The Windows registry is an organized database of operating system settings and options. That is, it stores Windows user preferences, including the addresses of sites that you view in Internet Explorer (IE). This information is stored in the registry in order to autocomplete the address as you type it in the IE address bar. To remove some or all of the saved addresses from the registry, use the regedit command.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Backing up the registry
Step 1. Log in as an administrator
If you are the only user of the computer, you are most likely logged in as an administrator; otherwise, create an administrator account (read the articles on creating accounts in Windows 7 / Vista and Windows 8).
Step 2. Start Registry Editor
To do this, press the Win key, type regedit in the search bar and press the ↵ Enter key. When prompted to change the computer settings, click Yes.
Step 3. Click "File"
In the opened registry editor window in the menu bar (top) click "File". A dropdown menu will open.
Step 4. Click "Export"
Creating a registry backup is copying all registry entries to a specific folder. Be aware that editing the registry incorrectly can crash the operating system. Therefore, you should back up your registry in case something goes wrong.
Step 5. Save a backup copy of the registry
Select the folder where the registry backup will be stored. Better to keep the folder in a safe place - it is not recommended to store backups on a USB flash drive or external hard drive.
Method 2 of 2: Editing the Registry
Step 1. Open the "Run" window
To do this, press the Win key, enter "run" in the search bar (without quotes) and press the ↵ Enter key. With the Run utility, you can quickly launch programs whose executable files are difficult to find, such as the Registry Editor.
Step 2. Start Registry Editor
To do this, in the Run window, type regedit and press ↵ Enter. When prompted to change the computer settings, click Yes.
Step 3. Double click on the "HKEY_CURRENT_USER" section
On the left side of the Registry Editor window, a list of keys with names starting with "HKEY" is displayed. Double click on the "HKEY_CURRENT_USER" section to expand it.
Step 4. Double click on the "Software" folder
The "HKEY_CURRENT_USER" section contains the "Software" folder; double click on this folder to open it.
If you cannot find the "Software" folder, press the "S" key until that folder is highlighted
Step 5. Double click on the "Microsoft" folder
The "Software" folder contains the "Microsoft" folder; double click on this folder to open it.
Step 6. Double click on the "Internet Explorer" folder
The Microsoft folder contains the Internet Explorer folder; double click on this folder to open it.
If you cannot find the "Internet Explorer" folder, press the "I" key until the folder is highlighted
Step 7. Click on the "TypedURLs" folder
The "Internet Explorer" folder contains the "TypedURLs" folder. Click on this folder to display a list of the URLs of the sites you visit. This information is stored in the registry in order to autocomplete the address as you type it in the Internet Explorer address bar.
If the list contains addresses of sites that you have never visited, most likely the registry has been modified by malware. Such programs edit the list of sites in order to redirect you to outside resources. For more information on protecting against malware, read this article
Step 8. Delete site addresses
You can delete specific addresses or groups of addresses. After deleting addresses, Internet Explorer will not display them in your browsing history and will not suggest them on autocomplete. You can delete all addresses, except for the first entry, which does not contain any addresses at all (this entry is needed by the registry for stable operation).
- To delete a specific address, right-click on the name of the entry (in the "Name" column) and select "Delete" from the menu. In the window that opens with a warning about deleting the registry entry, click "Yes".
- To delete multiple addresses, click and drag the mouse over the names of the corresponding entries (in the "Name" column). Then right-click on any highlighted entry and select "Delete" from the menu. In the window that opens with a warning about deleting the registry entry, click "Yes".
Warnings
- Be sure to back up the registry before making any changes to the registry.
- Do not delete registry entries unless you know what they are for. Remember that errors while editing the registry can lead to a crash and subsequent reinstallation of the system.