Delete your search history from Google right now
You can delete your Google search history in about two minutes using Google's My Activity page. Google stores every search you make, every video you watch on YouTube, every place you search for on Maps, and every website you visit while signed into your Google account — but you can remove all of it, or just specific items.
The fastest way is to go to myactivity.google.com, sign in with your Google account, and use the delete options on the left side. You can delete everything from the past hour, day, week, month, or all time. You can also delete individual searches one at a time if you only want to remove certain things.
Key Takeaways
- Visit myactivity.google.com and sign in to see everything Google has stored about your searches, videos, and location history.
- Click the delete button on the left side and choose a time range — you can delete just today's searches or everything ever recorded.
- If you want to delete only specific searches, click on each one and select delete instead of using the bulk delete option.
- Turning on auto-delete in your Google Account settings will remove your activity automatically after 3 or 18 months, so you do not have to delete manually each time.
- Deleting your history from My Activity does not clear your browser's cache or cookies — you may need to do that separately in your browser settings.
Step-by-step: Delete all your history at once
Open a web browser and go to myactivity.google.com. You will see a list of your recent searches, videos, and other activity. If you are not signed in, click "Sign in" and enter your Google account email and password.
On the left side of the page, you will see a button that says "Delete activity by". Click it. A menu will appear with time range options: Last hour, Last day, Last week, Last month, or All time. Choose the time range you want to delete. If you want to remove everything Google has stored, select "All time".
A box will pop up asking you to confirm. It will show you what types of activity will be deleted — usually Web & App Activity, YouTube Search History, and YouTube Watch History. Click the blue "Delete" button to confirm. Google will remove that activity from your account within a few minutes.
Delete individual searches instead of everything
If you only want to remove certain searches, you can delete them one at a time. Go to myactivity.google.com and sign in. Scroll through your activity list until you find the search you want to remove.
Click on the search result or item you want to delete. A details panel will open on the right side showing more information about that activity. Look for a trash can icon or a three-dot menu button. Click it and select "Delete" from the options that appear.
The item will be removed from your history when ready. You can repeat this for as many individual searches as you need to. This method takes longer if you have many items to remove, but it is useful if you only want to hide specific searches while keeping the rest of your history.
Set up automatic deletion so you do not have to delete manually
Instead of deleting your history manually every few weeks, you can tell Google to delete it automatically. Go to myactivity.google.com and look for the settings icon — it looks like a gear and is usually in the top right corner. Click it and select "Settings".
You will see an option that says "Auto-delete activity". Click on it. Google will offer you two choices: delete activity older than 3 months, or delete activity older than 18 months. Choose whichever fits your comfort level. Once you turn this on, Google will automatically remove activity that is older than your chosen time period.
This does not delete your current activity — it only removes old activity automatically. So if you set it to 3 months, searches from more than 3 months ago will disappear on their own, but this month's searches will stay until they are also older than 3 months.
Understand what gets deleted and what does not
When you delete your Google activity, you are removing the record that Google keeps of what you searched for. This includes your search history, YouTube watch history, YouTube search history, and location history if you have that turned on. Google will no longer show you personalized recommendations based on that deleted activity.
However, deleting your Google activity does not delete your browser history. Your web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) keeps its own separate record of websites you visited. You will need to clear that separately in your browser's settings. In most browsers, you can do this by pressing Ctrl+H (or Cmd+H on Mac) to open your browser history, then look for a "Clear browsing data" or "Delete history" button.
Deleting your Google activity also does not remove cookies or cached files. These are small files that websites store on your computer to remember you. If you want to remove those as well, you will need to clear your browser's cache and cookies through your browser settings, not through Google's My Activity page.
What to do if you cannot find My Activity
If you go to myactivity.google.com and see a blank page or an error message, make sure you are signed into your Google account. Click the profile icon in the top right corner and check that you are logged in. If you are not, click "Sign in" and enter your credentials.
If you are signed in but still cannot see your activity, it may mean Google has not recorded any activity for your account yet, or your activity is set to private. Try signing out and signing back in, or try using a different browser. If the page still does not load, wait a few minutes and try again — sometimes Google's servers take time to respond.
As an alternative, you can access your activity through your Google Account settings. Go to myaccount.google.com, click "Data & privacy" on the left side, then scroll down to find "My Activity". This will take you to the same page as myactivity.google.com.
Pause your activity recording instead of deleting
If you do not want Google to record your activity going forward, you can pause it instead of deleting what is already stored. Go to myactivity.google.com and look for a button that says "Manage all Web & App Activity" or similar. Click it.
You will see a toggle switch that says "Web & App Activity" or "Activity recording". Turn this toggle off. When it is off, Google will not record your searches, videos, or other activity. This is different from deleting — your old activity stays in your account, but nothing new will be added.
Keep in mind that turning off activity recording may affect some Google features. For example, Google will not be able to show you personalized search results or recommendations if it is not recording what you do. You can turn activity recording back on at any time by toggling the switch back on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does deleting my Google history delete it from Google's servers completely?
When you delete your activity from My Activity, it is removed from your account and Google stops showing you recommendations based on that data. However, Google may keep backup copies of deleted data for a limited time for security and legal reasons. For practical purposes, the data is gone from your account and will not be used to personalize your experience.
Will deleting my Google history affect my Gmail or other Google services?
No. Deleting your search history and activity does not affect your Gmail, Google Drive, Google Photos, or other Google services. Those have their own separate storage and deletion settings. Your emails, documents, and photos will remain untouched.
Can I delete my history on just one device, or does it delete everywhere?
When you delete your activity from My Activity, it deletes from your Google account across all devices. If you are signed into your Google account on your phone, tablet, and computer, deleting your history will remove it from all of them. If you only want to clear history on one device, you need to clear that device's browser history instead.
What if I share my Google account with someone else?
If you share a Google account with another person, deleting your activity will delete theirs too, since it is the same account. The better solution is to create separate Google accounts for each person. If you cannot do that, you can delete only your own individual searches by clicking on each one instead of using the bulk delete option.
Does Google keep my deleted history anywhere I can recover it?
Once you delete your activity from My Activity, you cannot recover it through Google's interface. If you deleted something by mistake, there is no "undo" button. However, if you have a Google Takeout backup of your data, you may be able to see what was deleted there — but Takeout backups are only created if you manually request them.