Chrome stores your browsing history, passwords, cookies, and cached images on your device
Every time you visit a website in Chrome, the browser saves information about where you went, what you searched for, and files it downloaded to load pages faster next time. This data takes up storage space and can reveal your browsing habits to anyone with access to your device. Deleting it is straightforward — Chrome has a built-in tool that clears everything at once or lets you pick what goes.
You can delete data from the last hour, the last day, the last week, the last four weeks, or all time. You can also set Chrome to clear certain data automatically every time you close the browser. The steps are the same whether you use Windows, Mac, or Linux.
Key Takeaways
- Open Chrome settings, select Privacy and Security, then choose Clear Browsing Data to see what Chrome has stored and delete it in one action.
- You can delete only specific types of data — like history and cookies — while keeping passwords and payment methods if you want to stay logged in.
- The time range dropdown lets you clear just the last hour or everything from the beginning, depending on how much you need to remove.
- Turning on "Delete cookies and site data when you quit Chrome" in settings makes the browser automatically clear certain data every time you close it.
- Deleting browsing data does not affect your Google account or files stored in Google Drive — it only removes what Chrome stored locally on your device.
How to open the Clear Browsing Data window
Open Chrome and look at the top right corner. Click the three vertical dots (called the menu button) and select Settings. On the left side of the screen, click Privacy and Security. Then click Clear Browsing Data.
A window will pop up showing you what Chrome can delete. At the top, you will see a dropdown menu that says "All time" or shows a time range. This controls how far back Chrome looks when deleting — if you only want to remove the last day's worth of data, change this dropdown to "Last 24 hours" before you proceed.
What each type of data means and why you might want to keep it
Cookies and site data are small files websites store on your device to remember you. They keep you logged into email, shopping sites, and social media. If you delete cookies, you will have to log back into every site. Delete these if you share your device with others or want to clear out old login sessions.
Cached images and files are copies of pictures, videos, and web pages Chrome downloaded to make websites load faster. They take up the most storage space. Deleting them frees up gigabytes but makes websites load slightly slower the first time you visit them after clearing. This is the safest thing to delete if you only want to free up space.
Browsing history is the list of websites you visited. Deleting it removes the list from Chrome's history page and the suggestions that appear when you type in the address bar. It does not affect your Google account history if you are signed into Chrome.
read history is the list of files you downloaded through Chrome. Deleting it removes the list from the Downloads page but does not delete the actual files from your computer — they stay in your Downloads folder or wherever you saved them.
Passwords and other sign-in data are stored separately. By default, this box is unchecked, so your saved passwords stay even when you clear other data. Check this box only if you want to delete saved passwords — you will have to type them in again next time.
Payment methods and addresses are also unchecked by default. These are autofill suggestions Chrome offers when you fill out forms. Uncheck this unless you want to remove them.
Clearing data for a specific time range
At the top of the Clear Browsing Data window, click the dropdown that says "All time" or shows your selected range. You will see these options: Last hour, Last 24 hours, Last 7 days, Last 4 weeks, and All time.
Choose the range that matches what you want to delete. If you only want to remove data from today, pick "Last 24 hours". If you want to clear everything Chrome has ever stored, pick "All time". Once you select your range, the checkboxes below will explore only to that time period.
Making Chrome delete data automatically when you close it
If you want Chrome to delete certain data every time you close the browser, go to Settings, then Privacy and Security. Scroll down until you see "Clear browsing data" and look for the toggle that says "Delete cookies and site data when you quit Chrome". Turn this on.
When this toggle is on, Chrome will delete cookies and site data automatically, but it will keep your browsing history, passwords, and cached files. If you want to delete additional types of data automatically, click "See all" next to the toggle to choose what gets cleared each time you close Chrome.
This setting is useful if you share your device with family members or roommates and do not want them to see where you have been browsing. It does mean you will have to log back into websites every time you open Chrome, since cookies are what keep you logged in.
What happens when you clear data, and what stays
When you click the Clear button, Chrome when ready deletes the data you selected from your device. The action cannot be undone, so make sure you have selected only what you want to remove.
Clearing browsing data in Chrome does not affect your Google account. If you are signed into Chrome with a Google account, your account history, Gmail, Google Drive files, and other Google services remain untouched. Clearing data only removes what Chrome stored locally on your computer.
If you have synced your Chrome data to your Google account (which happens automatically if you are signed in), clearing local data will not delete the synced copies on Google's servers. To remove synced data, you need to go to your Google account settings at myaccount.google.com, select Data and Privacy, and manage your Web and App Activity separately.
Clearing data on your phone or tablet
On Android, open Chrome, tap the three dots in the top right, select Settings, then Privacy. Tap Clear Browsing Data, choose your time range, select what to delete, and tap Clear Browsing Data again.
On iPhone or iPad, open Chrome, tap the three dots in the bottom right, select Settings, then Privacy. Tap Clear Browsing Data, choose your time range, select what to delete, and tap Clear Browsing Data.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will clearing my browsing history delete the files I downloaded?
No. Clearing browsing history removes the list of sites you visited from Chrome's history page, but it does not delete the actual files you downloaded. Those files stay in your Downloads folder or wherever you saved them. To delete the files themselves, you need to open your file manager and remove them manually.
If I clear cookies, will I have to log back into everything?
Yes. Cookies are what websites use to remember you are logged in. When you delete cookies, you lose all active login sessions and will have to enter your username and password again the next time you visit those sites. If you want to stay logged into certain sites, do not check the "Cookies and site data" box.
Does clearing Chrome data delete my Gmail or Google Drive files?
No. Clearing browsing data in Chrome only removes what the browser stored on your device. Your Google account, Gmail, Google Drive, and other Google services are separate and are not affected. If you want to delete data from your Google account itself, you need to go to myaccount.google.com.
Can I undo clearing my browsing data?
No. Once you click Clear Browsing Data, the action is permanent and cannot be reversed. Make sure you have selected only the data you want to remove before you click the button.
What is the difference between clearing data and using Incognito mode?
Incognito mode prevents Chrome from saving data in the first place — when you close an Incognito window, Chrome does not store your history, cookies, or cached files. Clearing browsing data removes data that Chrome has already saved. Incognito is useful for one-time browsing; clearing data is useful for removing old data after the fact.