如何在High Sierra系统中找回隐私浏览历史？

Hey there, let's dive into this—private browsing (whether Safari's Private Mode, Chrome's Incognito, etc.) is built to not save your browsing history by default once you close the window, but there are a few scenarios where you might still dig up traces, depending on your situation.

If You Haven't Closed the Private Window Yet #

This is the easy win:

• Safari: In the open private window, click the History menu at the top of your screen. Even in Private Browsing, the session's history is temporarily stored while the window is active—you'll see every site you visited here.
• Chrome/Firefox: Use the keyboard shortcuts (Cmd+Y for Chrome, Cmd+Shift+H for Firefox) to open the history panel within the private/incognito window. This history vanishes as soon as you close the window, so act fast.

If You Already Closed the Private Window #

This is trickier, but here are some potential methods worth trying:

1. Check Safari's Cache Files #

High Sierra stores temporary cache data that might include fragments of private browsing activity. Here's how to access it:

• Open Finder, press Cmd+Shift+G, and paste this path: ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari
• Look for files named Cache.db or WebKitCache.db. You can use a SQLite viewer (like DB Browser for SQLite) to open these files and search for URLs. Keep in mind: these caches get cleared automatically over time, so if too much has passed, this might not work.

2. Inspect Your Mac's DNS Cache #

Your system's DNS cache keeps track of recent domain lookups, even from private browsing sessions. To view it:

• Open Terminal (found in Applications > Utilities)
• Run this command:

  sudo dscacheutil -q host
  

• Enter your admin password when prompted. You'll get a list of recently accessed domains—this won't give you full URLs, but it might jog your memory about which sites you visited.

3. Try Data Recovery Tools #

Third-party macOS data recovery apps (like Disk Drill or Data Rescue) can scan your drive for deleted or temporary files that might include private browsing traces. A critical note: stop using your Mac right away if you want the best chance of recovery—new files can overwrite the data you're trying to find. Success isn't guaranteed, but it's worth a shot if the other methods fail.

Key Things to Remember #

• Private browsing is designed to prevent history from being persisted, so there's no surefire way to recover it if the window was closed and caches have been cleared.
• For future reference: if you find a work-critical site in private mode, bookmark it (bookmarks are saved to your regular list even in private mode) or jot down the URL immediately—saves you from this hassle later!

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者christy