Clear your Google search history in three steps
You can delete the searches Google has recorded about you by going to your Google Account settings, finding your search history, and choosing what to remove. The process takes about two minutes and works the same way whether you use Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or any other browser. Google keeps this history to personalize your search results and ads, but you can delete it whenever you want — either all at once or just specific searches.
The steps below show you how to clear everything at once. If you want to delete only certain searches or set up automatic deletion, those options are covered in later sections.
Key Takeaways
- You delete Google search history through your Google Account settings, not through your browser's history menu.
- You can remove all your search history at once, or delete only searches from a specific date range.
- Google can automatically delete your search history every three months, every year, or on your birthday if you turn on auto-delete.
- Clearing your browser history does not delete your Google search history — these are two separate things.
- If you are signed out of your Google Account, Google does not store your searches in your account history.
Delete all your Google search history right now
Open a web browser and go to myactivity.google.com. You will see a list of everything Google has recorded about your account — searches, videos you watched on YouTube, places you looked up on Maps, and more. On the left side of the page, click Search to see only your search history.
At the top of the page, you will see a trash can icon and a three-line menu icon. Click the trash can icon. A box will pop up asking you to confirm. Click Delete all time to remove every search Google has on record for your account. Google will ask you to confirm one more time. Click Delete and your search history is gone.
If you want to delete searches from only a certain time period instead of everything, click the three-line menu icon at the top instead. Choose Delete by date range, pick the start and end dates you want to remove, and click Delete.
Delete individual searches one at a time
Go to myactivity.google.com and click Search on the left. Scroll through your search history until you find a search you want to remove. Hover your mouse over that search and a trash can icon will appear on the right side of it. Click the trash can to delete just that one search.
You can delete as many individual searches as you want this way. This is useful if you want to keep most of your search history but remove a few specific searches you do not want Google to remember.
Set up automatic deletion of your search history
Google can delete your search history automatically on a schedule you choose. Go to myactivity.google.com and look at the top right corner of the page. Click your profile picture, then click Manage your Google Account. Click the Data & Privacy tab.
Scroll down until you see a section called Web & App Activity. Click on it. You will see a toggle switch next to Web & App Activity — make sure it is turned on (it should be blue). Below that, click Auto-delete (Off). Choose how often you want Google to delete your searches: every 3 months, every 18 months, or on your birthday. Click Next and then Confirm.
From now on, Google will automatically delete searches older than the time period you chose. For example, if you pick every 3 months, Google will keep only your searches from the last three months and delete anything older.
Understand the difference between browser history and Google search history
Your browser history and your Google search history are not the same thing. When you clear your browser history in Chrome, Firefox, or Safari, you are only deleting the list of websites you visited on that particular device. Google's servers still have a record of every search you made while signed into your Google Account.
For example, if you clear your Chrome history, the list of sites disappears from Chrome. But if you go to myactivity.google.com on a different device, you will still see all your old searches there. That is because Google stores your search history on its own servers, not on your computer.
To actually remove your searches from Google's records, you must use the steps in the sections above — going to myactivity.google.com and deleting from there. Clearing your browser history alone does not do this.
Stop Google from recording your searches going forward
If you do not want Google to save your searches to your account at all, you can turn off Web & App Activity. Go to myactivity.google.com, click your profile picture in the top right, and click Manage your Google Account. Click the Data & Privacy tab.
Find Web & App Activity and click on it. You will see a blue toggle switch next to it. Click the toggle to turn it off. Google will ask you to confirm. Click Turn off.
Once you turn this off, Google will no longer save your searches, YouTube videos you watch, or other activity to your account. However, Google will still see your searches for other reasons — to show you results, to detect spam, and to comply with the law. Turning off Web & App Activity just means Google does not store a record of it in your account history that you can see later.
What happens when you are signed out of Google
If you search on Google without being signed into your Google Account, Google does not add those searches to your account history. You can check whether you are signed in by looking at the top right corner of the Google homepage. If you see your profile picture, you are signed in. If you see a Sign in button, you are not.
Even when you are signed out, Google may still keep records of your searches for a limited time for technical reasons — to prevent spam, to improve search results, and to show you ads. But these records are not tied to your account and are deleted after a shorter period than your account history.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does clearing my browser history delete my Google search history?
No. Clearing your browser history only removes the list of websites from that browser on that device. Your Google search history stays on Google's servers. You must go to myactivity.google.com and delete from there to remove your searches from Google.
Can I delete my search history on my phone?
Yes. Open any browser on your phone, go to myactivity.google.com, and follow the same steps as on a computer. You can also use the Google app on Android or iPhone — tap your profile picture, go to Manage your Google Account, click Data & Privacy, and find Web & App Activity.
Will deleting my search history affect my search results or recommendations?
Yes. Google uses your search history to personalize your results and recommendations. After you delete your history, Google will show you more general results until you build up a new history. Your recommendations on YouTube and other Google services may also change.
What if I want to keep some searches but delete others?
Go to myactivity.google.com, click Search, and hover over individual searches you want to remove. Click the trash can icon that appears next to each one. You can delete as many as you want without touching the rest of your history.
Does Google delete my search history if I do not do it myself?
Not automatically, unless you turn on auto-delete. By default, Google keeps your search history forever. You can set it to delete automatically every 3 months, every 18 months, or on your birthday by going to your Data & Privacy settings and turning on auto-delete.