YouTube stores three separate histories you can clear independently

YouTube keeps track of videos you watch, searches you run, and videos you upload — and you can delete each one separately or all at once. The process differs slightly depending on whether you use the YouTube website, the mobile app, or YouTube TV. Most people want to clear their watch history (the list of videos they've viewed), but you may also want to remove search history or pause recording altogether so YouTube stops logging what you do.

Clearing your history does not delete the videos themselves or affect other people's accounts. It only removes the record from your own account. If you share a device with someone else, clearing history will not affect their YouTube account unless they are signed in on the same browser or app.

Key Takeaways

  • YouTube stores watch history, search history, and upload history separately, and you can clear each one independently from your account settings.
  • On the website, go to your account menu, select "History," then choose "Clear all watch history," "Clear all search history," or delete individual items.
  • On the YouTube mobile app, tap your profile picture, go to Settings, select "History & privacy," then tap "Clear watch history" or "Clear search history."
  • You can pause history recording so YouTube stops logging your activity going forward, though this will not delete what you have already watched.
  • Clearing history from one device does not automatically clear it from other devices — you must repeat the process on each one if you use YouTube on multiple phones, tablets, or computers.

Clearing watch history on the YouTube website

Open YouTube in your web browser and sign in to your account. Click your profile picture in the top right corner, then select "History" from the dropdown menu. You will see a list of videos you have watched, with the most recent at the top.

To delete individual videos, hover over any video in the list and click the X that appears on the right side. To remove everything at once, click "Clear all watch history" at the top of the page. YouTube will ask you to confirm — click "Clear all watch history" again in the popup. This action cannot be undone, so make sure you want to delete the entire list before confirming.

Clearing search history on the YouTube website

From your profile menu, select "History" and then click "Search history" in the left sidebar. You will see a list of every search term you have typed into YouTube's search box. Like watch history, you can delete individual searches by clicking the X next to each one, or clear everything by clicking "Clear all search history" at the top.

Search history and watch history are stored separately, so clearing one does not affect the other. Some people clear their search history but keep their watch history, or vice versa, depending on what they want to preserve.

Clearing history on the YouTube mobile app

Open the YouTube app on your phone or tablet and tap your profile picture in the top right corner. Select "Settings," then tap "History & privacy." You will see two options: "Clear watch history" and "Clear search history."

Tap whichever one you want to clear. The app will ask you to confirm — tap "Clear" in the popup. Unlike the website, the mobile app does not show you a list of individual videos or searches before you clear them, so you cannot delete just one item at a time from the app. If you need to remove only specific videos, use the YouTube website instead.

Pausing history so YouTube stops recording your activity

If you want YouTube to stop logging what you watch and search for going forward, you can pause history recording instead of clearing what you have already watched. On the website, go to your account menu, select "History," and click "Pause watch history" or "Pause search history." On the mobile app, go to Settings, select "History & privacy," and toggle off "Save your watch history" or "Save your search history."

Pausing history does not delete your existing watch or search history — it only stops YouTube from adding new entries. If you pause watch history and then watch a video, that video will not appear in your history list. You can turn history recording back on at any time by reversing these steps.

Clearing history on different devices

YouTube history is tied to your account, not your device, so clearing history on your phone will not automatically clear it on your computer or tablet. If you use YouTube on multiple devices, you will need to clear history separately on each one. The easiest approach is to clear history on the website (which affects all devices) and then clear the app cache on any mobile devices you use.

To clear the YouTube app cache on Android, go to Settings, select "Apps," find YouTube, tap "Storage," and select "Clear cache." On iPhone, you cannot clear the YouTube app cache directly — instead, go to Settings, select "YouTube," and toggle off "Save search history" and "Save watch history." This pauses recording rather than deleting existing history, so you will still need to use the website to clear what you have already watched.

What happens when you clear history

Clearing your watch history removes videos from the "Watch history" section of your account and stops YouTube from using those videos to recommend new content. However, YouTube may still recommend videos based on other signals, such as videos you have liked, playlists you have created, or channels you subscribe to. Clearing history does not prevent YouTube from collecting data about your activity — it only removes the visible record from your account.

If you want to prevent YouTube from collecting data altogether, you would need to use a private browsing window or sign out before watching videos. Clearing history is useful for privacy within your own account, but it does not hide your activity from YouTube's servers or your internet service provider.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does clearing my YouTube history delete the videos I watched?

No. Clearing your history only removes the record from your account. The videos themselves remain on YouTube and are unaffected. Other people can still watch them, and the creators still have their view counts.

If I clear my history, will YouTube stop recommending videos to me?

Clearing history removes recommendations based on what you have watched, but YouTube will still recommend videos based on your likes, subscriptions, and other activity. To get a fresh recommendation feed, you would also need to clear your likes and subscriptions or sign out of your account.

Can I clear history from one device without affecting my other devices?

No. YouTube history is stored on your account, not on individual devices. Clearing history on your phone will also clear it on your computer and any other device where you are signed in. If you want to keep history on one device, you must not clear it from your account settings.

Will the person who owns the WiFi network see my YouTube history if I clear it?

Clearing your YouTube history does not hide your activity from your internet service provider or the person who manages your WiFi network. They can see that you visited YouTube, but not which specific videos you watched. To hide your activity from them, you would need to use a VPN or watch videos on a different network.

How do I clear history if I do not remember my password?

You must be signed in to your YouTube account to clear history. If you do not remember your password, go to the Google Account recovery page, enter your email address, and follow the steps to reset your password. Once you have regained access to your account, you can clear your history normally.