I recently had my domain account blocked and now the IT team needs to inspect my computer. I have some items in my browser history that I would prefer not to be seen. I am able to access the local administrator account and can modify the local files of my domain account, but I am unable to open the browser to delete the history in the normal way (I tried using the "runas" command with the "/domain\user" flag and opening Firefox, but it did not work).
Is there a way for an administrator to delete a user’s browser history, or is there a specific file that stores the history that I could delete? The browser I am using is Firefox on a Windows operating system.
3 Answers
Introduction
When it comes to browsing the internet, users leave behind a trail of their activities in the form of browsing history. This history can reveal a lot about a person’s online activities, and in some cases, it can be necessary to delete this history. However, what happens when a user is unable to access their browser to delete their history? In this blog post, we will explore the process of deleting another user’s browser history, specifically in the case of Firefox on a Windows operating system.
Understanding Browser History on Windows 10
Before we dive into the process of deleting another user’s browser history, let’s take a moment to understand how browser history works on Windows 10. When a user visits a website, their browser stores information about that visit, including the URL, the date and time of the visit, and any cookies or cached data associated with the site. This information is stored in a file on the user’s computer, typically located in the user’s profile folder.
In the case of Firefox on Windows 10, the browsing history is stored in a file named “places.sqlite.” This file is located in the user’s profile folder, specifically in the “AppDataRoamingMozillaFirefoxProfiles” folder. Each user on a Windows 10 computer has their own profile folder, which contains their browsing history, bookmarks, and other browser data.
Deleting Another User’s Browser History
Now that we understand how browser history works on Windows 10, let’s explore the process of deleting another user’s browser history. In the case of Firefox, we can delete the browsing history by deleting the “places.sqlite” file from the user’s profile folder. However, accessing another user’s profile folder can be challenging, especially if the user’s account is password-protected or blocked.
One approach to accessing another user’s profile folder is to use an administrator account. If you have access to an administrator account on the computer, you can use it to navigate to the user’s profile folder and delete the “places.sqlite” file. Here are the steps to follow:
1. Log in to the computer using an administrator account.
2. Navigate to the user’s profile folder by opening File Explorer and navigating to “C:Users[username]” (replace “[username]” with the name of the user’s account).
3. Once you are in the user’s profile folder, navigate to the “AppDataRoamingMozillaFirefoxProfiles” folder.
4. Locate the “places.sqlite” file and delete it.
5. Close File Explorer and log out of the administrator account.
It’s important to note that deleting the “places.sqlite” file will delete all of the user’s browsing history, bookmarks, and other browser data. If you only want to delete specific items from the user’s browsing history, you can use a third-party tool like CCleaner to selectively delete items from the history.
Alternative Methods for Deleting Browser History
While deleting the “places.sqlite” file is an effective way to delete another user’s browser history, there are other methods you can use as well. One approach is to use a command-line tool like PowerShell to delete the file. Here are the steps to follow:
1. Log in to the computer using an administrator account.
2. Open PowerShell by typing “powershell” into the Start menu and selecting “Windows PowerShell” from the search results.
3. In the PowerShell window, navigate to the user’s profile folder by typing “cd C:Users[username]AppDataRoamingMozillaFirefoxProfiles” (replace “[username]” with the name of the user’s account).
4. Once you are in the user’s profile folder, type “del places.sqlite” to delete the file.
5. Close PowerShell and log out of the administrator account.
Another approach is to use a remote access tool like TeamViewer to access the user’s account and delete the browsing history. This approach requires that the user’s account is not password-protected and that remote access is enabled on the computer. Here are the steps to follow:
1. Install TeamViewer on the computer and log in to the administrator account.
2. Open TeamViewer and select “Remote Control” from the main menu.
3. Enter the user’s computer name or IP address and click “Connect.”
4. If prompted, enter the user’s login credentials to access their account.
5. Once you are in the user’s account, navigate to the Firefox profile folder and delete the “places.sqlite” file.
6. Close TeamViewer and log out of the administrator account.
Conclusion
Deleting another user’s browser history can be a challenging task, but with the right tools and techniques, it is possible. In the case of Firefox on a Windows operating system, we can delete the browsing history by deleting the “places.sqlite” file from the user’s profile folder. Alternately, we can use PowerShell or a remote access tool like TeamViewer to access the user’s account and delete the history. It’s important to remember that deleting the browsing history will delete all of the user’s browser data, so use caution when deleting files.
As an administrator, you should be able to delete another user’s browser history by following these steps:
- Log in to the local administrator account.
- Open the Firefox browser.
- Type “about:profiles” into the address bar and press Enter.
- Click on the “Open Folder” button next to the profile that you want to delete the history for.
- Close Firefox.
- Navigate to the folder that you just opened and delete the “places.sqlite” file. This file contains the browsing history for the profile.
- Restart Firefox and the browsing history should now be deleted.
Note: These steps will only work if you are using Firefox version 78 or later. If you are using an earlier version of Firefox, the browsing history is stored in a file called “history.dat” which is located in the same folder as “places.sqlite”. You can delete this file to clear the history for the profile.
The Firefox browser stores its history in the profile folder located at: C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\something.default
There may be two relevant files:
places.sqlite, which contains the browsing historyformhistory.sqlite, which contains form data history
To keep certain information private, you can save and delete the relevant file(s) and return them after the computer has been fixed.