Delete your Chrome history in three steps
Open Chrome and press Ctrl + H on Windows or Command + Y on Mac. A new tab opens showing your browsing history. In the top left, click Clear browsing data. A box appears with options for what to delete and how far back to go. Select the time range you want (Last hour, Last 24 hours, Last 7 days, Last 4 weeks, All time), check the boxes next to the data types you want removed, then click Clear data.
If you want to delete history without opening the history page, you can reach the same clearing tool through Chrome's settings. Click the three vertical dots in the top right corner of Chrome, select Settings, then click Privacy and security in the left menu. Click Clear browsing data and follow the same steps as above.
The fastest method for most people is the keyboard shortcut. On Windows, press Ctrl + Shift + Delete. On Mac, press Command + Shift + Delete. This opens the clearing tool directly without going through history or settings.
Key Takeaways
- Chrome stores your browsing history by default, and you can delete it using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + H (Windows) or Command + Y (Mac) to view it first.
- The quickest way to open the clearing tool is Ctrl + Shift + Delete on Windows or Command + Shift + Delete on Mac.
- You can choose to delete history from the last hour, last 24 hours, last 7 days, last 4 weeks, or all time.
- Clearing history removes the list of sites you visited, but you can also remove cookies, cached images, and other data in the same tool.
What data types you can delete
When you open the clear browsing data box, Chrome shows several checkboxes for different types of information. Browsing history is the list of websites you visited. Cookies and other site data includes login information, preferences, and tracking data that websites store on your computer. Cached images and files are copies of web pages and images that Chrome saved to make websites load faster the next time you visit them.
By default, Chrome checks all three boxes. You can uncheck any of them if you want to keep that data. For example, if you want to stay logged into your email or social media accounts, you might uncheck cookies before clearing. If you only want to delete your browsing history and nothing else, uncheck the other two boxes and leave only browsing history checked.
Clearing history for a specific website
If you want to delete history for just one website instead of everything, open your history by pressing Ctrl + H (Windows) or Command + Y Mac). Search for the website name in the search box at the top. When the results appear, hover over any entry and a checkbox appears on the left. Check the box next to each entry you want to remove, then click Delete at the top.
This method is slower than clearing all history at once, but it is useful when you want to keep most of your history and remove only a few sites. You can select multiple entries from different times if you want.
Using Incognito mode to avoid storing history
If you do not want Chrome to save your browsing history in the first place, you can use Incognito mode. Press Ctrl + Shift + N on Windows or Command + Shift + N on Mac to open a new Incognito window. Any sites you visit in this window will not appear in your history, and Chrome will not save cookies or cached data from those sites.
When you close an Incognito window, Chrome automatically deletes all the data from that session. Incognito mode is useful if you are shopping for gifts, checking prices on different sites, or browsing on a shared computer. Keep in mind that your internet service provider and the websites you visit can still see your activity — Incognito mode only hides your history from Chrome itself.
Synced history across devices
If you have signed into Chrome with a Google account, your browsing history syncs across all devices where you use that account. When you delete history on one device, it deletes from all of them. This happens automatically if you have sync turned on.
To check if sync is on, click the three dots in the top right, go to Settings, then click Sync and Google services. If you see a blue checkmark next to Sync is on, your history is syncing. If you want to turn off sync before deleting history, click Turn off in this menu. After you delete your history, you can turn sync back on if you want.
What happens after you delete history
Once you click Clear data, Chrome removes the selected information from your computer. The deletion is permanent and cannot be undone through Chrome. If you deleted history by mistake, there is no undo button.
Deleting your Chrome history does not affect your Google account or your activity on Google.com. Google keeps a separate record of your Google account activity (searches, YouTube videos watched, locations visited) in your Google Account settings. To delete that data, you would need to visit myactivity.google.com and clear it there separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does deleting Chrome history delete it from Google?
No. Deleting history in Chrome only removes it from your browser. Google keeps a separate record of your activity if you are signed into a Google account. To delete that, go to myactivity.google.com and clear your activity there.
Can someone recover deleted Chrome history?
Once you delete history in Chrome, it is removed from your computer. A regular user cannot recover it. However, your internet service provider may have records of sites you visited, and websites themselves keep logs of your visits on their servers.
Will clearing history log me out of websites?
If you check the box for cookies when clearing history, yes — you will be logged out of most websites. If you uncheck cookies and only delete browsing history, you will stay logged in.
Does clearing cache make websites load slower?
Slightly, the first time you visit a website after clearing cache. Chrome has to download images and files again instead of using the copies it saved. After that first visit, sites load normally.
Can I set Chrome to delete history automatically?
Chrome does not have a built-in setting to delete history automatically. You can delete it manually each time you close the browser, or use Incognito mode if you want Chrome to not save history at all.