Delete your Chrome history in three steps
Open Chrome and press Ctrl + H on Windows or Command + Y on Mac. This opens your History page. On the left side, click Clear browsing data. A window will pop up asking what time range you want to clear — select All time at the top to remove everything. Make sure the checkbox next to Cookies and other site data is checked, then click Clear data.
That's the full process. Your browsing history, search history, cookies, and cached files are now gone from Chrome. The browser will not remember the websites you visited, the searches you ran, or login information for most sites.
If you want to delete history automatically every time you close Chrome, or if you need to clear history on a phone or shared computer, the steps differ slightly — those are covered below.
Key Takeaways
- Press Ctrl + H (Windows) or Command + Y (Mac), click Clear browsing data, select All time, and click Clear data to remove all history at once.
- Clearing history removes websites you visited, searches you performed, cookies, and cached files, but does not sign you out of accounts.
- You can set Chrome to automatically clear history every time you close the browser by turning on the Clear cookies and site data setting.
- On Android or iPhone, swipe left on a history entry to delete it one at a time, or use the Clear browsing data menu to remove everything at once.
- On a shared computer, clearing history only removes it from your Chrome profile — other users' profiles keep their own separate history.
What gets deleted when you clear history
Clearing browsing data removes several things at once. Your browsing history — the list of websites you visited — disappears from the History page. Your search history — what you typed into the search bar or Google — is also deleted. Cookies, which are small files websites use to remember you, are cleared out. Cached images and files, which Chrome stores to load pages faster next time, are removed.
What does not get deleted: your Google account history (if you are signed into Chrome), your passwords (unless you specifically check that box), or your bookmarks. Clearing history also does not sign you out of websites — you may still be logged in even though Chrome has forgotten you visited those sites.
If you want to delete passwords too, check the Passwords and other sign-in data box before you click Clear data. Be aware that you will need to re-enter passwords the next time you visit those sites.
Delete history automatically when you close Chrome
If you want Chrome to clear your history every single time you close the browser, turn on a setting called Clear cookies and site data when you quit Chrome. Open Chrome, click the three vertical dots in the top right corner, then go to Settings. On the left, click Privacy and security, then click Clear browsing data.
Toggle on the switch next to Clear cookies and site data when you quit Chrome. From now on, every time you fully close Chrome (not just a tab), your history, cookies, and cached files will vanish. Your bookmarks and passwords stay unless you also toggle on Clear history — but that setting is separate and off by default.
This is useful on a shared computer or if you want privacy by default. The downside is that Chrome will not remember your login information, so you will type your password every time you visit a site that requires one.
Delete history on Android or iPhone
On a phone, open Chrome and tap the three vertical dots in the bottom right corner (iPhone) or top right corner (Android). Tap History, then tap Clear browsing data at the top. Choose your time range — All time to delete everything — and tap Clear browsing data.
To delete a single history entry instead, go to History and swipe left on any entry (iPhone) or long-press it (Android), then tap the trash icon. This removes just that one website from your history without touching anything else.
Phone Chrome also syncs history with your Google account if you are signed in. Clearing history on your phone clears it from that device only — your history will still appear on your computer or other devices unless you clear it there too.
Delete history on a shared computer
Each person who uses Chrome on a shared computer has their own profile. When you clear your history, you only clear history from your profile. Other people's profiles keep their own separate history, and clearing yours does not affect theirs.
If you are worried about someone else seeing your history, make sure you are signed into your own Chrome profile before you clear data. Click your profile picture in the top right corner of Chrome — if it shows your name or email, you are in your profile. If it shows a generic icon or someone else's name, switch to your profile first, then clear the data.
On a shared device, you can also turn on the automatic clearing setting described above so history vanishes every time you close Chrome. This is more reliable than remembering to clear it manually.
Difference between clearing history and incognito mode
Incognito mode is a way to browse without saving history in the first place. When you open an incognito window (Ctrl + Shift + N on Windows, Command + Shift + N on Mac), Chrome does not store your history, cookies, or search queries. The moment you close the incognito window, everything from that session is gone.
Incognito mode is useful if you want privacy for a single browsing session without having to clear history afterward. It does not hide your activity from your internet service provider, your employer, or the websites you visit — it only hides it from other people using the same computer. Clearing history after the fact removes the record from Chrome, but it does not undo what websites know about you.
What to do if history will not delete
If you click Clear data and your history still appears, the most common cause is that you are signed into a Google account and syncing is turned on. When sync is active, your history lives on Google's servers, not just on your computer. Clearing local history does not remove the synced copy.
To delete synced history, go to myactivity.google.com while signed into your Google account. Click Delete activity by on the left, choose your date range, and select what you want to delete. You can delete all activity or just Chrome history. This removes it from Google's servers and from all your devices.
If clearing history still does not work after that, try restarting Chrome completely — close all windows and reopen the browser. If the problem continues, your Chrome installation may be corrupted. Uninstall Chrome, restart your computer, and reinstall it fresh from google.com/chrome.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does clearing history delete my passwords?
No, not by default. Passwords are stored separately and require a separate checkbox to delete. If you want to keep your passwords but clear everything else, leave that box unchecked. If you want to delete passwords too, check Passwords and other sign-in data before you click Clear data.
Will clearing history sign me out of websites?
No. Clearing history removes the record that you visited a site, but it does not sign you out. You may still be logged in even after clearing history. To sign out, you need to manually click the logout button on each website.
Can I recover history after I delete it?
Once you clear history from Chrome, it is gone from the browser. If you were syncing to a Google account, you can recover it from myactivity.google.com for a limited time. If you were not syncing, there is no way to get it back from Chrome itself.
Does incognito mode hide my activity from my internet provider?
No. Incognito mode only hides your history from other people using the same computer. Your internet service provider, employer network, or school network can still see what websites you visit. Incognito does not provide privacy from them.
What if I only want to delete history from the last hour?
Open the Clear browsing data window (Ctrl + H, then Clear browsing data), and instead of selecting All time, click the dropdown and choose Last hour. You can also select Last 24 hours, Last 7 days, Last 4 weeks, or a custom date range.