How to Clear Your Google Search History

From your Google account, start with Data & personalization; from a PC or mobile device, clear it under History settings

What to Know

  • Google account: Data & personalization > Activity and timeline > My Activity > three dots > Delete activity by.
  • Chrome on PC: Tap three vertical dots > History > History > Clear browsing data.
  • Chrome on mobile: Tap three dots > History > Clear browsing data. Google app: More > Search activity.

Follow these instructions to learn how to delete your Google history from your Google account, from the Google Chrome web browser, from the Google iOS or Android app, or from the Google app.

How to Delete the Search History From Your Google Account

Clearing your Google search history doesn't mean Google actually deletes your search data. Google still keeps records about how and when you use certain features, even when you delete the details of your activity. However, you can remove it so prying eyes in your life don't see it.

Delete your search history by following these steps:


  1. Visit myaccount.google.com in a web or mobile browser, and sign in to your Google account if you're not signed in.

    Google Account page
  2. Select the Data & personalization category on the left, then scroll down to Activity and timeline. Select My Activity (enter your password or two-factor authentication if you have the extra verification setting turned on).

    Data & Personalization and My Activity in Google Account
  3. To clear all your Google search history, select the three vertical dots at the top of the screen to the right of the search field, then select Delete activity by.

    The More menu and "Delete Activity by" command in Google Account
  4. Select All Time in the Delete Activity box.

    The All Time option
  5. Choose which services to delete activity from, or Select All to select all categories. Select Next.

    Choose which services to delete Google Activity from
  6. In the confirmation box, select Delete to delete your Google activity permanently.

    Select Delete to delete your Google Activity

    To delete individual Google search activity items, scroll through your My Activity page (or use the search function) to find the search item you want to delete. Then, select the three vertical dots in the upper-right corner of the item, and select Delete.

Clear Google Search History From Your Chrome Web Browser on a Computer

If Google Chrome is your main web browser, you can clear your Google Search history from within the browser.

  1. Open the Chrome web browser on a desktop or laptop computer.

  2. Select the three vertical dots in the upper-right corner of the browser.

    The More menu in Chrome
  3. Select History from the drop-down menu, then select History from the submenu.

    The History menu in Chrome settings
  4. To clear all your search history between a specific time and the present, select Clear browsing data on the left side of the screen.

    To clear individual search items, go back to the History tab and scroll through your search items, or use the Search history field at the top to find the item you want to clear.

    Clear Browsing Data in history settings
  5. On the following tab, select the Time range drop-down menu and choose All time to clear your history. Optionally, clear the check boxes next to the items you want to keep.

    The Time Range menu
  6. Select Clear data.

    The Clear Data button
  7. Select the three vertical dots to the right of an item you want to clear, then choose Remove from history.

    The Remove From History command

Clear Google History from Your Chrome Web Browser on Android

If you mainly use Google Chrome from your Android, you can clear your search history from within the browser.

  1. Open the Chrome web browser app on your Android device.

  2. Tap the three vertical dots in the upper-right corner, then tap History.

  3. If you want to clear your entire search history, tap Clear browsing data. Alternatively, if you want to clear individual search items from your history, scroll down to find the item, or tap the magnifying glass to search for an item, and then tap the X to the right of the individual item to clear it.

  4. If you're clearing the entire history, tap the Time range drop-down arrow and select All time. Optionally, clear the check boxes next to the items listed below if you prefer not to clear them.

  5. Tap Clear data in the lower-right corner.

    Clearing browsing data in Google for mobile

Clear Google Search History From Your Chrome Web Browser on iOS

If you use Google Chrome on an iPhone or iPad, you can clear your search history from within the browser.

  1. Open the Chrome web browser app on your iPhone or iPad.

  2. Tap the three horizontal dots in the bottom menu.

  3. Tap History in the submenu.

  4. To clear all of your search history, tap Clear Browsing Data at the bottom.

    The More menu, History heading, and Clear Browsing Data buttons in Google for mobile
  5. On the following tab, choose a time range from the menu. To remove all of your history, leave it at All Time.

  6. Make sure Browsing History is checked. If it's not, tap it to add a check mark. Optionally, tap to check or uncheck any of the items below.

  7. Tap Clear Browsing Data and then tap it a second time to confirm you want to clear the data.

    The All Time option, Browsing history, and Clear Browsing Data command in Google for mobile

Clear Individual Items

Sometimes there are items in your history that you want to keep for a while or specific items you want to remove. To clear individual search items, follow these steps:

  1. On the History tab, tap Edit in the lower-right corner.

  2. Scroll down or search for an item you want to clear, then tap the circle beside it to add a check mark.

  3. Tap Delete in the lower-left corner.

    Deleting a single image from Google history in iOS
  4. Tap Done in the upper-right corner.

Clear Google Search History From the Google App on Android and iOS

If you use the official Android Google app for all your searches, clear your search history from the app by going to More > Search activity and then using the steps listed above to delete your activity.

Set up Auto-Delete to Clear Google Search History

You can use Google's auto-delete controls to clear your search history, along with web and app activity, using a web browser or the Google mobile app. Here's how.

  1. From a web browser, go to the Web & App Activity page.

  2. Select Auto-Delete.

    The Google Web & App activity page with the Auto-delete option highlighted
  3. Choose the Auto-delete activity older than option and pick a time frame from the drop-down menu. You can choose to delete activity older than three months, 18 months, and 36 months.

    The Google Web & App activity page auto-delete settings with '18 months' highlighted
  4. Select Next.

  5. Select Confirm to save your changes.

    The Google Web & App activity page with the auto-delete settings confirmation page highlighted
FAQ
  • How do I see my Google Search history?


    To view your Google Search history, open Google Chrome and select the three-dot menu > History, or press Ctrl+H.

  • Why can't I delete my Google search history?

    A bug in older versions of Chrome can cause problems when trying to delete your search history. Update Google Chrome to the latest version and try again.

  • How do I delete my history on my Chromebook?

    To delete your Chromebook history, open Google Chrome and select the three-dot menu > History > Clear browsing data. Alternatively, select the checkbox next to individual websites to clear, then choose Delete.

Was this page helpful?