YouTube stores three separate histories, and deleting them works differently
YouTube keeps track of what you watch in two places: your watch history (videos you've clicked on) and your search history (what you've searched for). There's also your upload history if you've posted videos yourself. You can delete all three, but the steps differ depending on whether you want to clear them once or stop YouTube from recording them going forward.
The fastest way is to delete everything at once through your Google Account settings, which controls YouTube since Google owns it. You can also delete individual videos or searches if you only want to remove certain items. Keep in mind that deleting your history from your account doesn't erase videos from YouTube's servers — it only removes your personal record of watching or searching.
Key Takeaways
- You can delete all watch history, search history, and upload history from your Google Account settings in about two minutes.
- Deleting history removes your personal record but does not remove videos from YouTube or affect what other people can see.
- YouTube can still collect new history unless you turn off the "Web & App Activity" setting in your Google Account, which stops recording across Google services.
- If you use YouTube on multiple devices, deleting history on one device deletes it from your account everywhere.
- Private browsing mode (Incognito on Chrome, Private on Firefox) lets you watch without adding to your history, but YouTube can still see you're logged in.
Delete all history at once through Google Account settings
Go to myaccount.google.com in your browser. Click Data & Privacy in the left menu. Scroll down to "Your data & privacy options" and click My Activity. This page shows everything Google has recorded about you across YouTube, Search, Gmail, and other services.
At the top left, click the three-line menu icon, then select Delete activity by. A panel will open on the right. By default it shows "All time" — leave that selected. Under "Delete by date," make sure the dropdown says All time. Then click the dropdown that says "All products" and uncheck everything except YouTube. This narrows the deletion to YouTube only. Click Delete and confirm. YouTube will remove all your watch history, search history, and any videos you uploaded.
If you want to delete only YouTube history and nothing else from your Google Account, this is the cleanest method. The deletion usually completes within a few minutes, though it can take longer if you have years of history.
Delete watch history and search history separately
If you want to keep your upload history but delete only what you've watched and searched, you can do this directly in YouTube. Open YouTube and click your profile picture in the top right corner. Select History. On the left side, you'll see Watch history and Search history as separate tabs.
Click Watch history first. At the top right of the page, click the three-dot menu and select Clear all watch history. Confirm the action. YouTube will remove every video from your watch history but keep your search history intact. Then click the Search history tab and repeat the same steps to clear searches separately if you want.
This method is useful if you've uploaded videos yourself and want to preserve that record while removing what you've watched. You can also delete individual items by hovering over a video or search and clicking the X that appears.
Stop YouTube from recording new history going forward
Deleting your history once doesn't prevent YouTube from collecting new history the next time you watch. To stop the recording entirely, go to myaccount.google.com, click Data & Privacy, and scroll to "Web & App Activity." You'll see a toggle switch — click it to turn off recording.
When you turn off Web & App Activity, YouTube stops saving your watch history and search history. However, you'll lose some features: YouTube won't show you personalized recommendations, and you won't see a "Continue watching" section. YouTube will also have a harder time filtering out videos you've already seen, so you may see repeats.
This setting controls recording across all Google services, not just YouTube. If you turn it off, Google also stops recording your Search history, Gmail activity, and activity on other Google products. You can turn it back on anytime from the same page.
Use private browsing to watch without adding to your history
If you want to watch videos without YouTube recording them, open an Incognito window (Chrome), Private window (Firefox), or InPrivate window (Edge). YouTube won't add videos to your watch history while you're in private mode. However, YouTube can still see you're logged in if you sign in during the private session, so it knows who is watching — it just doesn't save the record to your account.
Private browsing is useful for one-off viewing sessions where you don't want the video added to your history, but it doesn't hide your activity from YouTube or your internet service provider. If you want true privacy from YouTube itself, you would need to log out before watching, which means you lose personalized features like subscriptions and playlists.
What happens when you delete history
When you delete your YouTube history, you're removing your personal record from your account. The videos themselves stay on YouTube and remain visible to everyone else. Other people cannot see your watch history or search history — that information is private to your account. Deleting it does not affect what videos are available on YouTube or what anyone else can watch.
If you've posted videos to YouTube, deleting your upload history removes them from your "Uploads" page on your channel, but the videos themselves remain published and visible to the public. To actually remove a video from YouTube entirely, you have to delete the video itself through your channel settings, which is a separate action.
YouTube may still have server logs or backups of your activity for a period of time, but your account will no longer show the history. If you're concerned about YouTube's data retention practices beyond what you can delete yourself, you can review Google's privacy policy at google.com/policies/privacy.
Delete history on mobile devices
The YouTube app on Android and iPhone works the same way as the website. Open the YouTube app, tap your profile picture in the top right, and select History. Tap the three-dot menu at the top and select Clear all watch history. The app will ask you to confirm, and your history will be deleted.
You can also manage history through your Google Account settings on mobile. Open Settings on your phone, search for "Google Account," tap it, go to Data & Privacy, then My Activity, and follow the same steps as on a computer. Deleting history from your account deletes it everywhere — if you clear it on your phone, it's gone from the website and any other device you use.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does deleting my YouTube history delete the videos?
No. Deleting your history removes only your personal record of watching those videos. The videos remain on YouTube and are still visible to everyone. To remove a video you uploaded, you must delete the video itself through your channel settings.
Can other people see my YouTube history?
No. Your watch history and search history are private to your account. Other people cannot see what you've watched or searched for unless you share your account login with them or you make your activity public through your channel settings, which is not the default.
If I turn off Web & App Activity, will YouTube stop recommending videos?
Yes. YouTube uses your watch history to personalize recommendations. When you turn off Web & App Activity, YouTube can no longer see what you've watched, so it cannot show you tailored suggestions. You'll see more general recommendations instead.
Does private browsing hide my YouTube activity from YouTube?
Private browsing prevents YouTube from adding videos to your watch history, but YouTube can still see you're logged in and watching if you sign in during the private session. To hide your activity from YouTube itself, you would need to log out before watching, which means you lose access to your subscriptions and playlists.
What if I only want to delete certain videos from my history, not all of them?
Open YouTube, go to your History page, and hover over or tap any video. An X button will appear — click it to remove just that video from your history. You can do this one video at a time for any items you want to remove while keeping the rest of your history.