Where Is Bash History Stored?
Bash HISTFILE paths on Linux and macOS, how HISTCONTROL and HISTSIZE shape it, and where zsh history differs on modern Macs.
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Bash appends each session to a history file in your home directory, usually ~/.bash_history. The HISTFILE variable can point elsewhere, and HISTSIZE plus HISTFILESIZE cap how much survives. Commands only flush on clean shell exit by default.
Modern Macs default to zsh, which uses ~/.zsh_history instead, so bash guides mislead there. Check echo $HISTFILE to print the live path before editing. Sensitive commands deserve HISTCONTROL=ignorespace plus manual cleanup rather than full file deletion. Logout traps with history appends flush commands mid session safely.
Where Bash stores this, by platform
~/.bash_history
Run echo $HISTFILE to confirm custom setups. Sessions in memory merge on exit, so close shells before copying the file for forensics.
~/.bash_history
Applies when running bash. The default zsh shell uses ~/.zsh_history instead. Check chsh -s output if history looks empty in the wrong file.
Frequently asked questions
How do I search bash history?
Press Ctrl+R for reverse search in the live shell, or grep ~/.bash_history for older sessions. The history command with a number shows the most recent entries first.
How do I delete a password from history?
Open ~/.bash_history, remove the offending lines, save, then run history -c and history -r to reload. Set HISTCONTROL to ignorespace so future secrets stay out.
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