Delete your Google search history in three steps
Your Google account keeps a record of every search you've made and every website you've visited through Google. You can delete this history from your Google account settings — it takes about two minutes and works the same way on a computer, phone, or tablet.
Go to myactivity.google.com in any web browser. Sign in with the Google account whose history you want to clear. You'll see a list of your recent searches and visits, organized by date.
At the top left, click Delete activity by. A menu will appear with three options: delete activity from today, the last 7 days, or all time. Choose the time range you want to clear, then click Delete. Google will remove that history from your account.
Key Takeaways
- Google stores your search history and browsing activity in your account, separate from your browser's local history.
- You can delete Google account history at myactivity.google.com by selecting a time range and clicking Delete.
- Deleting your Google history does not delete your browser history — you need to clear both separately if you want them gone.
- You can pause Google from recording new activity by turning off Web & App Activity in your Google account settings.
- Signing out of your Google account before searching prevents Google from linking that search to your account.
Understand what Google history actually is
Google keeps two separate records of your activity. The first is your Google account history — every search you made while signed into Google, plus every website you visited through a Google link. This history lives in your Google account and follows you across devices. The second is your browser history — the list of websites your browser itself has recorded, which stays only on that device.
When you delete your Google account history, you're only removing what Google's servers have stored. Your browser still remembers those websites. If you want both gone, you'll need to clear your browser history separately — that's a different process depending on whether you use Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge.
Google also stores information about your location, the devices you use, and the ads you've clicked on. Deleting your search history does not delete these other records. If you want to remove those too, you'll need to visit your Google account settings and delete them separately.
Delete history from a computer
Open any web browser and go to myactivity.google.com. Sign in with your Google account if you're not already signed in. You'll see your activity listed with the most recent at the top.
On the left side of the page, click Delete activity by. A dropdown menu will appear with three choices: All time, Last 7 days, or Today. Select the time range you want to delete. Then click the blue Delete button. Google will ask you to confirm — click Delete again, and the history from that time period will be removed.
If you want to delete only specific items instead of an entire time range, you can click the three-dot menu next to any single search or visit and select Delete. This is slower if you have a lot of history to remove, but it works if you only want certain searches gone.
Delete history from a phone or tablet
Open any web browser on your phone or tablet and go to myactivity.google.com. Sign in with your Google account. The page will look slightly different on a small screen, but the process is the same.
Tap the three horizontal lines (called a menu icon) at the top left. Tap Delete activity by. Choose your time range — All time, Last 7 days, or Today — then tap Delete. Confirm by tapping Delete again.
On a phone, the page may be slow to load if you have years of history. If it times out, try deleting smaller time ranges instead — for example, delete the last 7 days, then delete the 7 days before that, rather than trying to delete everything at once.
Stop Google from recording new history
If you don't want Google to record your searches and visits going forward, you can turn off Web & App Activity. Go to myaccount.google.com and click Data & privacy on the left. Scroll down to Web & App Activity and click it. Toggle the switch to Off.
When Web & App Activity is off, Google will not store your searches or the websites you visit. However, Google will still store some information — like your location and the device you're using — in other parts of your account. Turning off this setting only stops the search and browsing record.
Keep in mind that turning off Web & App Activity may affect how Google works. Your search results might be less personalized, and Google Assistant may not work as well. You can turn it back on at any time by going to the same setting and toggling it back to On.
Clear your browser history separately
Deleting your Google account history does not delete your browser history. Your browser keeps its own separate record of websites you've visited. If you want that gone too, you need to clear it from your browser settings.
In Chrome, press Ctrl + H (Windows) or Command + Y (Mac) to open your history. Click Clear browsing data on the left. Choose your time range, make sure Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files are checked, then click Clear data.
In Firefox, press Ctrl + H (Windows) or Command + Y (Mac). Click Clear Recent History on the right. Choose your time range and click Clear Now.
In Safari on Mac, click Safari in the menu bar, then Clear History. Choose how far back you want to clear, then click Clear History.
In Edge, press Ctrl + Shift + Delete (Windows). Choose your time range, make sure the boxes you want are checked, then click Clear now.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does deleting my Google history delete my browser history too?
No. Google account history and browser history are separate. Deleting one does not affect the other. You must clear both separately if you want them both gone. Your browser keeps its own list of websites you've visited on that device only.
Can I delete only certain searches instead of everything?
Yes. At myactivity.google.com, you can click the three-dot menu next to any single search or visit and select Delete. This removes only that one item. If you have many searches to remove, it's faster to delete by time range, but the option exists if you want to be selective.
Will deleting my history affect my Google account or settings?
No. Deleting your history only removes the record of what you searched for and visited. Your account settings, passwords, saved addresses, and other information stay the same. You can delete history without affecting anything else in your account.
What happens if I turn off Web & App Activity?
Google will stop recording your searches and website visits going forward. However, your search results may become less personalized, and features like Google Assistant might not work as well. You can turn it back on anytime. Google will still track other information like your location and device type.
Can someone else see my Google search history?
Only if they have access to your Google account password. Your search history is private to your account. If you share a device with someone else, they can see your browser history on that device, but not your Google account history unless they sign into your account.