browsingData

Enables extensions to clear the data that is accumulated while the user is browsing.

In the browsingData API, browsing data is divided into types:

  • browser cache
  • cookies
  • downloads
  • history
  • plugin data
  • saved form data
  • saved passwords

You can use the browsingData.remove() function to remove any combination of these types. There are also dedicated functions to remove each particular type of data, such as removePasswords(), removeHistory() and so on.

All the browsingData.remove[X]() functions take a browsingData.RemovalOptions object, which you can use to control two further aspects of data removal:

  • how far back in time to remove data
  • whether to remove data only from normal web pages, or also from hosted web apps and add-ons. Note that this option is not yet supported in Firefox.

Finally, this API gives you a browsingData.settings() function that gives you the current value of the settings for the browser's built-in "Clear History" feature.

To use this API you must have the "browsingData" API permission.

Types

browsingData.DataTypeSet
Object used to specify the type of data to remove: for example, history, downloads, passwords, and so on.
browsingData.RemovalOptions
Object used to specify how far back in time to remove data, and whether to remove data added through normal web browsing, by hosted apps, or by add-ons.

Methods

browsingData.remove()
Removes browsing data for the data types specified.
browsingData.removeCache()
Clears the browser's cache.
browsingData.removeCookies()
Removes cookies.
browsingData.removeDownloads()
Removes the list of downloaded files.
browsingData.removeFormData()
Clears saved form data.
browsingData.removeHistory()
Clears the browser's history.
browsingData.removePasswords()
Clears saved passwords.
browsingData.removePluginData()
Clears data associated with plugins.
browsingData.settings()
Gets the current value of settings in the browser's "Clear History" feature.

Browser compatibility

ChromeEdgeFirefoxFirefox for AndroidOpera
DataTypeSetYesNo53NoYes
RemovalOptionsYesNo53 *NoYes
removeYesNo53 *NoYes
removeCacheYesNo53 *NoYes
removeCookiesYesNo53 *NoYes
removeDownloadsYesNo53 *NoYes
removeFormDataYesNo53 *NoYes
removeHistoryYesNo53 *NoYes
removePasswordsYesNo53 *NoYes
removePluginDataYesNo53 *NoYes
settingsYesNo53NoYes

Example extensions

Acknowledgements

This API is based on Chromium's chrome.browsingData API.

Microsoft Edge compatibility data is supplied by Microsoft Corporation and is included here under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.

Document Tags and Contributors

 Contributors to this page: andrewtruongmoz, wbamberg
 Last updated by: andrewtruongmoz,