diff --git a/qutebrowser/browser/qutescheme.py b/qutebrowser/browser/qutescheme.py
index f43212557..1d89b409f 100644
--- a/qutebrowser/browser/qutescheme.py
+++ b/qutebrowser/browser/qutescheme.py
@@ -252,9 +252,7 @@ def history_data(start_time, offset=None):
     return [{"url": e.url,
              "title": html.escape(e.title) or html.escape(e.url),
              "time": e.atime}
-            for e in entries
-            if not any(pattern.matches(QUrl(e.url))
-                       for pattern in config.val.history.exclude)]
+            for e in entries]
 
 
 @add_handler('history')
diff --git a/qutebrowser/config/configdata.yml b/qutebrowser/config/configdata.yml
index 15743f7f0..1e386b967 100644
--- a/qutebrowser/config/configdata.yml
+++ b/qutebrowser/config/configdata.yml
@@ -1065,8 +1065,8 @@ history.exclude:
   desc: >-
     A list of patterns which should not be shown in the history.
 
-    This only affects the completion and qute://history page. Matching URLs are
-    still saved in the history, but hidden.
+    This only affects the completion. Matching URLs are still saved in the
+    history (and visible on the qute://history page), but hidden.
 
     Changing this setting will cause the completion history to be regenerated
     on the next start, which will take a short while.
diff --git a/tests/unit/browser/test_qutescheme.py b/tests/unit/browser/test_qutescheme.py
index 2db98a933..2a46fa632 100644
--- a/tests/unit/browser/test_qutescheme.py
+++ b/tests/unit/browser/test_qutescheme.py
@@ -135,15 +135,13 @@ class TestHistoryHandler:
             assert item['time'] > end_time
 
     def test_exclude(self, fake_web_history, now, config_stub):
+        """Make sure the history.exclude setting does not apply."""
         config_stub.set_obj('history.exclude', ['www.x.com'])
-        url = QUrl('http://www.example.org/')
-        fake_web_history.add_from_tab(url, url, 'title')
 
         url = QUrl("qute://history/data?start_time={}".format(now))
         _mimetype, data = qutescheme.qute_history(url)
         items = json.loads(data)
-        assert len(items) == 1
-        assert items[0]['url'] == 'http://www.example.org/'
+        assert items
 
     def test_qute_history_benchmark(self, fake_web_history, benchmark, now):
         r = range(100000)