How to clear your Google browsing history
You can delete your Google browsing history in two places: your browser itself (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge) and your Google Account. Clearing your browser history removes the list of sites you visited from that device only. Clearing your Google Account history removes the record Google stores about your activity across all your devices — the sites you visited, searches you made, videos you watched, and apps you used while signed in.
Most people need to do both. Your browser history is local to your device; your Google Account history is stored on Google's servers. Deleting one does not delete the other.
Key Takeaways
- Browser history and Google Account history are separate — clearing one does not clear the other, so you may need to do both.
- To clear browser history in Chrome, go to Settings, then History, then Clear Browsing Data and choose your time range and data types.
- To clear your Google Account history, sign into myactivity.google.com, select the data you want to delete, and confirm the deletion.
- You can set your browser to delete history automatically when you close it, or pause Google Account activity recording without deleting past history.
- Clearing history does not make you anonymous online — websites still see your IP address and can track you through cookies and other methods.
Clearing history in Chrome on Windows or Mac
Open Chrome and click the three vertical dots in the top right corner. Select History, then History again. You will see a list of sites you visited. Click Clear Browsing Data on the left side.
A window will open. At the top, choose your time range: Last hour, Last 24 hours, Last 7 days, Last 4 weeks, or All time. Check the boxes next to the data types you want to delete. Most people want Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files checked along with the default Browsing history. Then click Clear data.
Clearing history in Chrome on Android or iPhone
Open Chrome and tap the three dots in the bottom right corner (iPhone) or top right corner (Android). Tap History, then Clear Browsing Data. Choose your time range and which data types to delete, then tap Clear Browsing Data to confirm.
On iPhone, you can also clear Chrome history through Settings: go to Settings, scroll down to Chrome, tap Clear Browsing Data, and choose what to delete. This method clears only the history list, not cookies or cached data.
Clearing your Google Account activity history
Go to myactivity.google.com and sign in with your Google Account. You will see a timeline of your activity: searches, websites you visited, videos you watched, and apps you used. On the left side, click Delete activity by.
Choose your time range: All time, Last hour, Last 24 hours, Last 7 days, or Last 4 weeks. You can also delete specific items by clicking on them individually and selecting delete. When you are ready, click Delete to confirm.
If you want to stop Google from recording your activity going forward without deleting what is already stored, you can pause your activity. On the same page, click Manage all your data & privacy, then scroll to Web & App Activity and toggle it off. You can turn it back on anytime.
Setting Chrome to delete history automatically
You can tell Chrome to delete your browsing history every time you close the browser. Open Chrome and click the three vertical dots, then go to Settings. Click Privacy and security on the left, then Clear browsing data.
Toggle on Clear cookies and site data when you quit Chrome. You can also toggle on Clear browsing history when you quit Chrome if you want your history list deleted automatically too. From that point forward, Chrome will delete the selected data each time you fully close the browser.
What clearing history does and does not do
Clearing your browsing history removes the record from your device and your Google Account, but it does not make you invisible online. Websites you visit still see your IP address, which can identify your general location and internet provider. They can also track you through cookies (small files websites place on your device), tracking pixels, and fingerprinting (collecting details about your browser and device to identify you).
If you want more privacy while browsing, use Chrome's Incognito mode (press Ctrl+Shift+N on Windows or Cmd+Shift+N on Mac). Incognito mode does not save your browsing history, cookies, or site data — but websites still see your IP address, and your internet provider can still see which sites you visit.
Clearing history also does not undo actions you took while signed in. If you sent an email, posted on social media, or made a purchase, those actions remain in those services' records even after you delete your Google Account history.
Clearing history in other browsers
Firefox: Click the menu button (three horizontal lines) in the top right, select History, then Clear Recent History. Choose your time range and what to delete, then click Clear Now.
Safari: Click Safari in the top menu, select Clear History, choose how far back you want to clear (last hour, today, today and yesterday, or all history), then click Clear History.
Microsoft Edge: Click the three dots in the top right, select History, then Clear browsing data. Choose your time range and data types, then click Clear now.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does clearing my browser history delete my Google Account history?
No. Browser history and Google Account history are separate. Clearing one does not affect the other. You need to clear both if you want to remove your activity from both places.
Can someone see my browsing history after I delete it?
Not from your device or your Google Account. However, your internet provider can see which websites you visit regardless of whether you delete your history. Websites may also have records of your visit on their own servers.
Will clearing history speed up my browser?
Slightly, but not noticeably for most people. Clearing cached images and files frees up storage space on your device, which can help if your device is running low on space. Clearing cookies may make some websites load slower the first time you visit them because the site has to load fresh data instead of using stored information.
What is the difference between clearing history and Incognito mode?
Incognito mode prevents Chrome from saving your history in the first place — nothing is recorded locally. Clearing history removes what was already recorded. Incognito mode is useful if you want privacy for a single browsing session; clearing history is useful after the fact.
If I pause my Google Account activity, will past activity be deleted?
No. Pausing Web & App Activity stops Google from recording new activity going forward, but it leaves everything you have already done in your account history. You have to manually delete past activity if you want it removed.