Why you might want to clear your YouTube history
YouTube keeps a record of every video you watch and every search you run. This history helps YouTube recommend videos and lets you pick up where you left off, but it also means anyone using your account or device can see what you've been watching. Clearing your history removes those records from your account and from YouTube's recommendation system.
You have two separate histories to manage: your watch history (videos you've clicked on) and your search history (terms you've typed into YouTube's search box). You can clear them together or separately, and you can do it from any device where you're signed in.
Key Takeaways
- YouTube stores your watch history and search history separately, and you can clear one without clearing the other.
- Clearing your history on YouTube.com removes it from your account across all devices, not just the one you're using.
- You can pause your history instead of clearing it, which stops YouTube from recording new activity without deleting what's already there.
- Clearing history does not delete videos you've uploaded or liked — it only removes the record of what you've watched and searched.
- On phones and tablets, the steps are the same whether you use the YouTube app or the mobile website.
Clear your watch history on a computer
Open YouTube in your web browser and sign in to your account. In the top right corner, click your profile picture (a circle with your initial or photo). A menu will drop down. Click History.
You are now on your History page. On the left side, you will see a menu. Click Clear all watch history. YouTube will ask you to confirm. Click the blue Clear all watch history button. The page will refresh, and your watch history is gone.
If you want to delete only some videos from your history instead of all of them, stay on the History page and look for the X button next to each video title. Click the X next to any video you want to remove individually.
Clear your search history on a computer
Start from the same History page (profile picture > History). On the left menu, click Search history. This shows every term you've typed into YouTube's search box.
Click Clear all search history. YouTube will ask you to confirm. Click the blue button. Your search history is now cleared. Like watch history, you can also delete individual searches by clicking the X next to each one.
Clear history on your phone or tablet
Open the YouTube app and tap your profile picture in the top right corner. Tap History. You will see your watch history listed.
Tap the three-dot menu icon (⋮) in the top right corner of the screen. Tap Clear watch history. YouTube will ask you to confirm. Tap Clear. To clear your search history instead, tap the three-dot menu and select Clear search history.
If you are using YouTube on your phone's web browser instead of the app, follow the same steps as the computer version above — the mobile website works the same way.
Pause your history instead of clearing it
If you want to stop YouTube from recording what you watch without deleting your existing history, you can pause your history instead. Go to your History page (profile picture > History), click the three-dot menu in the top right, and select Pause watch history. YouTube will stop recording new videos you watch, but your old history stays in place.
You can pause search history the same way. When you pause, YouTube stops using your activity to recommend videos, and the pause stays active across all your devices. To turn recording back on, go to the same menu and click Resume watch history or Resume search history.
What clearing history does and does not do
Clearing your history removes the record of videos you've watched and searches you've run from your YouTube account. It also tells YouTube's recommendation system to stop using that activity to suggest new videos to you. However, clearing history does not delete videos you've uploaded, comments you've left, or videos you've marked as liked or disliked. Those remain on your account.
Clearing history on YouTube.com removes it from your account everywhere — on your phone, tablet, computer, and any other device where you're signed in. It does not clear your browser's cache or cookies, so your web browser may still remember sites you've visited. If you want to clear your browser history separately, you will need to do that in your browser settings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does clearing my YouTube history delete videos I've liked?
No. Clearing your watch history and search history does not affect your likes, dislikes, or uploads. Those stay on your account. If you want to remove a video from your likes, you have to unlike it separately by clicking the thumbs-down icon on the video page.
Will clearing my history stop YouTube from recommending videos?
Clearing your history removes the record of what you've watched, so YouTube cannot use that specific activity to recommend videos anymore. However, YouTube may still recommend videos based on your channel subscriptions, your location, and what's trending. To stop recommendations based on activity, pause your history instead of clearing it.
Can I clear history on just one device?
No. When you clear your history on YouTube.com, it clears across your entire account on all devices. If you want to hide your activity from someone else using the same device, you would need to sign out of your account or use a private browsing window.
What happens if I clear my history by accident?
YouTube does not have an undo button for cleared history. Once you confirm the deletion, it is gone. If you realize you cleared it too soon, you can start a new history going forward, but the old one cannot be recovered.
Does clearing YouTube history clear my Google search history too?
No. YouTube history and Google search history are separate. Clearing one does not affect the other. If you want to clear your Google search history, you have to do that in your Google Account settings at myactivity.google.com.