YouTube stores two separate histories you can delete independently
YouTube keeps a record of every video you watch and every search you perform. This history helps YouTube recommend videos and lets you pick up where you left off, but you can delete it whenever you want — either all at once or just the parts you don't want saved.
The process differs slightly depending on whether you use YouTube on a phone, tablet, or computer, but the settings are in the same place: your account menu. You can delete your entire history with a few taps, or you can remove individual videos and searches one at a time if you only want to hide certain things.
Deleting your history does not affect videos you have uploaded or liked. It only removes the record of what you have watched and searched for.
Key Takeaways
- YouTube saves two separate records: watch history (videos you have viewed) and search history (what you have searched for), and you can delete them independently.
- You can delete all history at once or remove individual videos and searches from your account settings on any device.
- Deleting history stops YouTube from using that information to recommend videos, but does not erase videos you have uploaded or liked.
- If you want YouTube to stop recording your activity going forward, you can pause history instead of deleting it.
How to delete all your watch history at once
Open YouTube and tap or click your profile picture in the top right corner. A menu will appear with several options. Select "History" from that menu — this takes you to a page showing every video you have watched, with the most recent at the top.
Once you are on the History page, look for the three vertical dots (called a menu icon) on the left side of the screen. Tap or click it, and a dropdown menu will appear. Select "Clear all watch history." YouTube will ask you to confirm — tap or click "Clear watch history" again, and all your watched videos will be deleted from your account.
This action is permanent. YouTube will not show you a list of what is about to be deleted — it straightforward removes everything at once. If you want to keep some videos in your history, delete them individually instead (see the next section).
How to delete individual videos from your watch history
Go to your History page the same way: profile picture, then "History." You will see a list of videos you have watched. Find the video you want to remove, and hover your mouse over it (on a computer) or swipe left on it (on a phone or tablet).
An X button or trash icon will appear. Click or tap it, and that single video disappears from your history when ready. You can repeat this for as many videos as you want. This method takes longer if you have watched hundreds of videos, but it lets you keep the history you want to save.
How to delete your search history
Search history is separate from watch history. To delete it, go to your profile picture and select "History" again. This time, look for "Search history" listed below "Watch history" on the left side of the screen.
Click or tap "Search history," and you will see every search you have typed into YouTube. Just like with watch history, you can delete all searches at once by clicking the three-dot menu and selecting "Clear all search history," or you can remove individual searches by clicking the X next to each one.
How to pause history instead of deleting it
If you want to stop YouTube from recording what you watch and search for going forward, you can pause your history instead of deleting the past. This is useful if you want to keep your old history but do not want new activity saved.
Go to your profile picture, select "History," and look for the three-dot menu on the left side. Select "Pause watch history" or "Pause search history." YouTube will stop recording that activity when ready. When you pause history, YouTube also stops using that information to recommend videos to you.
You can turn history back on anytime by returning to the same menu and selecting "Resume watch history" or "Resume search history."
What happens when you delete your history
Deleting your history removes YouTube's ability to recommend videos based on what you have watched before. Your recommendations will become more generic until you watch enough new videos for YouTube to learn your preferences again.
Deleted history cannot be recovered. YouTube does not give you a way to restore watch history or search history once it is gone, so make sure you actually want to delete something before you confirm.
Deleting your history on YouTube does not affect your history on other Google services like Google Search or Gmail. Those have their own separate history settings that you would need to delete independently.
Deleting history on the YouTube app versus the website
The steps are nearly identical whether you use the YouTube app on your phone or the website on a computer. The main difference is how you access the menu: on a phone or tablet, you tap your profile picture; on a computer, you click it. Swiping left to delete individual items works on phones and tablets, while hovering and clicking works on computers.
If you are signed into the same YouTube account on multiple devices, deleting history on one device deletes it from all of them. Your history is stored on YouTube's servers, not on your phone or computer, so the deletion happens across your entire account.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does deleting my YouTube history delete it from Google Search too?
No. YouTube history and Google Search history are separate. Deleting one does not affect the other. If you want to delete your Google Search history, you need to go to myactivity.google.com and delete it there.
Can I delete my history without signing into my account?
No. You must be signed into your YouTube account to access and delete your history. If you are using a shared device and do not want to sign in, you can use Incognito mode (on Chrome) or Private Browsing (on Safari) to watch videos without saving history.
Will deleting my history affect videos I have uploaded or liked?
No. Deleting your watch history and search history only removes the record of what you have watched and searched for. Your uploaded videos, liked videos, and playlists remain unchanged.
What is the difference between pausing history and deleting it?
Pausing history stops YouTube from recording new activity going forward, but keeps your old history intact. Deleting history removes the record of what you have already watched and searched for. If you pause history, you can resume it later; if you delete history, it cannot be recovered.
If I delete my history, will YouTube stop recommending videos to me?
Yes, temporarily. YouTube uses your watch history to personalize recommendations. After you delete your history, recommendations will be more generic until you watch enough new videos for YouTube to learn your preferences again.