Clear your search history in three steps
Open Chrome and press Ctrl + H (or Command + H on Mac). This opens your History page. On the left side, click Clear browsing data. A window will pop up with options for what to delete and how far back to go. Select All time at the top if you want to clear everything, check the box next to Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files along with your search history, then click Clear data.
That's the full process. The history is gone from your Chromebook immediately, though websites you've visited may still have records of your activity on their own servers — clearing your Chromebook's history doesn't erase what Google or other sites know about you.
Key Takeaways
- Press Ctrl + H to open your history, then click Clear browsing data on the left side to delete what Chrome has stored.
- Choose All time to clear everything, or pick a specific date range if you only want to remove recent history.
- Checking Cookies and other site data also clears login information and site preferences, so you may need to sign back into accounts.
- Clearing your Chromebook's history does not erase records that websites or your internet provider have about your activity.
- If you share your Chromebook with others, each person has their own user account with separate history — clearing one account's history does not affect the others.
What gets deleted when you clear browsing data
Chrome stores several types of information, and you can choose which ones to delete. Browsing history is the list of websites you've visited — this is what most people mean by "search history," though technically it includes any site you went to, not just search results. Cookies and other site data includes login tokens, preferences, and tracking information that websites store on your device. Cached images and files are copies of web pages and images that Chrome saved to load websites faster next time.
When you clear browsing data, you can leave some categories unchecked if you want to keep them. For example, you might clear history but keep cookies so you stay logged into your email. The trade-off is that websites will load slightly slower the next time you visit them, since Chrome won't have the cached versions.
Clearing history for a specific time range
The Clear browsing data window has a dropdown at the top that defaults to All time. If you click it, you can choose Last hour, Last 24 hours, Last 7 days, Last 4 weeks, or Last 4 weeks. Pick the range that matches what you want to delete.
This is useful if you only want to remove recent activity but keep older history — for example, clearing the last day's browsing before someone else uses your Chromebook, while keeping bookmarks and older history intact. The time ranges are fixed; Chrome doesn't let you enter a custom date range.
Automatic history deletion with a Chromebook setting
If you want Chrome to delete your history automatically every time you close the browser, you can turn on Delete cookies and site data when you quit Chrome. Open Chrome, click the three-dot menu in the top right, go to Settings, then click Privacy and security on the left. Scroll down and toggle on Delete cookies and site data when you quit Chrome.
With this setting on, your browsing history, cookies, and cached files disappear when you close all Chrome windows. This doesn't affect your bookmarks or saved passwords — those stay. Each time you open Chrome fresh, it's like starting with a clean slate. This is helpful if you share your Chromebook or want less of a digital trail, but it also means you'll need to log back into websites every time you close the browser.
History on a shared Chromebook with multiple accounts
If your Chromebook has multiple user accounts, each person's history is separate. Clearing your history only removes what you've browsed under your account. Other users' history stays intact, and they can't see your browsing unless they log into your account.
This matters if you share a Chromebook with family or roommates. Each person should clear their own history by logging into their own account and following the steps above. If you're concerned about privacy on a shared device, you can also use Guest mode — click your profile picture in the bottom right, then Browse as Guest. Guest mode doesn't save any history, cookies, or data when you close it, though the device owner can still see that Guest mode was used.
What clearing history does not do
Clearing your Chromebook's history is a local action — it only removes what Chrome stored on your device. It does not erase records that websites, your internet service provider, or your network administrator have about your activity. If you visited a website, that website's server has a log of your visit. If your school or workplace monitors network traffic, they can still see what sites you accessed, even if your Chromebook's history is empty.
Google also keeps a separate record of your activity if you're signed into a Google account. Clearing Chrome history does not delete your Google Search history or YouTube watch history. To clear those, you need to visit myactivity.google.com, sign in, and delete items there separately. Similarly, if you use Chrome Sync to back up your data across devices, clearing history on one device may not clear it from your Google account.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does clearing history delete my saved passwords?
No. Saved passwords are stored separately from browsing history. When you clear browsing data, you can choose whether to delete passwords by checking the Passwords and other sign-in data box, but it's unchecked by default. If you want to keep your passwords but clear history, leave that box unchecked.
Can someone recover my history after I delete it?
Not from your Chromebook. Once you clear browsing data, Chrome removes it from your device. However, websites you visited still have records of your activity on their servers, and your internet service provider may have logs of your network traffic. Clearing your Chromebook's history only affects what's stored locally on your device.
Will clearing history sign me out of websites?
If you also clear cookies and site data, yes — you'll be signed out of most websites because login tokens are stored in cookies. If you only clear browsing history without touching cookies, you'll stay logged in. To stay signed in while clearing history, uncheck Cookies and other site data before clicking Clear data.
How do I clear my Google Search history separately from Chrome history?
Chrome history and Google Search history are separate. Go to myactivity.google.com, sign in with your Google account, and you'll see your search history, YouTube activity, and other Google services. Click the delete button to remove items. This is different from clearing Chrome's local history.
What's the difference between clearing history and using Incognito mode?
Incognito mode (press Ctrl + Shift + N) doesn't save history, cookies, or cached data while you're using it — everything disappears when you close the window. Regular browsing saves all of that, and you have to manually clear it later. Incognito is useful if you want to browse without leaving a trace from the start, but it doesn't hide your activity from websites or your internet provider.