folder: "{path}".')
    continue
  os.remove(path)
  print(f'Successfully delete file: "{path}".')
print(f'Successfully deleted {len(paths)} file(s).')
EOF
fi
# Delete files matching pattern: "~/snap/firefox/common/.mozilla/firefox/*/downloads.rdf"
if ! command -v 'python3' &> /dev/null; then
  echo 'Skipping because "python3" is not found.'
else
  python3 <<EOF
import glob
import os
path = '~/snap/firefox/common/.mozilla/firefox/*/downloads.rdf'
expanded_path = os.path.expandvars(os.path.expanduser(path))
print(f'Deleting files matching pattern: {expanded_path}')
paths = glob.glob(expanded_path)
if not paths:
  print('Skipping, no paths found.')
for path in paths:
  if not os.path.isfile(path):
    print(f'Skipping folder: "{path}".')
    continue
  os.remove(path)
  print(f'Successfully delete file: "{path}".')
print(f'Successfully deleted {len(paths)} file(s).')
EOF
fi
# Delete files matching pattern: "~/.mozilla/firefox/*/downloads.sqlite"
if ! command -v 'python3' &> /dev/null; then
  echo 'Skipping because "python3" is not found.'
else
  python3 <<EOF
import glob
import os
path = '~/.mozilla/firefox/*/downloads.sqlite'
expanded_path = os.path.expandvars(os.path.expanduser(path))
print(f'Deleting files matching pattern: {expanded_path}')
paths = glob.glob(expanded_path)
if not paths:
  print('Skipping, no paths found.')
for path in paths:
  if not os.path.isfile(path):
    print(f'Skipping folder: "{path}".')
    continue
  os.remove(path)
  print(f'Successfully delete file: "{path}".')
print(f'Successfully deleted {len(paths)} file(s).')
EOF
fi
# Delete files matching pattern: "~/.var/app/org.mozilla.firefox/.mozilla/firefox/*/downloads.sqlite"
if ! command -v 'python3' &> /dev/null; then
  echo 'Skipping because "python3" is not found.'
else
  python3 <<EOF
import glob
import os
path = '~/.var/app/org.mozilla.firefox/.mozilla/firefox/*/downloads.sqlite'
expanded_path = os.path.expandvars(os.path.expanduser(path))
print(f'Deleting files matching pattern: {expanded_path}')
paths = glob.glob(expanded_path)
if not paths:
  print('Skipping, no paths found.')
for path in paths:
  if not os.path.isfile(path):
    print(f'Skipping folder: "{path}".')
    continue
  os.remove(path)
  print(f'Successfully delete file: "{path}".')
print(f'Successfully deleted {len(paths)} file(s).')
EOF
fi
# Delete files matching pattern: "~/snap/firefox/common/.mozilla/firefox/*/downloads.sqlite"
if ! command -v 'python3' &> /dev/null; then
  echo 'Skipping because "python3" is not found.'
else
  python3 <<EOF
import glob
import os
path = '~/snap/firefox/common/.mozilla/firefox/*/downloads.sqlite'
expanded_path = os.path.expandvars(os.path.expanduser(path))
print(f'Deleting files matching pattern: {expanded_path}')
paths = glob.glob(expanded_path)
if not paths:
  print('Skipping, no paths found.')
for path in paths:
  if not os.path.isfile(path):
    print(f'Skipping folder: "{path}".')
    continue
  os.remove(path)
  print(f'Successfully delete file: "{path}".')
print(f'Successfully deleted {len(paths)} file(s).')
EOF
fi
# Delete files matching pattern: "~/.mozilla/firefox/*/places.sqlite"
if ! command -v 'python3' &> /dev/null; then
  echo 'Skipping because "python3" is not found.'
else
  python3 <<EOF
import glob
import os
path = '~/.mozilla/firefox/*/places.sqlite'
expanded_path = os.path.expandvars(os.path.expanduser(path))
print(f'Deleting files matching pattern: {expanded_path}')
paths = glob.glob(expanded_path)
if not paths:
  print('Skipping, no paths found.')
for path in paths:
  if not os.path.isfile(path):
    print(f'Skipping folder: "{path}".')
    continue
  os.remove(path)
  print(f'Successfully delete file: "{path}".')
print(f'Successfully deleted {len(paths)} file(s).')
EOF
fi
# Delete files matching pattern: "~/.var/app/org.mozilla.firefox/.mozilla/firefox/*/places.sqlite"
if ! command -v 'python3' &> /dev/null; then
  echo 'Skipping because "python3" is not found.'
else
  python3 <<EOF
import glob
import os
path = '~/.var/app/org.mozilla.firefox/.mozilla/firefox/*/places.sqlite'
expanded_path = os.path.expandvars(os.path.expanduser(path))
print(f'Deleting files matching pattern: {expanded_path}')
paths = glob.glob(expanded_path)
if not paths:
  print('Skipping, no paths found.')
for path in paths:
  if not os.path.isfile(path):
    print(f'Skipping folder: "{path}".')
    continue
  os.remove(path)
  print(f'Successfully delete file: "{path}".')
print(f'Successfully deleted {len(paths)} file(s).')
EOF
fi
# Delete files matching pattern: "~/snap/firefox/common/.mozilla/firefox/*/places.sqlite"
if ! command -v 'python3' &> /dev/null; then
  echo 'Skipping because "python3" is not found.'
else
  python3 <<EOF
import glob
import os
path = '~/snap/firefox/common/.mozilla/firefox/*/places.sqlite'
expanded_path = os.path.expandvars(os.path.expanduser(path))
print(f'Deleting files matching pattern: {expanded_path}')
paths = glob.glob(expanded_path)
if not paths:
  print('Skipping, no paths found.')
for path in paths:
  if not os.path.isfile(path):
    print(f'Skipping folder: "{path}".')
    continue
  os.remove(path)
  print(f'Successfully delete file: "{path}".')
print(f'Successfully deleted {len(paths)} file(s).')
EOF
fi
# Delete files matching pattern: "~/.mozilla/firefox/*/favicons.sqlite"
if ! command -v 'python3' &> /dev/null; then
  echo 'Skipping because "python3" is not found.'
else
  python3 <<EOF
import glob
import os
path = '~/.mozilla/firefox/*/favicons.sqlite'
expanded_path = os.path.expandvars(os.path.expanduser(path))
print(f'Deleting files matching pattern: {expanded_path}')
paths = glob.glob(expanded_path)
if not paths:
  print('Skipping, no paths found.')
for path in paths:
  if not os.path.isfile(path):
    print(f'Skipping folder: "{path}".')
    continue
  os.remove(path)
  print(f'Successfully delete file: "{path}".')
print(f'Successfully deleted {len(paths)} file(s).')
EOF
fi
# Delete files matching pattern: "~/.var/app/org.mozilla.firefox/.mozilla/firefox/*/favicons.sqlite"
if ! command -v 'python3' &> /dev/null; then
  echo 'Skipping because "python3" is not found.'
else
  python3 <<EOF
import glob
import os
path = '~/.var/app/org.mozilla.firefox/.mozilla/firefox/*/favicons.sqlite'
expanded_path = os.path.expandvars(os.path.expanduser(path))
print(f'Deleting files matching pattern: {expanded_path}')
paths = glob.glob(expanded_path)
if not paths:
  print('Skipping, no paths found.')
for path in paths:
  if not os.path.isfile(path):
    print(f'Skipping folder: "{path}".')
    continue
  os.remove(path)
  print(f'Successfully delete file: "{path}".')
print(f'Successfully deleted {len(paths)} file(s).')
EOF
fi
# Delete files matching pattern: "~/snap/firefox/common/.mozilla/firefox/*/favicons.sqlite"
if ! command -v 'python3' &> /dev/null; then
  echo 'Skipping because "python3" is not found.'
else
  python3 <<EOF
import glob
import os
path = '~/snap/firefox/common/.mozilla/firefox/*/favicons.sqlite'
expanded_path = os.path.expandvars(os.path.expanduser(path))
print(f'Deleting files matching pattern: {expanded_path}')
paths = glob.glob(expanded_path)
if not paths:
  print('Skipping, no paths found.')
for path in paths:
  if not os.path.isfile(path):
    print(f'Skipping folder: "{path}".')
    continue
  os.remove(path)
  print(f'Successfully delete file: "{path}".')
print(f'Successfully deleted {len(paths)} file(s).')
EOF
fi

Revert

Restore changes

IiI=

Help

How to apply or restore "Clear Firefox browsing history (URLs, downloads, bookmarks, visits, etc.)" using commands

• ≈ 2 min to complete
• Tools: Terminal
• Difficulty: Medium
• ≈ 3 instructions

1. 1

   Open terminal

   Open your terminal application.
2. 2

   Copy code

   Copy the code:

   Copy Apply Code Copy Revert Code
3. 3

   Paste & run

   Paste the commands into terminal application and press Enter to run.

   Some changes require a system restart to take effect

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About the Creators

These people have authored this documentation and written its scripts:

• 

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• Open-Source Contributors

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About Us

Reviewed By

This guide has undergone comprehensive auditing and peer review:

• Expert review by undergroundwires

  • Verified technical accuracy and editorial standards
  • Assessed system impact and user privacy risks

• Public review by large community

  • Privacy enthusiasts and professionals peer-reviewed
  • Millions of end-users tested across different environments

History

We continually monitor our guides, their impact and all other privacy options. We update our guides when new information becomes available. On every update, we publicly store who made the change, what has been changed, why the change was made and when the change was made.

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