Delete your Chrome history in three steps

Open Google 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 box will pop up asking what time range you want to delete — choose All time if you want everything gone, or pick a specific range like "Last hour" or "Last 7 days". Make sure the checkbox next to Cookies and other site data is checked, then click Clear data.

That's the complete process. Your browsing history, search history, cookies, and cached images are now deleted from Chrome. If you were signed into your Google account while browsing, Chrome may have also saved some of that activity to your Google account — deleting it from Chrome does not automatically delete it from Google's servers, which requires a separate step covered below.

The history deletion happens instantly on your device. You won't see a confirmation message, but when you go back to your History page, the entries you deleted will be gone.

Key Takeaways

  • Press Ctrl + H (Windows) or Command + Y (Mac) to open your History page, then click Clear browsing data to delete everything at once.
  • You can delete history from a specific time range — last hour, last day, last week, or all time — depending on what you need removed.
  • Deleting history from Chrome does not delete activity saved to your Google account if you were signed in, which requires a separate step in your Google account settings.
  • Cookies and cached data are deleted along with your history, which may log you out of websites you visit regularly.

Delete history from a specific time range

When you open the Clear browsing data box, the first dropdown menu controls the time range. All time deletes everything Chrome has recorded. Last hour deletes only the past 60 minutes. Last 24 hours deletes the past day. Last 7 days deletes the past week. Last 4 weeks deletes the past month. Choose whichever range matches what you want removed.

If you only want to delete history from one website, you can do that too. Go to your History page (Ctrl + H or Command + Y), find the website in the list, and click the checkbox next to it. Then click Delete at the top. This removes only that site's history without touching anything else.

What gets deleted and what doesn't

When you click Clear browsing data, Chrome removes several things at once: your browsing history (the list of websites you visited), your search history (what you typed into search bars), cookies (small files websites use to remember you), cached images and files (copies of web pages stored on your computer to load faster), and autofill data (saved addresses, phone numbers, and payment information). You can uncheck any of these categories if you want to keep them.

What does not get deleted: your saved passwords (unless you specifically check that box), your bookmarks, your open tabs, or your Google account activity. If you want to delete saved passwords, check the Passwords and other sign-in data box before clicking Clear data. Be aware that this will log you out of most websites you visit regularly.

Delete activity from your Google account

If you were signed into your Google account while browsing, Chrome uploaded some of your activity to Google's servers. Deleting it from Chrome does not delete it from Google. To remove it, go to myactivity.google.com in any browser. Click Delete activity by on the left side. Choose your time range, then click All products and select only Chrome if you want to delete only Chrome activity. Click Delete.

You can also delete individual items from your Google account activity. On the same page, search for a website name or date, click on the item, and click the trash icon. This removes it from Google's record without touching your local Chrome history.

If you do not want Google to record your activity in the future, you can turn off Web & App Activity in your Google account settings. Go to myaccount.google.com, click Data & privacy, scroll to Web & App Activity, and toggle it off. Chrome will still work normally, but Google will not save a record of where you browse.

Automatically delete history when you close Chrome

You can set Chrome to delete your history automatically every time you close the browser. Open Chrome and click the three-dot menu in the top right corner. Go to Settings, then click Privacy and security on the left. Under Clear browsing data, check the box next to Clear cookies and site data when you quit Chrome. From now on, your history, cookies, and cached data will be deleted the moment you close the browser completely.

This does not delete your history from your Google account if you are signed in. It only clears what is stored on your device. If you want to also delete Google account activity automatically, you will need to do that manually through myactivity.google.com, as there is no automatic option for that.

Delete history on other devices

If you are signed into Chrome on multiple devices — your phone, tablet, and computer — your history syncs across all of them. Deleting history on one device does not automatically delete it on the others. You have to delete it separately on each device.

On an Android phone or tablet, open Chrome, tap the three-dot menu at the bottom right, go to Settings, tap Privacy, then tap Clear browsing data. Choose your time range and tap Clear data. On an iPhone or iPad, open Chrome, tap the three-dot menu at the bottom right, tap Settings, tap Privacy, then tap Clear browsing data and confirm. The process is the same as on a computer, but the menu locations are slightly different.

Why your history might not be fully deleted

If you delete your Chrome history but it reappears later, you may have sync turned on. When sync is active, Chrome uploads your history to your Google account and downloads it back to your device. If you delete history on one device, it may reappear if another device syncs. To stop this, turn off sync in Chrome Settings under You and Google, then click Turn off. After that, history stays only on the device where you browse.

Another reason history might persist: if you have multiple user profiles in Chrome, each profile has its own separate history. Deleting history in one profile does not touch the others. Check that you are deleting history from the correct profile by looking at the profile icon in the top right corner of Chrome.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does clearing my Chrome history delete my passwords?

No, not unless you specifically check the box for Passwords and other sign-in data before clicking Clear data. By default, passwords stay saved. If you do check that box, Chrome will delete all saved passwords and log you out of most websites.

Can someone recover my deleted Chrome history?

Once you delete history from Chrome, it is gone from your device. A person with physical access to your computer cannot recover it through Chrome. However, your internet service provider and the websites you visited may still have records of your activity on their end.

What's the difference between clearing history and using Incognito mode?

Incognito mode prevents Chrome from saving history in the first place — nothing is recorded while you browse. Clearing history removes what has already been saved. Incognito is useful if you want privacy before you browse; clearing history is useful after you have already browsed.

If I delete my Chrome history, does it delete my Google search history too?

No. Your Google search history is stored in your Google account, not in Chrome. Deleting Chrome history removes only what Chrome recorded. To delete Google search history, go to myactivity.google.com and delete it there separately.

Will deleting my history log me out of websites?

Yes, if you check the box for Cookies and other site data before clearing. Cookies are what keep you logged in, so deleting them logs you out. If you want to keep your logins, uncheck that box and delete only your browsing history.