Delete your Chrome history in three steps
Open 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 window appears with checkboxes for different types of data — by default, Cookies and cached images are checked along with Browsing history. Choose the time range from the dropdown at the top (Last hour, Last 24 hours, Last 7 days, Last 4 weeks, All time), then click Clear data.
That's the basic process. What you delete and how far back you go depends on what you select in that window. Chrome also lets you delete history for specific websites, set up automatic deletion, and clear data without opening the History page at all.
Key Takeaways
- Press Ctrl+H (Windows) or Command+Y (Mac) to open your History page, then click Clear browsing data to delete in one step.
- You can delete just browsing history, or also remove cookies, cached images, and other data types by checking or unchecking boxes.
- The time range dropdown lets you delete only the last hour, last day, or everything — you don't have to clear all history at once.
- Chrome can delete your history automatically every time you close the browser if you turn on this setting in Privacy and security.
- To delete history for one website only, find it in your History page and click the trash icon next to it.
What gets deleted when you clear browsing data
The Clear browsing data window shows several checkboxes. Browsing history is the list of websites you visited. Cookies and other site data includes login information, preferences, and tracking data that websites store on your computer. Cached images and files are copies of pictures and files that Chrome saved to load pages faster next time.
By default, all three are checked. You can uncheck any of them. For example, if you only want to delete the websites you visited but keep your login information, uncheck Cookies and other site data. If you want to remove everything, leave all boxes checked.
Other options appear below these three, including Passwords, Autofill form data, and Site settings. Most people leave these unchecked unless they have a specific reason to delete them — for instance, you might clear Passwords if you're on a shared computer and want to remove saved login information.
Delete history for a single website
You don't have to clear all your history at once. Open your History page with Ctrl+H or Command+Y, then search for the website you want to remove. Find the entry in the list, and a trash icon appears on the right side of it. Click the trash icon to delete just that website from your history.
This removes every visit to that website from your history, not just one visit. If you visited example.com ten times, clicking the trash icon removes all ten visits. Chrome doesn't offer a way to delete individual visits — only entire websites.
Set Chrome to delete history automatically
You can tell Chrome to delete your browsing history every time you close the browser. Open Chrome's settings by clicking the three vertical dots in the top right corner, then select Settings. On the left, click Privacy and security, then Clear browsing data.
Turn on the toggle for Clear cookies and site data when you quit Chrome. Now every time you close Chrome completely, it automatically deletes cookies and site data. If you want to also delete browsing history, turn on Clear browsing history when you quit Chrome as well.
These settings only work when you fully close Chrome — minimizing the window or closing a tab doesn't trigger the deletion. On Windows, close all Chrome windows. On Mac, use Command+Q to quit Chrome, not just close the window.
Clear history without opening the History page
You can reach the Clear browsing data window from Settings instead of the History page. Click the three vertical dots in the top right, select Settings, then go to Privacy and security and click Clear browsing data. The same window opens, and you can delete history the same way.
This route is useful if you want to clear data but don't need to see your history list first. It's also the same window you use to set up automatic deletion, so you're already in the right place if you decide to turn that on.
Understand what Chrome doesn't delete
Clearing your browsing history in Chrome does not delete files you downloaded. Your Downloads folder keeps those files. If you want to remove a downloaded file, you have to delete it from your computer's file system separately — Chrome's Clear browsing data won't touch it.
Clearing history also doesn't sign you out of websites. You remain logged in to Gmail, Facebook, and other sites even after you delete cookies. To sign out, you have to do it manually on each website, or use Chrome's Sign out of all accounts option in Settings under Privacy and security.
If you're using a Google account and have sync turned on, deleting history on one device doesn't delete it from other devices or from your Google account. Your history syncs across all your devices, so you may need to clear it on each device separately, or turn off sync first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does clearing history in Chrome delete it from Google's servers?
No. Clearing history in Chrome only removes it from your computer. If you're signed into a Google account and have sync turned on, your browsing history is stored on Google's servers. To delete that, go to myactivity.google.com, sign in, and delete your activity there. Clearing Chrome history and clearing your Google account activity are separate steps.
Can I recover history after I delete it?
Once you clear browsing history in Chrome, you cannot recover it through Chrome itself. If you have sync turned on and delete history on one device, it deletes from all your synced devices too. However, your internet service provider or network administrator may have records of websites you visited, depending on your setup.
What's the difference between clearing history and incognito mode?
Incognito mode prevents Chrome from saving your history in the first place — when you close an incognito window, nothing is saved. Clearing history deletes what Chrome already saved. Incognito is useful if you don't want history recorded at all, while clearing history is for removing history after the fact.
Will clearing cookies sign me out of websites?
Clearing cookies removes the data websites use to keep you logged in, but it doesn't automatically sign you out. The next time you visit a website, you'll need to log in again because the cookie that remembered you is gone. Some websites may still show you as logged in until you refresh the page.
Can I delete history from a specific date range?
Yes. In the Clear browsing data window, the dropdown at the top lets you choose Last hour, Last 24 hours, Last 7 days, Last 4 weeks, or All time. Chrome doesn't let you pick a custom date range — you're limited to these preset options. If you need to delete history from a specific date that doesn't match these ranges, you have to delete all history and accept that older data is removed too.