Delete your YouTube history in three places

YouTube stores three separate records of what you watch: your watch history (videos you've clicked on), your search history (what you've typed into the search box), and your Google account activity across all Google services. Deleting one does not delete the others. Most people want to clear their watch history, which is the easiest of the three and takes about one minute.

The steps differ slightly depending on whether you're on a computer or phone, and whether you want to delete everything at once or remove individual videos. This guide covers all three methods.

Key Takeaways

  • YouTube watch history, search history, and Google account activity are stored separately — deleting one does not affect the others.
  • On a computer, go to your YouTube account menu, select "History," then "Clear all watch history" to remove everything at once.
  • On a phone, open the YouTube app, tap your profile picture, go to Settings, then History and Privacy, and select "Clear watch history."
  • You can delete individual videos from your history by clicking the X next to each one, on either computer or phone.
  • Turning on Incognito mode prevents YouTube from recording your watch history in the first place.

Clear your watch history on a computer

Open YouTube in your web browser and sign in to your account if you are not already signed in. Look for your profile picture or initial in the top right corner of the screen and click it. A dropdown menu will appear with several options.

Click "History" from that menu. You will see a page showing all the videos you have watched, with the most recent at the top. On the left side of the page, you will see a button that says "Clear all watch history." Click it. YouTube will ask you to confirm — click "Clear watch history" again. Your entire watch history is now deleted.

Clear your watch history on a phone or tablet

Open the YouTube app and tap your profile picture in the top right corner. Tap "Settings" from the menu that appears. Scroll down and tap "History and Privacy." You will see two options: "Clear watch history" and "Clear search history." Tap "Clear watch history." YouTube will ask you to confirm — tap "Clear" again.

If you are using an iPhone, the steps are identical. If you are using an Android phone, the menu layout may look slightly different, but the option names and order remain the same.

Delete individual videos from your history

You do not have to clear your entire history. You can remove single videos one at a time. On a computer, go to your History page (profile picture → History), find the video you want to remove, and click the X button on the right side of that video's row. The video disappears from your history immediately.

On a phone, open the YouTube app, tap your profile picture, tap "History," find the video you want to remove, and swipe left on it (iPhone) or long-press it (Android). A delete option will appear — tap it. That video is now removed from your history, but the rest of your history remains.

Clear your YouTube search history separately

Your search history — the words you have typed into YouTube's search box — is stored separately from your watch history. Clearing one does not clear the other. To remove your search history on a computer, go to your History page, and you will see a "Clear all search history" button on the left side, below the watch history button. Click it and confirm.

On a phone, go to Settings → History and Privacy, and you will see "Clear search history" as a separate option from "Clear watch history." Tap it and confirm. You can also delete individual searches by tapping your profile picture, tapping "History," finding the search you want to remove, and swiping or long-pressing to delete it.

Delete YouTube activity from your Google account

YouTube is owned by Google, and your YouTube activity is also recorded in your broader Google account activity log. This is separate from your YouTube watch and search history. To clear this, you need to go to Google's activity page, not YouTube's settings.

On a computer, go to myactivity.google.com in your web browser. You will see all activity across Google services, including YouTube. Click "Delete activity by" at the top left. Choose the date range (you can select "All time" to delete everything), and make sure "YouTube" is checked in the list of services. Click "Delete" to confirm. On a phone, the same page works, but it is easier to use a computer for this step because the interface is simpler.

Use Incognito mode to prevent history from being recorded

If you want to watch videos without YouTube recording them in your history, use Incognito mode. On a computer, open YouTube, tap your profile picture, and select "Turn on Incognito mode." YouTube will remind you that you are not signed in and that your watch history will not be saved. When you close the Incognito window or tab, YouTube forgets what you watched.

On a phone, open the YouTube app, tap your profile picture, and select "Turn on Incognito mode." The same rules apply — nothing you watch will be saved to your history. Note that Incognito mode does not hide your activity from your internet service provider or network administrator; it only prevents YouTube from recording it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does deleting my YouTube history delete it from Google's servers?

No. Deleting your history removes it from your account, but Google retains copies of your data on its servers. If you want to request that Google delete your data entirely, you can submit a request through Google's data deletion tool, though this is a separate process from clearing your YouTube history.

Will deleting my history affect my YouTube recommendations?

Yes. YouTube uses your watch history to suggest videos you might like. After you clear your history, your recommendations will be based only on videos you watch going forward, and they may be less personalized for a while.

Can I delete my history on YouTube TV or YouTube Music?

YouTube TV and YouTube Music use the same Google account as regular YouTube, so clearing your YouTube watch history will also clear your history on those services. The steps are the same — go to your account settings and select "Clear watch history."

If I delete my watch history, can YouTube still see what I watched?

YouTube's servers retain records of what you watched even after you delete your history from your account. Deleting your history only removes it from your view and from your recommendations. If you want to prevent YouTube from recording your activity in the first place, use Incognito mode.

Why does my search history still show up after I cleared it?

You may have cleared your watch history but not your search history — they are two separate things. Go back to your History page and look for the "Clear all search history" button. If you cleared both and searches still appear, you may be seeing suggestions based on your Google account activity rather than your YouTube search history. Clear that separately through myactivity.google.com.