Delete recent searches in three steps
Open Google.com and sign in to your account. Look for your profile picture or initial in the top right corner and click it. Select Manage your Google Account, then click the Data & Privacy tab.
On the left side, find Web & App Activity and click it. You will see a toggle switch at the top — make sure it is turned on so you can see your search history. Below that, click Manage all Web & App Activity.
You are now in your activity log. At the top, you will see a trash icon and a filter button. Click the trash icon to delete items. Google will ask you to choose a time range: Last hour, Last 24 hours, All time, or a custom date range. Pick what you want to clear and click Delete.
Key Takeaways
- Recent searches live in your Google Account under Data & Privacy, not in your browser history.
- You can delete searches from the last hour, last 24 hours, all time, or any date range you choose.
- Clearing your browser history does not clear your Google search history — you must delete them separately in your account.
- Turning off Web & App Activity stops Google from storing new searches, but does not delete old ones already saved.
The difference between browser history and Google account history
Your browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge) keeps a list of websites you visited. Your Google Account keeps a separate list of what you searched for. Clearing one does not clear the other. If you delete your browser history, your Google searches remain in your account. If you delete your Google searches, your browser still remembers the websites you went to.
This matters because someone using your computer can see your browser history even if you cleared your Google account. They can also sign into your Google Account on a different device and see all your searches. The two are completely separate records.
Turn off Web & App Activity to stop storing new searches
If you do not want Google to save your searches going forward, you can disable Web & App Activity. Go to your Google Account, click Data & Privacy, find Web & App Activity, and toggle it Off. From that point on, Google will not store what you search for.
Turning this off does not delete your old searches — it only stops new ones from being saved. If you want both, turn it off and then delete your existing history using the steps above. Keep in mind that some Google services (like Maps location history or YouTube watch history) have their own separate toggles you may also want to turn off.
What happens when you delete searches
When you delete a search from your Google Account, it is removed from the activity log you see when you sign in. Google will no longer show you personalized recommendations based on that search. Ads you see across Google services may be less targeted to that topic.
Deleted searches do not appear in your account on any device. If you share a device with someone else and they sign into their own Google Account, they will not see your deleted searches. However, your internet service provider and the websites you visited can still see that you made those searches — deleting from Google does not erase the record from the wider internet.
Clear searches on mobile devices
On an iPhone or Android phone, open the Google app and tap your profile picture in the top right. Tap Manage your Google Account, then Data & Privacy. Tap Web & App Activity and then Manage all Web & App Activity. Tap the trash icon at the top and choose your time range, then tap Delete.
The process is the same on both iPhone and Android because you are signing into your Google Account through the app, not using your phone's built-in browser. If you want to clear your phone's browser history separately, that is a different setting in your phone's settings app — not in Google.
Searches saved in your browser's search bar
When you start typing in your browser's address bar or search bar, the browser shows you suggestions from your search history. This is separate from your Google Account history. To clear these suggestions, you need to clear your browser history.
In Chrome, press Ctrl+H (Windows) or Command+Y (Mac) to open history, then click Clear browsing data on the left. Choose your time range and make sure Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files are checked. In Safari, go to History menu and click Clear History. In Firefox, press Ctrl+Shift+Delete (Windows) or Command+Shift+Delete (Mac).
Frequently Asked Questions
If I clear my Google search history, will my family see my searches?
Only if they sign into your Google Account. If they use their own account on the same device, they will not see your deleted searches. If you share a Google Account with family members, they can see your search history unless you delete it. Consider using a separate account if you want privacy from people who share your login.
Does clearing searches from Google also clear them from my browser?
No. Deleting from your Google Account removes them from your account only. Your browser still has a record of the websites you visited. You must clear your browser history separately using your browser's settings, not through Google.
Can I delete just one search instead of a whole time period?
Yes. In your Web & App Activity log, you can hover over or tap individual searches and click the X or trash icon next to them. This deletes just that one search without touching the rest of your history.
What if I turn off Web & App Activity but then turn it back on?
Turning it back on does not restore searches you deleted while it was off. It only starts saving new searches from that point forward. Any searches you deleted are gone permanently.
Does Google keep deleted searches anywhere else?
Google does not show you deleted searches in your account after you remove them. However, Google may keep copies of your data in backup systems for a period of time before fully removing it. For the purposes of what you can see and control in your account, deleted searches are gone.