Delete your search history from Google's website

The fastest way to clear your Google search history is to go to myactivity.google.com in any web browser while logged into your Google account. This page shows everything Google has recorded about you — searches, videos you watched on YouTube, places you looked up on Maps, and more.

On the left side of the page, click Delete activity by. A menu will appear with three options: you can delete activity from today only, the last 7 days, the last 30 days, or all time. Select All time if you want to remove everything. Then click the blue Delete button. Google will ask you to confirm your password — type it in and click Delete again.

If you want to delete only certain searches instead of everything, you can click on individual items in your activity list and delete them one at a time. Hover over any search result and a trash icon will appear on the right side — click it to remove just that one entry.

Key Takeaways

  • Go to myactivity.google.com, select Delete activity by, choose All time, and click Delete to remove your entire search history at once.
  • You can delete searches from specific time periods — today, the last week, the last month, or all time — without deleting everything.
  • Individual searches can be deleted by hovering over them and clicking the trash icon, which is useful if you only want to remove certain entries.
  • Deleting your history from myactivity.google.com removes it from Google's servers, but does not change what your internet service provider or your device's browser can see.
  • You can turn off search history recording entirely by going to your Google Account settings and disabling Web & App Activity.

Clear search history from your browser instead

If you want to delete searches from your device without going through Google's website, you can clear your browser history. This removes the searches from your computer or phone, but does not remove them from Google's servers — Google will still have a record unless you also delete from myactivity.google.com.

In Google Chrome, click the three-dot menu in the top right corner, select History, then Clear browsing data. A window will pop up. Make sure Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files are checked, then select how far back you want to go — All time will clear everything. Click Clear data.

In Safari on Mac or iPhone, go to Safari menu (top left on Mac, or swipe down on iPhone), select Clear History, choose the time period, and click Clear History. On Firefox, click the menu button (three horizontal lines), select History, then Clear Recent History, choose your time period, and click Clear Now.

Turn off search history recording

You can prevent Google from storing your searches in the first place by disabling Web & App Activity in your Google Account settings. Go to myaccount.google.com, click Data & privacy on the left, then scroll down to Web & App Activity and click it. Toggle the switch to Off.

When this setting is off, Google will not save your searches, the websites you visit, or the videos you watch on YouTube to your account. However, Google will still process your searches to show you results — it just will not keep a record of them tied to your account. If you sign out of Google or use private browsing mode, Google does not record your activity even with this setting on.

Keep in mind that turning off Web & App Activity may affect some Google features. For example, Google Maps will not remember places you have searched for, and YouTube will not use your search history to suggest videos. You can turn the setting back on at any time if you want these features to work again.

Use private browsing to avoid recording searches

Private browsing mode (called Incognito in Chrome, Private in Safari and Firefox) prevents your browser from saving your search history on your device. When you close a private browsing window, your searches disappear from your device automatically.

However, private browsing does not hide your searches from Google itself. If you are signed into your Google account while using private mode, Google will still record your searches in your account activity. To prevent Google from recording anything, you must either sign out of your Google account before searching or disable Web & App Activity in your account settings.

Private browsing also does not hide your activity from your internet service provider, your employer if you are on a work network, or the websites you visit. It only hides your history from other people who use the same device.

Understand what gets deleted and what does not

When you delete your search history from myactivity.google.com, you are removing Google's record of what you searched for. This affects Google Search, Google Maps, YouTube searches, and other Google services tied to your account. The deletion is permanent — Google does not keep a backup of deleted activity.

Deleting your Google search history does not delete the websites themselves or remove you from search results. If you searched for a recipe website, deleting that search does not delete the recipe website from the internet. It only removes the fact that you searched for it from your Google account.

Your internet service provider, your device's browser, and any websites you visited will still have their own records of your activity. Clearing your Google history is separate from clearing your browser history, and separate from what your ISP can see. To address all three, you need to clear your browser history, delete your Google account activity, and understand that your ISP activity is not something you can delete on your own device.

Delete activity from specific Google services

If you only want to delete searches from one Google service — like just YouTube or just Google Maps — you can do that from myactivity.google.com without deleting everything. On the left side of the page, click By product instead of By date. A list will appear showing YouTube, Search, Maps, and other services. Click the one you want to clear, then select Delete activity by and choose your time period.

You can also delete activity from within each service itself. In YouTube, go to your account settings and select Manage all your data and privacy, then My activity. In Google Maps, open the menu, go to Your data in Maps, and select Delete all. These routes take longer but give you the same result as using myactivity.google.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does deleting my search history delete it from Google's servers?

Yes. When you delete activity from myactivity.google.com, Google removes it from its servers. The deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. However, if you only clear your browser history, Google still has a copy of your searches on its servers unless you also delete from myactivity.google.com.

Can I delete my search history if I am not signed into my Google account?

No. Search history is only saved to your Google account when you are signed in. If you search while signed out or in private browsing mode without being signed in, Google does not record those searches to your account. You cannot delete searches that were never recorded in the first place.

Will deleting my search history affect my Google recommendations?

Yes. Google uses your search history to suggest videos on YouTube, recommend places in Maps, and personalize search results. After you delete your history, these recommendations will be less personalized until Google builds a new history based on your future searches. You can turn off personalization entirely by disabling Web & App Activity.

Does private browsing hide my searches from Google?

Private browsing hides your searches from other people using your device, but not from Google. If you are signed into your Google account while using private mode, Google will still record your searches. To prevent Google from recording anything, sign out of your account or disable Web & App Activity before searching.

Can I schedule my search history to delete automatically?

Yes. On myactivity.google.com, click Delete activity by and look for Auto-delete at the bottom of the menu. You can set Google to automatically delete searches older than 3 months, 18 months, or 36 months. This does not delete your current history — it only applies to new searches going forward.