# How do I tell Internet Explorer to stop autocompleting web addresses? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 2, 2003, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-tell-internet-explorer-to-stop-autocompleting-web-addresses/185849 "2003-07-02T19:38:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![constantine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3bc359/32.png) [@constantine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constantine)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-tell-internet-explorer-to-stop-autocompleting-web-addresses/185849/1 "2003-07-02T19:38:01Z")
I am running IE 5.2 on a Macintosh. When I start to type in a url on the Address line, IE “suggests” a completion for the address. I want to stop it from doing that. I went to preferences and deleted both the cash and the history, but it still seems to “remember” certain addresses that I’ve been to. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-tell-internet-explorer-to-stop-autocompleting-web-addresses/185849/2 "2003-07-02T19:40:40Z")
Tools \> Internet Options \> Content tab \> AutoComplete button. Check or uncheck options you want to use it for. ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_On\_My\_Sleeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/77aa72/32.png) [@Heart\_On\_My\_Sleeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_On_My_Sleeve)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-tell-internet-explorer-to-stop-autocompleting-web-addresses/185849/3 "2003-07-02T19:42:23Z")
I don’t think that will do it–I think that is for fields on a form, not the Address Line. I think you’re going to need to clear your History, then tell it not to keep any history…?? Try that and see. ---
**Author:** ![CaptainHenreh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b782af/32.png) [@CaptainHenreh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptainHenreh)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-tell-internet-explorer-to-stop-autocompleting-web-addresses/185849/4 "2003-07-02T19:45:30Z")
Nope. That won’t work, either. I know cuz I’ve tried it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-tell-internet-explorer-to-stop-autocompleting-web-addresses/185849/5 "2003-07-02T19:47:28Z")
Yes, it will. AutoComplete can be used for three things: web addresses in the address bar, information on forms, and usernames and passwords. Clearing your history has zero effect on the AutoComplete cache. Try it, I’ll wait. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-tell-internet-explorer-to-stop-autocompleting-web-addresses/185849/6 "2003-07-02T19:50:39Z")
1. Tell it to keep no history 2. Bookmark no sites. Really. It starts autocompleting anything you have in your Favorites list. ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_On\_My\_Sleeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/77aa72/32.png) [@Heart\_On\_My\_Sleeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_On_My_Sleeve)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-tell-internet-explorer-to-stop-autocompleting-web-addresses/185849/7 "2003-07-02T19:51:17Z")
I did leave out one step, your favorites will still complete unless you go to Explorer (on Mac)-\>Preferences-\>Web Browser-\>Browser Display and uncheck “Use Address AutoComplete”. Maybe I’m making what could be done in one fell swoop more cumbersome… ---
**Author:** ![constantine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3bc359/32.png) [@constantine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constantine)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-tell-internet-explorer-to-stop-autocompleting-web-addresses/185849/8 "2003-07-02T19:53:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Q.E.D. \* > \*\*Tools \> Internet Options \> Content tab \> AutoComplete button. Check or uncheck options you want to use it for. \*\* I’m not sure how to do this on the Macintosh version of IE. I went into Preferences \> Forms Autofill \> Forms Autocomplete and I checked the button to disable autocomplete. That doesn’t seem to work. This is sort of crazy. Is there some file I can manually delete form a preferences folder or something? ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_On\_My\_Sleeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/77aa72/32.png) [@Heart\_On\_My\_Sleeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_On_My_Sleeve)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-tell-internet-explorer-to-stop-autocompleting-web-addresses/185849/9 "2003-07-02T19:54:37Z")
Can I delete all my postings? 🙂 I think **Q.E.D.** IS right after all, but how you get there is a little different on the Mac (OSX). ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_On\_My\_Sleeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/77aa72/32.png) [@Heart\_On\_My\_Sleeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_On_My_Sleeve)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-tell-internet-explorer-to-stop-autocompleting-web-addresses/185849/10 "2003-07-02T19:56:05Z")
constantine, you will change this in this way Explorer-\>Preferences-\>Web Browser-\>Browser Display and uncheck “Use Address AutoComplete” ---
**Author:** ![constantine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3bc359/32.png) [@constantine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constantine)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-tell-internet-explorer-to-stop-autocompleting-web-addresses/185849/11 "2003-07-02T19:58:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Heart On My Sleeve \* > \*\*I did leave out one step, your favorites will still complete unless you go to Explorer (on Mac)-\>Preferences-\>Web Browser-\>Browser Display and uncheck “Use Address AutoComplete”. Maybe I’m making what could be done in one fell swoop more cumbersome… \*\* That did it. Thanks everyone! ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-tell-internet-explorer-to-stop-autocompleting-web-addresses/185849/12 "2003-07-02T20:05:29Z")
Kudos, Heart! I think that is the key point. We can probably ignore the rest. I used to love learning how to do new things with programs. Now I love learning how to turn off all of Microsoft’s helpful features.