Where to find your Google search history

Your Google search history lives in your Google Account settings, not in your browser. When you search on Google while signed in, Google stores what you searched for, when you searched, and what device you used. You can see this record by going to myactivity.google.com — this is Google's Activity page, and it shows searches, videos you watched on YouTube, places you looked up on Maps, and other things you did across Google services.

The Activity page displays your most recent activity first. You can scroll down to see older searches, or use the search box at the top to find a specific search term. You can also filter by date using the calendar icon, or by service (showing only Google Search, only YouTube, only Maps, and so on).

If you are not signed into your Google Account, Google does not store your search history in your account — though your internet service provider and your browser may still keep records on your device.

Key Takeaways

  • Your Google search history is stored in your Google Account at myactivity.google.com, not in your browser's history.
  • Google only records searches you make while signed in to your account; searches made while signed out are not saved to your account.
  • You can delete individual searches, delete all searches from a specific date range, or turn off search history recording entirely.
  • Turning off Web & App Activity stops Google from storing your searches, but you will still see search suggestions based on what you type.

How to delete individual searches or dates

To remove a single search from your history, go to myactivity.google.com, find the search you want to delete, and click the trash icon next to it. The search disappears when ready from your Activity page.

To delete all searches from a specific date or date range, click the three-line menu icon in the top left, then select "Delete activity by". You can choose to delete activity from the last hour, the last day, the last week, the last month, or a custom date range you set yourself. Select the dates you want, make sure "Search" is checked under "Google Search", and click "Delete".

Deleting from your Activity page removes the record from your Google Account, but it does not delete the search results pages you visited or anything you downloaded. It also does not affect what Google knows about your interests for advertising purposes — Google uses other signals beyond your search history to build your advertising profile.

Turning off search history recording

If you do not want Google to store your searches at all, you can turn off Web & App Activity. Go to myactivity.google.com, click the three-line menu, select "Settings", then toggle off "Web & App Activity". When this is off, Google stops recording your searches, YouTube videos you watch, and other activity across Google services.

Turning off Web & App Activity does not mean Google forgets you exist or stops showing you ads. Google still knows your location, your device type, and what you type into the search box (to show you suggestions as you type). But it stops building a timestamped record of what you searched for over time.

You can turn Web & App Activity back on at any time. The setting applies to all devices where you are signed into that Google Account.

The difference between account history and browser history

Your browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) keeps its own separate history of websites you visited. This history lives on your device, not in your Google Account. Clearing your browser history does not touch your Google Account activity, and turning off Web & App Activity does not clear your browser history.

If you use Google Chrome and you are signed into your Google Account, Chrome can sync your browser history to your account — but this is a separate setting from Web & App Activity. You can have Web & App Activity turned off while Chrome still syncs your browsing history, or vice versa.

To see what Chrome has synced, go to myactivity.google.com and filter by "Chrome" in the service list. To stop Chrome from syncing, go to Chrome settings, click "You and Google", then toggle off "Sync".

What happens when you use Incognito or Private mode

When you search in Incognito mode (Chrome) or Private mode (Firefox, Safari, Edge), your browser does not save the search to your device's browser history. However, Google still records the search in your Google Account activity if you are signed in — Incognito mode only hides the search from your device, not from Google.

To prevent Google from recording a search, you must be signed out of your Google Account before you search. Signing out is more effective than Incognito mode if your goal is to keep Google from storing the search.

Checking activity on shared devices

If you share a device with other people and you are all signed into the same Google Account, you will all see the same Activity page. Each person's searches appear in the shared history. If you want separate histories, each person needs their own Google Account and should sign in with their own account before searching.

If you are signed into a shared device and you want to prevent your searches from being recorded, you can sign out before searching, or you can turn off Web & App Activity for your account (though this affects all devices where you are signed in). You can also use a separate browser profile on the shared device — for example, Chrome allows multiple profiles, and each profile can be signed into a different Google Account.

Understanding what Google does with your search history

Google uses your search history to personalize your search results and to build a profile of your interests for advertising. The longer your history, the more detailed this profile becomes. Advertisers can target you based on interests Google infers from your searches — for example, if you search for running shoes repeatedly, Google may show you ads for athletic gear.

Your search history is also used to improve Google's services. Google analyzes patterns in search data (in aggregate, not tied to you individually) to understand what people are looking for and to train its search algorithm. You can read Google's privacy policy at policies.google.com/privacy to see the full list of what Google does with this data.

Deleting your search history does not retroactively undo the ads you have already seen or the inferences Google has already made. It only prevents future searches from being added to the record.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I see my search history if I am signed out?

No. Your Google Account activity is only visible when you are signed in. If you sign out and try to visit myactivity.google.com, Google will ask you to sign in first. If you want to check someone else's search history, you would need their account password, which you should never ask for or share.

Does deleting my search history delete my Google Account?

No. Deleting your search history only removes the record of what you searched for. Your Google Account, your email, your photos, and everything else in your account stays intact. You can delete searches without affecting anything else.

If I turn off Web & App Activity, will Google stop showing me personalized ads?

Turning off Web & App Activity stops Google from recording your searches, but Google still shows you ads based on other information — your location, your device type, your age range (if you provided it), and other signals. You will see fewer personalized ads, but not zero ads. To reduce ad personalization further, you can adjust your ad settings at adssettings.google.com.

What if I forgot my Google Account password and cannot sign in to see my history?

You can recover your account by going to accounts.google.com/signin/recovery. Google will ask you to verify your identity using a recovery email or phone number you set up previously. Once you regain access, you can view and manage your activity normally.

Does my internet service provider see my Google search history?

Your internet service provider can see that you visited google.com and that you made a request to Google's servers, but they cannot see what you searched for if you use HTTPS (which Google does). However, your ISP can see the domain names of websites you visit after you click a search result. Using a VPN can hide even this information from your ISP, but it does not hide your searches from Google itself.