YouTube stores your watch history in two separate places, and you need to delete from both to fully clear it
Your YouTube watch history is the list of videos you have watched, stored on Google's servers and linked to your account. When you delete it, YouTube stops showing you recommendations based on those videos, and the list disappears from your account on any device you sign into. However, YouTube keeps a separate record called "Search history" — the terms you typed into YouTube's search bar. Deleting watch history does not delete search history, and vice versa. You have to clear each one separately if you want both gone.
The steps are straightforward and take about two minutes total. You can delete your entire history at once, or remove individual videos. You can also pause history recording so YouTube stops logging what you watch going forward — this is different from deleting what is already recorded.
Key Takeaways
- YouTube watch history and search history are stored separately, so deleting one does not delete the other.
- You can clear all watch history at once, or delete individual videos by clicking the X next to each one.
- Pausing history stops YouTube from recording new videos you watch, but does not erase videos already recorded.
- Deleting history on one device does not automatically delete it on other devices — you must sign into your account and delete from the same place.
- YouTube may still use your deleted history to train its recommendation system, depending on your account settings.
How to delete all watch history at once
On any device where you are signed into YouTube, go to youtube.com and click your profile picture in the top right corner. Select History from the menu. On the left side of the screen, you will see Watch history — click on it. At the top of the list, click the three vertical dots (the menu icon) and select Clear all watch history. YouTube will ask you to confirm. Click Clear watch history again.
The entire list disappears when ready. YouTube will no longer use those videos to suggest new content to you. If you are signed into YouTube on a phone, tablet, or another computer, you will need to repeat these steps on each device, because the history clears only from the account on that specific device.
How to delete individual videos from your watch history
Go to youtube.com, click your profile picture, and select History. Click Watch history on the left. Find the video you want to remove. Hover over it (or long-press on a phone) and an X will appear on the right side of the video title. Click the X. The video disappears from your history when ready.
This method is useful if you want to keep most of your history but remove a few specific videos — for example, if you watched something you do not want YouTube's recommendation system to know about. You can remove videos one at a time, but there is no way to select multiple videos at once and delete them together.
How to pause history so YouTube stops recording new videos
Go to youtube.com, click your profile picture, and select History. Click Watch history on the left. At the top, click the three vertical dots and select Pause watch history. A toggle switch will appear — turn it on. YouTube will stop recording videos you watch from that moment forward.
Pausing history does not delete anything already recorded. It only stops new videos from being added to the list. If you pause history and then watch a video, that video will not appear in your watch history, and YouTube will not use it to recommend future videos. You can turn pausing off at any time by going back to the same menu and toggling it off.
Deleting search history separately from watch history
YouTube keeps a separate record of every term you have typed into the YouTube search bar. Deleting your watch history does not touch this. To clear search history, go to youtube.com, click your profile picture, and select History. On the left side, click Search history (not Watch history). At the top, click the three vertical dots and select Clear all search history. Confirm when YouTube asks.
You can also delete individual searches by hovering over a search term and clicking the X that appears. Like watch history, you must clear search history separately on each device where you are signed in.
What happens to your data after you delete history
When you delete your watch history, the list disappears from your account when ready and YouTube stops using it to recommend videos to you going forward. However, YouTube may still retain information about your viewing patterns in other forms — for example, in aggregate data used to train its recommendation system, or in backups of your account that Google keeps for security reasons.
If you want to see what other data Google has collected about you beyond watch history, you can visit myaccount.google.com, click Data & privacy, and then My data. This shows you what Google knows about your activity across all Google services, not just YouTube. You can request that Google delete this data, though the process takes time and some data may be kept for legal or security reasons.
Why YouTube keeps watch history and how to limit it
YouTube records your watch history so it can recommend videos tailored to what you have already watched. This is how YouTube decides what to show you on your home page and in the sidebar. The more history YouTube has, the more specific its recommendations become. YouTube also uses this data to show advertisers that their ads reached people interested in certain topics.
If you do not want YouTube to record your history at all, you can turn off history recording by pausing it (as described above), or you can use YouTube in Incognito mode. On a computer, click your profile picture and select Turn on Incognito. On a phone or tablet, tap your profile picture, tap Settings, then General, then toggle Incognito mode on. In Incognito mode, YouTube does not save what you watch, though Google may still see your activity for other purposes like security.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does deleting watch history delete it from all my devices at the same time?
No. Deleting history clears it only from the device you are using and the account you are signed into. If you use YouTube on a phone, tablet, and computer, you must sign into your account on each device and delete the history separately. Once you delete it from one device, it is gone from your account everywhere, but the deletion itself happens only on the device where you clicked delete.
Can I delete watch history without signing into my YouTube account?
No. You must be signed into your YouTube account to access and delete your watch history. If you are not signed in, YouTube does not record a history tied to your account — it only records what you watch during that session on that device. If you want to watch without creating a history record, use Incognito mode instead.
If I delete my watch history, will YouTube stop recommending videos to me?
Deleting history stops YouTube from using those specific videos to recommend new content. However, YouTube may still recommend videos based on other signals — like videos you have liked, channels you subscribe to, or videos similar to ones you are currently watching. To get recommendations based only on your current activity, you would need to pause history going forward and delete your history regularly.
Does deleting watch history affect my YouTube recommendations on other Google services?
Deleting YouTube watch history affects recommendations on YouTube itself. However, Google uses your broader activity across all its services — Gmail, Google Search, Google Maps, and others — to build a profile of your interests. Deleting YouTube history alone does not change recommendations on those other services. To limit what Google knows across all services, visit myaccount.google.com and adjust your activity controls there.
What is the difference between deleting history and pausing it?
Deleting history removes videos you have already watched from your account. Pausing history stops YouTube from recording new videos you watch going forward. If you pause history and then watch five videos, those five videos will not be added to your history. Deleting history erases what is already there; pausing prevents new entries from being created.