why deleting bash history is not enough?
I used to think deleting my bash history was enough to clear my bash history, but yesterday my cat was messing around the right side of my keyboard and when I got back into my computer I saw something I typed a month ago, then I started to press all the keys like crazy looking for what could've triggered it. Turns out UPARROW key shows my bash history even after deleting .bash_history.
How can I delete my bash history for real?
linux bash bashrc
asked Jan 13 '18 at 13:58
bundenbunden
8818
|
show 1 more comment
I used to think deleting my bash history was enough to clear my bash history, but yesterday my cat was messing around the right side of my keyboard and when I got back into my computer I saw something I typed a month ago, then I started to press all the keys like crazy looking for what could've triggered it. Turns out UPARROW key shows my bash history even after deleting .bash_history.
How can I delete my bash history for real?
linux bash bashrc
asked Jan 13 '18 at 13:58
bundenbunden
8818
8
.bash_history is overwritten every time you close a bash shell. So if you start bash, delete .bash_history, and log off, you'll have accomplished exactly nothing.
– Shadur
Jan 13 '18 at 14:05
12
Your cat deserves a huge reward. You've been using bash for how long without discovering it has command-line recall and editing? Do you just retype every command line from scratch every time or something? That would make the shell very unpleasant to use.
– cas
Jan 14 '18 at 3:57
@cas ten years. Now that you say it I press Uparrow to repeat commands, but I understood it as kind of a 'short term' memory no more than a few lines long. I wasn't warned that deleting .bash_history won't delete bash history.
– bunden
Jan 14 '18 at 15:31
Deleting~/.bash_historyreally does delete~/.bash_history....but (unless you take steps to prevent it, like clearing the in-memory history by runninghistory -cjust before you logout or settingHISTFILE=/dev/nullor justunseting it) bash will just save its current history again when it exits. BTW, theHISTSIZEenv var tells bash how many lines of history to keep in memory, andHISTFILESIZEtells bash the maximum number of history lines to save. both of these can be set in, e.g., your~/.bashrc. PS: your cat deserves a 2nd reward for teaching you a valuable lesson :)
– cas
Jan 14 '18 at 16:14
@cas I think deleting .bash_history should delete bash history. It seems intuitive to me. What it doesn't seem intituive is history -c, history -w, unsetting variables.. that's nuts from the user experience perspective.
– bunden
Jan 14 '18 at 16:51
|
show 1 more comment
I used to think deleting my bash history was enough to clear my bash history, but yesterday my cat was messing around the right side of my keyboard and when I got back into my computer I saw something I typed a month ago, then I started to press all the keys like crazy looking for what could've triggered it. Turns out UPARROW key shows my bash history even after deleting .bash_history.
How can I delete my bash history for real?
linux bash bashrc
asked Jan 13 '18 at 13:58
bundenbunden
8818
I used to think deleting my bash history was enough to clear my bash history, but yesterday my cat was messing around the right side of my keyboard and when I got back into my computer I saw something I typed a month ago, then I started to press all the keys like crazy looking for what could've triggered it. Turns out UPARROW key shows my bash history even after deleting .bash_history.
How can I delete my bash history for real?
linux bash bashrc
linux bash bashrc
asked Jan 13 '18 at 13:58
bundenbunden
8818
asked Jan 13 '18 at 13:58
bundenbunden
8818
asked Jan 13 '18 at 13:58
bundenbunden
8818
asked Jan 13 '18 at 13:58
bundenbunden
8818
asked Jan 13 '18 at 13:58
bundenbunden
8818
8818
8
.bash_history is overwritten every time you close a bash shell. So if you start bash, delete .bash_history, and log off, you'll have accomplished exactly nothing.
– Shadur
Jan 13 '18 at 14:05
12
Your cat deserves a huge reward. You've been using bash for how long without discovering it has command-line recall and editing? Do you just retype every command line from scratch every time or something? That would make the shell very unpleasant to use.
– cas
Jan 14 '18 at 3:57
@cas ten years. Now that you say it I press Uparrow to repeat commands, but I understood it as kind of a 'short term' memory no more than a few lines long. I wasn't warned that deleting .bash_history won't delete bash history.
– bunden
Jan 14 '18 at 15:31
Deleting~/.bash_historyreally does delete~/.bash_history....but (unless you take steps to prevent it, like clearing the in-memory history by runninghistory -cjust before you logout or settingHISTFILE=/dev/nullor justunseting it) bash will just save its current history again when it exits. BTW, theHISTSIZEenv var tells bash how many lines of history to keep in memory, andHISTFILESIZEtells bash the maximum number of history lines to save. both of these can be set in, e.g., your~/.bashrc. PS: your cat deserves a 2nd reward for teaching you a valuable lesson :)
– cas
Jan 14 '18 at 16:14
@cas I think deleting .bash_history should delete bash history. It seems intuitive to me. What it doesn't seem intituive is history -c, history -w, unsetting variables.. that's nuts from the user experience perspective.
– bunden
Jan 14 '18 at 16:51
|
show 1 more comment
8
.bash_history is overwritten every time you close a bash shell. So if you start bash, delete .bash_history, and log off, you'll have accomplished exactly nothing.
– Shadur
Jan 13 '18 at 14:05
12
Your cat deserves a huge reward. You've been using bash for how long without discovering it has command-line recall and editing? Do you just retype every command line from scratch every time or something? That would make the shell very unpleasant to use.
– cas
Jan 14 '18 at 3:57
@cas ten years. Now that you say it I press Uparrow to repeat commands, but I understood it as kind of a 'short term' memory no more than a few lines long. I wasn't warned that deleting .bash_history won't delete bash history.
– bunden
Jan 14 '18 at 15:31
Deleting~/.bash_historyreally does delete~/.bash_history....but (unless you take steps to prevent it, like clearing the in-memory history by runninghistory -cjust before you logout or settingHISTFILE=/dev/nullor justunseting it) bash will just save its current history again when it exits. BTW, theHISTSIZEenv var tells bash how many lines of history to keep in memory, andHISTFILESIZEtells bash the maximum number of history lines to save. both of these can be set in, e.g., your~/.bashrc. PS: your cat deserves a 2nd reward for teaching you a valuable lesson :)
– cas
Jan 14 '18 at 16:14
@cas I think deleting .bash_history should delete bash history. It seems intuitive to me. What it doesn't seem intituive is history -c, history -w, unsetting variables.. that's nuts from the user experience perspective.
– bunden
Jan 14 '18 at 16:51
8
8
.bash_history is overwritten every time you close a bash shell. So if you start bash, delete .bash_history, and log off, you'll have accomplished exactly nothing.
– Shadur
Jan 13 '18 at 14:05
.bash_history is overwritten every time you close a bash shell. So if you start bash, delete .bash_history, and log off, you'll have accomplished exactly nothing.
– Shadur
Jan 13 '18 at 14:05
12
12
Your cat deserves a huge reward. You've been using bash for how long without discovering it has command-line recall and editing? Do you just retype every command line from scratch every time or something? That would make the shell very unpleasant to use.
– cas
Jan 14 '18 at 3:57
Your cat deserves a huge reward. You've been using bash for how long without discovering it has command-line recall and editing? Do you just retype every command line from scratch every time or something? That would make the shell very unpleasant to use.
– cas
Jan 14 '18 at 3:57
@cas ten years. Now that you say it I press Uparrow to repeat commands, but I understood it as kind of a 'short term' memory no more than a few lines long. I wasn't warned that deleting .bash_history won't delete bash history.
– bunden
Jan 14 '18 at 15:31
@cas ten years. Now that you say it I press Uparrow to repeat commands, but I understood it as kind of a 'short term' memory no more than a few lines long. I wasn't warned that deleting .bash_history won't delete bash history.
– bunden
Jan 14 '18 at 15:31
Deleting
~/.bash_history really does delete ~/.bash_history....but (unless you take steps to prevent it, like clearing the in-memory history by running history -c just before you logout or setting HISTFILE=/dev/null or just unseting it) bash will just save its current history again when it exits. BTW, the HISTSIZE env var tells bash how many lines of history to keep in memory, and HISTFILESIZE tells bash the maximum number of history lines to save. both of these can be set in, e.g., your ~/.bashrc. PS: your cat deserves a 2nd reward for teaching you a valuable lesson :)– cas
Jan 14 '18 at 16:14
Deleting
~/.bash_history really does delete ~/.bash_history....but (unless you take steps to prevent it, like clearing the in-memory history by running history -c just before you logout or setting HISTFILE=/dev/null or just unseting it) bash will just save its current history again when it exits. BTW, the HISTSIZE env var tells bash how many lines of history to keep in memory, and HISTFILESIZE tells bash the maximum number of history lines to save. both of these can be set in, e.g., your ~/.bashrc. PS: your cat deserves a 2nd reward for teaching you a valuable lesson :)– cas
Jan 14 '18 at 16:14
@cas I think deleting .bash_history should delete bash history. It seems intuitive to me. What it doesn't seem intituive is history -c, history -w, unsetting variables.. that's nuts from the user experience perspective.
– bunden
Jan 14 '18 at 16:51
@cas I think deleting .bash_history should delete bash history. It seems intuitive to me. What it doesn't seem intituive is history -c, history -w, unsetting variables.. that's nuts from the user experience perspective.
– bunden
Jan 14 '18 at 16:51
|
show 1 more comment
4 Answers
4
active
oldest
votes
Doing a:
$ history -c; history -w
Will clear history in memory and write that to the HISTFILE file.
That will clear both memory and file history.
If it is required that nothing else of the present session would be written to the history, then, unset HISTFILE will prevent any such logging.
answered Jan 13 '18 at 15:07
IsaacIsaac
11.9k11852
And make sure tounset HISTFILEto ensure nothing else gets written at the end of the session.
– Michael Hampton
Jan 14 '18 at 3:15
@MichaelHampton Detail added. Thanks.
– Isaac
Jan 14 '18 at 3:46
1
Editing HISTFILE and doinghistory -c && history -rwould replace your current history with manually modified history. In some cases, that may be better than throwing all the history away.
– Mikko Rantalainen
Apr 9 '18 at 10:52
add a comment |
bash has a session history in memory which is written to file if the shell variable HISTFILE is set to a filename when bash exits.
If you delete the file pointed to by HISTFILE, unset that variable, and exit bash, then that shell session will not leave any persistent history.
Failing to unset the HISTFILE variable but deleting the file would just empty the persistent history, but the current session's history would be saved when the shell exits.
answered Jan 13 '18 at 14:10
KusalanandaKusalananda
130k17247407
3
Ahistory -c; history -wwill clear both memory and file history. Unsetting HISTFILE is only required if no further commands should be logged to the history (not exactly what was asked IMhO).
– Isaac
Jan 13 '18 at 15:20
add a comment |
While leaving the shell, do it all in once, like
echo "" > ~/.bash_history & history -c & exit
answered 7 mins ago
user853069user853069
1
New contributor
user853069 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |
"How can I delete my bash history for real?"
Exit bash, start a different shell, delete the bash history file.
or
logout, log into a different account that has write permission on the history file, delete the history file.
answered Jan 14 '18 at 2:07
useruser
1
add a comment |
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4 Answers
4
active
oldest
votes
4 Answers
4
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
Doing a:
$ history -c; history -w
Will clear history in memory and write that to the HISTFILE file.
That will clear both memory and file history.
If it is required that nothing else of the present session would be written to the history, then, unset HISTFILE will prevent any such logging.
answered Jan 13 '18 at 15:07
IsaacIsaac
11.9k11852
And make sure tounset HISTFILEto ensure nothing else gets written at the end of the session.
– Michael Hampton
Jan 14 '18 at 3:15
@MichaelHampton Detail added. Thanks.
– Isaac
Jan 14 '18 at 3:46
1
Editing HISTFILE and doinghistory -c && history -rwould replace your current history with manually modified history. In some cases, that may be better than throwing all the history away.
– Mikko Rantalainen
Apr 9 '18 at 10:52
add a comment |
Doing a:
$ history -c; history -w
Will clear history in memory and write that to the HISTFILE file.
That will clear both memory and file history.
If it is required that nothing else of the present session would be written to the history, then, unset HISTFILE will prevent any such logging.
answered Jan 13 '18 at 15:07
IsaacIsaac
11.9k11852
And make sure tounset HISTFILEto ensure nothing else gets written at the end of the session.
– Michael Hampton
Jan 14 '18 at 3:15
@MichaelHampton Detail added. Thanks.
– Isaac
Jan 14 '18 at 3:46
1
Editing HISTFILE and doinghistory -c && history -rwould replace your current history with manually modified history. In some cases, that may be better than throwing all the history away.
– Mikko Rantalainen
Apr 9 '18 at 10:52
add a comment |
Doing a:
$ history -c; history -w
Will clear history in memory and write that to the HISTFILE file.
That will clear both memory and file history.
If it is required that nothing else of the present session would be written to the history, then, unset HISTFILE will prevent any such logging.
answered Jan 13 '18 at 15:07
IsaacIsaac
11.9k11852
Doing a:
$ history -c; history -w
Will clear history in memory and write that to the HISTFILE file.
That will clear both memory and file history.
If it is required that nothing else of the present session would be written to the history, then, unset HISTFILE will prevent any such logging.
answered Jan 13 '18 at 15:07
IsaacIsaac
11.9k11852
edited Jan 14 '18 at 3:26
answered Jan 13 '18 at 15:07
IsaacIsaac
11.9k11852
answered Jan 13 '18 at 15:07
IsaacIsaac
11.9k11852
answered Jan 13 '18 at 15:07
IsaacIsaac
11.9k11852
11.9k11852
And make sure tounset HISTFILEto ensure nothing else gets written at the end of the session.
– Michael Hampton
Jan 14 '18 at 3:15
@MichaelHampton Detail added. Thanks.
– Isaac
Jan 14 '18 at 3:46
1
Editing HISTFILE and doinghistory -c && history -rwould replace your current history with manually modified history. In some cases, that may be better than throwing all the history away.
– Mikko Rantalainen
Apr 9 '18 at 10:52
add a comment |
And make sure tounset HISTFILEto ensure nothing else gets written at the end of the session.
– Michael Hampton
Jan 14 '18 at 3:15
@MichaelHampton Detail added. Thanks.
– Isaac
Jan 14 '18 at 3:46
1
Editing HISTFILE and doinghistory -c && history -rwould replace your current history with manually modified history. In some cases, that may be better than throwing all the history away.
– Mikko Rantalainen
Apr 9 '18 at 10:52
And make sure to
unset HISTFILE to ensure nothing else gets written at the end of the session.– Michael Hampton
Jan 14 '18 at 3:15
And make sure to
unset HISTFILE to ensure nothing else gets written at the end of the session.– Michael Hampton
Jan 14 '18 at 3:15
@MichaelHampton Detail added. Thanks.
– Isaac
Jan 14 '18 at 3:46
@MichaelHampton Detail added. Thanks.
– Isaac
Jan 14 '18 at 3:46
1
1
Editing HISTFILE and doing
history -c && history -r would replace your current history with manually modified history. In some cases, that may be better than throwing all the history away.– Mikko Rantalainen
Apr 9 '18 at 10:52
Editing HISTFILE and doing
history -c && history -r would replace your current history with manually modified history. In some cases, that may be better than throwing all the history away.– Mikko Rantalainen
Apr 9 '18 at 10:52
add a comment |
bash has a session history in memory which is written to file if the shell variable HISTFILE is set to a filename when bash exits.
If you delete the file pointed to by HISTFILE, unset that variable, and exit bash, then that shell session will not leave any persistent history.
Failing to unset the HISTFILE variable but deleting the file would just empty the persistent history, but the current session's history would be saved when the shell exits.
answered Jan 13 '18 at 14:10
KusalanandaKusalananda
130k17247407
3
Ahistory -c; history -wwill clear both memory and file history. Unsetting HISTFILE is only required if no further commands should be logged to the history (not exactly what was asked IMhO).
– Isaac
Jan 13 '18 at 15:20
add a comment |
bash has a session history in memory which is written to file if the shell variable HISTFILE is set to a filename when bash exits.
If you delete the file pointed to by HISTFILE, unset that variable, and exit bash, then that shell session will not leave any persistent history.
Failing to unset the HISTFILE variable but deleting the file would just empty the persistent history, but the current session's history would be saved when the shell exits.
answered Jan 13 '18 at 14:10
KusalanandaKusalananda
130k17247407
3
Ahistory -c; history -wwill clear both memory and file history. Unsetting HISTFILE is only required if no further commands should be logged to the history (not exactly what was asked IMhO).
– Isaac
Jan 13 '18 at 15:20
add a comment |
bash has a session history in memory which is written to file if the shell variable HISTFILE is set to a filename when bash exits.
If you delete the file pointed to by HISTFILE, unset that variable, and exit bash, then that shell session will not leave any persistent history.
Failing to unset the HISTFILE variable but deleting the file would just empty the persistent history, but the current session's history would be saved when the shell exits.
answered Jan 13 '18 at 14:10
KusalanandaKusalananda
130k17247407
bash has a session history in memory which is written to file if the shell variable HISTFILE is set to a filename when bash exits.
If you delete the file pointed to by HISTFILE, unset that variable, and exit bash, then that shell session will not leave any persistent history.
Failing to unset the HISTFILE variable but deleting the file would just empty the persistent history, but the current session's history would be saved when the shell exits.
answered Jan 13 '18 at 14:10
KusalanandaKusalananda
130k17247407
answered Jan 13 '18 at 14:10
KusalanandaKusalananda
130k17247407
answered Jan 13 '18 at 14:10
KusalanandaKusalananda
130k17247407
answered Jan 13 '18 at 14:10
KusalanandaKusalananda
130k17247407
130k17247407
3
Ahistory -c; history -wwill clear both memory and file history. Unsetting HISTFILE is only required if no further commands should be logged to the history (not exactly what was asked IMhO).
– Isaac
Jan 13 '18 at 15:20
add a comment |
3
Ahistory -c; history -wwill clear both memory and file history. Unsetting HISTFILE is only required if no further commands should be logged to the history (not exactly what was asked IMhO).
– Isaac
Jan 13 '18 at 15:20
3
3
A
history -c; history -w will clear both memory and file history. Unsetting HISTFILE is only required if no further commands should be logged to the history (not exactly what was asked IMhO).– Isaac
Jan 13 '18 at 15:20
A
history -c; history -w will clear both memory and file history. Unsetting HISTFILE is only required if no further commands should be logged to the history (not exactly what was asked IMhO).– Isaac
Jan 13 '18 at 15:20
add a comment |
While leaving the shell, do it all in once, like
echo "" > ~/.bash_history & history -c & exit
answered 7 mins ago
user853069user853069
1
New contributor
user853069 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |
While leaving the shell, do it all in once, like
echo "" > ~/.bash_history & history -c & exit
answered 7 mins ago
user853069user853069
1
New contributor
user853069 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |
While leaving the shell, do it all in once, like
echo "" > ~/.bash_history & history -c & exit
answered 7 mins ago
user853069user853069
1
New contributor
user853069 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
While leaving the shell, do it all in once, like
echo "" > ~/.bash_history & history -c & exit
answered 7 mins ago
user853069user853069
1
New contributor
user853069 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
answered 7 mins ago
user853069user853069
1
New contributor
user853069 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
answered 7 mins ago
user853069user853069
1
answered 7 mins ago
user853069user853069
1
1
New contributor
user853069 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
user853069 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
user853069 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |
add a comment |
"How can I delete my bash history for real?"
Exit bash, start a different shell, delete the bash history file.
or
logout, log into a different account that has write permission on the history file, delete the history file.
answered Jan 14 '18 at 2:07
useruser
1
add a comment |
"How can I delete my bash history for real?"
Exit bash, start a different shell, delete the bash history file.
or
logout, log into a different account that has write permission on the history file, delete the history file.
answered Jan 14 '18 at 2:07
useruser
1
add a comment |
"How can I delete my bash history for real?"
Exit bash, start a different shell, delete the bash history file.
or
logout, log into a different account that has write permission on the history file, delete the history file.
answered Jan 14 '18 at 2:07
useruser
1
"How can I delete my bash history for real?"
Exit bash, start a different shell, delete the bash history file.
or
logout, log into a different account that has write permission on the history file, delete the history file.
answered Jan 14 '18 at 2:07
useruser
1
answered Jan 14 '18 at 2:07
useruser
1
answered Jan 14 '18 at 2:07
useruser
1
answered Jan 14 '18 at 2:07
useruser
1
1
add a comment |
add a comment |
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8
.bash_history is overwritten every time you close a bash shell. So if you start bash, delete .bash_history, and log off, you'll have accomplished exactly nothing.
– Shadur
Jan 13 '18 at 14:05
12
Your cat deserves a huge reward. You've been using bash for how long without discovering it has command-line recall and editing? Do you just retype every command line from scratch every time or something? That would make the shell very unpleasant to use.
– cas
Jan 14 '18 at 3:57
@cas ten years. Now that you say it I press Uparrow to repeat commands, but I understood it as kind of a 'short term' memory no more than a few lines long. I wasn't warned that deleting .bash_history won't delete bash history.
– bunden
Jan 14 '18 at 15:31
Deleting
~/.bash_historyreally does delete~/.bash_history....but (unless you take steps to prevent it, like clearing the in-memory history by runninghistory -cjust before you logout or settingHISTFILE=/dev/nullor justunseting it) bash will just save its current history again when it exits. BTW, theHISTSIZEenv var tells bash how many lines of history to keep in memory, andHISTFILESIZEtells bash the maximum number of history lines to save. both of these can be set in, e.g., your~/.bashrc. PS: your cat deserves a 2nd reward for teaching you a valuable lesson :)– cas
Jan 14 '18 at 16:14
@cas I think deleting .bash_history should delete bash history. It seems intuitive to me. What it doesn't seem intituive is history -c, history -w, unsetting variables.. that's nuts from the user experience perspective.
– bunden
Jan 14 '18 at 16:51