# Can you edit the 'autocomplete' file? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 6, 2005, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-edit-the-autocomplete-file/283311 "2005-01-06T00:37:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2005, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-edit-the-autocomplete-file/283311/1 "2005-01-06T00:37:04Z")
Or whatever it should be called correctly. You know, you’re filling out a form and after you enter a letter or two a box with suggested answers comes up? Well, over time, do to finger fumbleness, my most commonly used suggestions include all sorts of stupid typo’ed versions of my name, email address and so forth. I assume these ‘answers’ live in a file somewhere – can I find it and just delete the bad answers? If not, can I find the file and delete it, period? I’d rather start afresh than look at all my stupid typoes each time. (WinXP home, btw.) ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2005, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-edit-the-autocomplete-file/283311/2 "2005-01-06T00:48:05Z")
That is most likely a feature of your Web browser, if you’re using MS Internet Explorer. Here are the relevant instructions from the IE help file: > [@](#): > > To delete Autocomplete entries from the Address bar list > > The AutoComplete feature saves previous entries you’ve made for Web addresses, forms, and passwords. To delete entries from the Address bar, you must clear your History folder. You cannot clear individual entries from the list of saved entries. > > On the Tools menu in Internet Explorer, click Internet Options. > Click the General tab. > Under History, click Clear History. > Notes > > When typing information in Web forms, and typing passwords, you can remove an item from the list of suggestions by clicking the item and then pressing the DELETE key. > For Help on an item, click at the top of the dialog box, and then click the item. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2005, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-edit-the-autocomplete-file/283311/3 "2005-01-06T05:21:31Z")
Aha, I should have guessed it was in IE… Thanks for the help, **Boyo Jim.** ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2005, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-edit-the-autocomplete-file/283311/4 "2005-01-06T05:40:06Z")
If you only want to delete specific ones, double click the field to bring up your available choices. Arrow-down to the option you want to delete, and press the “Delete” button. One way of cleaning up the typos. ---
**Author:** ![Jurph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/50afbb/32.png) [@Jurph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurph)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2005, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-edit-the-autocomplete-file/283311/5 "2005-01-06T06:36:43Z")
> [@TellMeI'mNotCrazy](#): > > One way of cleaning up the typos. “Heh-heh, yeah, honey! It’s the craziest thing… I was searching for your cousin’s LiveJournal and accidentally googled for ‘Jenna Jameson bent over a leather sofa’ – what are the odds?” 😃