How To Delete Your Google Search History

Your Google search history lives in two places: your browser and your Google account. To clear your browser history, open Chrome, press Ctrl+H on PC or Command+Y on Mac, and select what you want to delete. To delete the copy saved to your Google account, go to myactivity.google.com and delete your activity there.

Deleting your Google search history can prevent others from viewing your online activities. It also helps keep other stored data, like passwords and autofill information, out of the hands of malicious actors.

How to delete your Google search history from your Google account

When you search with Google or use other Google products or services such as Maps and Play, Google saves a record of your activity as long as the Web & App Activity account feature is turned on. 

For searches, Google is moving this setting to Search Services History, so you may see either name. Google saves information including search history, location information, ads you click, products you buy on advertisers’ websites, the devices you use, and more. This goes beyond your search history.

To delete your Google account history, follow these steps.

1. Access your Google account

Start by navigating to your Google account. Do this by typing myaccount.google.com into a web browser. If you’re not already signed into your Google account, do so now.

2. Locate your search history

Once you’ve accessed your Google account, you’ll see a dashboard with a menu on the left-hand side.

Click the menu option Data & privacy. Scroll down the page to find the section labeled History settings and click the button My Activity. If you have the extra verification settings turned on, you may need to enter your password or two-factor authentication at this step.

You’ll then be brought to your Google Activity page, where your Google search history is stored.

To see only your Google searches, skip the menus and go straight to myactivity.google.com/product/search.

3. Select the time frame

On your Google Activity page, your Google activity history (which includes your search history) will be listed with your most recent activity at the top of the list.

To clear your Google activity history for specific time periods, click the three vertical dots located to the right of the search bar and select Delete activity by in the dropdown menu.

A new menu will open, giving you the option to delete activity from the Last hour, Last day, All time, or to set a Custom range of dates.

Keep in mind that deleting activity can make it hard to revisit content you’ve discovered but haven't saved or bookmarked; Google will no longer associate your account with that activity. If you wish to preserve some of your Google activity history, avoid deleting activity from All time. Instead, choose to delete activity from the Last hour or Last day or make use of the Custom range function.

4. Delete search history

If you wish to completely clear all of your history, select All time from the menu. This will open a new menu that lists every Google service that records your history.

To clear all of your Google activity history, make sure all the items are selected. Otherwise, deselect items you wish to keep. Click Next and then confirm by clicking Delete.

Clearing your history with the Last Hour or Last Day options will not prompt you with the above menu and will automatically clear your history from all services.

You also have the option to delete activities individually, which can be done by clicking the X icon to the right of each listed activity. You can also use the search bar and filters to find specific Google searches or activities to delete instead of manually scrolling through your history.

5. Manage activity controls

Activity controls give you some say on what activities Google records and ties to your account. You can halt Google from saving web and app activity, location history, and YouTube history. Activity controls also allow you to make some granular choices, such as saving past YouTube videos you’ve watched but deleting your YouTube searches.

You can navigate to your activity controls from the My Google Activity page, which you can get to by doing the following.

1. Enter myactivity.google.com/activitycontrols/webandapp into a web browser. Log in to your account if needed.
2. Click the menu button (three horizontal lines) in the top-left corner of the window.
3. Select Activity controls from the dropdown menu.

To stop saving your search history

1. Go to myactivity.google.com/product/search.
2. Under Saving history, click Turn off.
3. To also erase what’s already saved, choose Turn off, delete activity, and pick what to delete.

While you have many options, we recommend enabling auto-delete for web and app activity to automate clearing your history.

To enable auto-delete

1. Select Choose an auto-delete option under the Web & App Activity section on the activity controls page.
2. Select Auto-delete activity older than.
3. Choose 3 months, 18 months, or 36 months.
4. Click Next.
5. If you have web and app activity that is older than your chosen time frame at the time of enabling auto-delete, you will be prompted to delete that content.
6. Click Confirm.

You can enable auto-delete for your location history as well as your YouTube history by following the same steps on the activity settings page.

How to delete your search history in the Google app

If you search in the Google app on your phone, you can delete your history right in the app. The steps are the same on iPhone and Android.

1. Open the Google app.
2. Tap your profile picture or initial in the top right.
3. Tap Search history.
   

   

4. Tap Delete, then choose Delete all time to erase everything or Delete custom range to pick dates.
   

   

5. To erase a single search, tap the delete icon next to it.

To set up auto-delete, tap Controls on the Search history page and choose a time frame.

How to delete your Google search history in Chrome

Here’s how to delete your Chrome history on a desktop computer:

1. Open your Chrome browser.
2. Hit Ctrl+H (on PC) or Command+Y (on Mac) to open up your history. Your recent searches and visited pages are listed here.
3. Click the checkbox next to the specific searches or page visits you'd like to delete.
4. Click Delete.

If you want to delete all browsing data from a specific time period, follow these instructions:

1. Click Delete browsing data on the left-hand menu.
   
2. Select the time range at the top of the window.
3. Deselect the Cookies and Cache options if you want to stay logged in on websites and save data.
4. Click the Delete data button.

How to clear your Google Chrome browsing history from an Android phone

Clear your Chrome browsing history from an Android phone by completing the following steps.

1. On your Android device, open Chrome.
2. At the top right of the screen, tap the menu button symbolized by three vertical dots.
   

   

3. Select Delete browsing data.
   

   

4. Choose a time range, or to delete everything, select All time.
5. You can also select More options to specify what you want to delete. Make sure to check Browsing data.
6. Tap Delete data.

If you want to only delete specific searches or site visits, do the following:

1. On your Android device, open Chrome.
2. At the top right of the screen, tap the menu button symbolized by three vertical dots.
3. Select History.
4. Find the specific search or site visit you want to delete from the list.
5. Hit the x on the right hand side.

How to clear your Google Chrome browsing history from iOS

Clear your Chrome browsing history from iOS by completing the following steps.

1. On your iOS device, open Chrome.
2. In the bottom-right corner of your screen, tap the menu button symbolized by three horizontal dots.
3. Scroll to find and select Delete Browsing Data.
   

   

4. Choose a time range, or to delete everything, select All time.
5. Unselect any items you don’t want to delete. Make sure to select Browsing Data.
6. Select Delete data.

Should you delete your Google search history?

Yes, for most people. Clearing it regularly keeps others who use your device from seeing it and limits what’s tied to your Google account.

Google keeps a record of your browser history because this information helps the service personalize your online experience. Saving your search history makes it easier to return to previously visited content and helps Google tailor your search results. Google uses cookies to track your activity and make it easier to shop online.

Despite these pros, there are cons, including potential privacy and security risks from keeping your search history for too long. 

Consider that anyone who uses your device can easily view your previous search history. Even if you think you don’t have anything to hide, remember that your browser also saves passwords and autofill information. If someone gains access to your device or steals one of your weak/reused passwords in a breach, they could seriously damage your finances or identity.

To protect yourself and your privacy, regularly clear your browsing history. To save some time, follow our guide above and enable auto-delete in your Google account activity controls.

Keep all your personal data safe

10 tips for internet browsing privacy protection

Unfortunately, clearing your search history regularly isn’t enough to keep you fully protected online. Consider these 10 tips to stay safe while browsing the web.

1. Use private browsing modes to prevent history accumulation. When you browse in private or incognito mode, all of your activity is deleted after you end the session.
2. Update your operating system (OS) regularly. OS updates will commonly include security updates. Update your OS when possible, so your device has the latest security measures.
3. Keep your browser and plugins updated. Browser and plugin updates can include security fixes, so they're a key part of good online best practices.
4. Explore alternative search engines that prioritize privacy. Privacy-focused search engines, such as DuckDuckGo, offer privacy protections and don’t track your search history.
5. Use up-to-date antivirus and firewall protection. Antivirus and firewall protection can help keep your device free of malware, but they need regular updates to stay effective.
6. Manually type in the official URL for trusted websites. Avoid clicking links you receive in emails, text messages, or other types of direct messaging. These links can contain malware or bring you to fake websites that are designed to harvest your sensitive personal information. Always visit trusted websites manually by typing the URL to be safe.
7. Use an ad blocker. Ad blockers are simple tools that integrate with your browser to block certain content. While most ads are just annoying, some can contain malware, so it's best to block them.
8. Only download software from trusted, official sites. Carefully scrutinize any free software or file-sharing applications before you download them.
9. Use a password manager. Password managers make it easier to keep strong, unique passwords across the many services and subscriptions most people use today. Some even offer bonus features, such as identity theft monitoring.
10. Use a VPN. VPNs, or virtual private networks, protect your privacy by encrypting your data and hiding your internet protocol (IP) address. Your internet service provider (ISP) can’t see which sites you visit, and websites see the VPN’s IP address instead of yours. A VPN won’t stop tracking through cookies or accounts you’re signed into, like your Google account. Some web browsers include built-in VPNs for extra protection.

Bottom line

Regularly deleting your Google search history is important for your personal privacy and security. While it’s possible to delete your search history manually, you can save time and mental space by enabling auto-delete, which deletes your history at scheduled intervals. Otherwise, consider investing in the best data removal services that specialize in cleaning up user digital footprints.

FAQs