Delete your search history from Google right now
You can delete your Google search history in about two minutes. Go to myactivity.google.com, sign in with your Google account, and you'll see everything Google has recorded about your searches. From there you can delete individual searches, delete everything from a specific date range, or set Google to automatically delete your history every three or 36 months. The steps differ slightly depending on whether you're on a computer or phone, but the process is the same either way.
Google stores your search history to personalize your results and show you relevant ads — but you don't have to let it. Deleting your history doesn't break Google Search; it just means your results won't be tailored to your past searches, and Google won't use that data to target ads to you.
Key Takeaways
- Your search history lives at myactivity.google.com, where you can see and delete everything Google has recorded about you.
- You can delete individual searches, wipe out a date range, or delete your entire history at once.
- You can set Google to automatically delete your history every three months or every 36 months, so you don't have to do it manually.
- Deleting your history doesn't affect your Gmail, Google Drive, or other Google services — only your search records.
- If you use Chrome, you can also delete your browser history separately, which removes sites you visited but not your Google Search history.
Delete your search history on a computer
Open a web browser and go to myactivity.google.com. Sign in with the Google account whose history you want to delete. You'll land on a page showing your recent activity — searches, YouTube videos you watched, places you looked up on Maps, and more.
On the left side, click Search to see only your Google searches. Now you have three options. To delete individual searches, hover over any search result and click the trash icon that appears. To delete a range of dates, click the three-dot menu at the top left, select Delete activity by, choose your date range (last hour, last day, all time, or a custom range), and confirm. To delete everything at once, select All time from the date menu and click Delete.
Delete your search history on a phone or tablet
Open the Google app or go to google.com in your browser. Tap your profile picture in the top right corner and select Manage your Google Account. Tap the Data & Privacy tab, then scroll down and tap My Activity. You'll see your search history listed by date.
To delete individual searches, tap the search result and then tap the trash icon. To delete a range of dates, tap the three-dot menu at the top, select Delete activity by, choose your date range, and confirm. On a phone, the process is slower than on a computer if you're deleting a large amount of history, so be patient while the page loads.
Set Google to delete your history automatically
Instead of manually deleting your history, you can tell Google to do it for you. Go to myactivity.google.com and sign in. Click the three-dot menu at the top left and select Auto-delete activity. Choose whether you want Google to delete your history every three months or every 36 months, then click Next and confirm.
Once you turn on auto-delete, Google will remove your search history, YouTube history, location history, and other activity on the schedule you set. You can turn this off at any time by going back to the same menu and selecting Turn off auto-delete. Auto-delete doesn't remove your history immediately — it only applies to new activity going forward, so your old searches will stay until you delete them manually or they reach the age limit you set.
Understand what deleting your history does and doesn't do
Deleting your Google search history removes the record Google keeps of what you searched for. This means Google won't use those searches to personalize your results or target ads to you based on your interests. Your future searches will still work normally — you'll just get more generic results instead of results tailored to your past behavior.
Deleting your search history does not delete your Gmail, Google Drive files, Google Photos, or any other Google service. It also does not delete your browser history — that's a separate thing stored by Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or whatever browser you use. If you want to delete the websites you visited, you need to clear your browser history separately. And deleting your history does not remove you from Google's advertising system; Google will still show you ads, but they won't be based on your search history.
Delete your history from Google Chrome
If you use Google Chrome, you can also delete your browser history, which is different from your Google search history. Open Chrome and press Ctrl+H on Windows or Command+Y on Mac. Click Clear browsing data on the left side. Choose your time range (last hour, last day, all time, or custom), make sure Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files are checked, and click Clear data.
This removes the list of websites you visited from Chrome, but it doesn't touch your Google search history. If you want to delete both, you need to do both steps — clear your browser history in Chrome and delete your search history at myactivity.google.com. On a phone, open Chrome, tap the three-dot menu, select History, tap Clear browsing data, choose your time range, and confirm.
What to do if you can't access your Google account
If you've forgotten your Google password or lost access to your account, you can't delete your search history from that account until you regain access. Go to accounts.google.com/signin/recovery and follow Google's steps to recover your account. You'll need to verify your identity using a recovery email address or phone number you set up earlier.
If you can't recover your account, you can't delete the history associated with it. However, you can change your Google privacy settings to limit what Google records going forward. If someone else has access to your account and you're concerned about privacy, change your password immediately and turn on two-factor authentication so only you can sign in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does deleting my search history delete it from Google's servers?
When you delete your search history from myactivity.google.com, it removes the record from your account. Google may keep copies for legal or technical reasons, but it's no longer tied to you or used to personalize your experience.
Will deleting my search history speed up my Google account?
No. Deleting your search history doesn't make Google Search faster or free up space on your device. It only removes the record Google keeps so it can't use it to personalize your results or ads.
Can I delete my search history without signing into Google?
No. You must sign into your Google account at myactivity.google.com to see and delete your search history. If you're not signed in, Google won't show you your personal activity.
If I delete my search history, will my family members still see it?
If you share a device with family members and they use the same Google account, deleting your search history will delete it for everyone on that account. If they use separate accounts, their search history is separate and won't be affected.
Can I delete just one search instead of everything?
Yes. Go to myactivity.google.com, find the search you want to remove, hover over it, and click the trash icon. You can delete searches one at a time or in batches by date range.