Delete your search history from Google's website

The fastest way to clear your search history is to go to myactivity.google.com in any web browser while signed 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. A box will appear asking what time range you want to delete. Choose All time to remove everything, or pick a specific date range like "Last hour" or "Last 30 days" if you only want to clear recent searches. Then click the blue Delete button. Google will remove those searches from your account within a few minutes.

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 a 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, signed into your Google account, and click Delete activity to remove all searches at once.
  • You can delete searches from a specific time period (last hour, last day, last 30 days, or all time) rather than everything.
  • Individual searches can be deleted one at a time by clicking the trash icon next to each entry.
  • Turning off Web & App Activity in your Google account settings stops Google from recording new searches going forward.
  • Clearing your browser's search history is separate from clearing your Google account history and does not affect what Google has stored.

Turn off automatic recording of new searches

Deleting your history once does not stop Google from recording your searches again tomorrow. To prevent Google from storing new searches, you need to turn off Web & App Activity in your account settings.

Go to myactivity.google.com again and look for the gear icon in the top right corner. Click it and select Settings. Under "Web & App Activity," toggle the switch to Off. Google will ask you to confirm — click Turn off again. From that point forward, Google will not save your searches to your account, though it may still use them temporarily to show you results.

If you turn Web & App Activity back on later, Google will start recording again. You can check whether it is on or off by returning to that same settings page anytime.

Clear search history from your browser instead

Your web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge) keeps its own separate record of searches you type into the address bar and search box. Clearing your Google account history does not delete this browser history.

In Google Chrome, press Ctrl + H on Windows or Command + Y on Mac to open your browser history. On the left side, click Clear browsing data. A box will appear — make sure Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files are checked, then choose your time range at the top. Click Clear data.

In Firefox, press Ctrl + H (Windows) or Command + Y (Mac), then click Clear Recent History on the left. In Safari, go to History in the menu bar and click Clear History. In Microsoft Edge, press Ctrl + Shift + Delete to open the clear browsing data page directly.

Use Incognito mode to avoid recording searches

If you want to search without Google or your browser recording anything, open an Incognito window (in Chrome) or Private window (in Firefox and Edge). In Safari, it is called Private Browsing.

In Chrome, press Ctrl + Shift + N on Windows or Command + Shift + N on Mac. A new window will open with a note that says you are browsing privately. Anything you search for in that window will not be saved to your browser history or your Google account history, even if you are signed in.

Incognito mode does not hide your activity from your internet service provider or from the websites you visit — it only prevents your browser and Google from recording it locally. When you close the Incognito window, all cookies and temporary data from that session are deleted.

Understand what gets deleted and what does not

When you delete your Google search history from myactivity.google.com, you are removing the record Google keeps on its servers. This does not affect your browser history, which is stored on your computer or phone. You need to clear both separately if you want them both gone.

Deleting your history also does not change what Google already knows about you from other sources — your location history (if you turned it on), your YouTube watch history, your Gmail messages, or your Google Photos. Each of these has its own separate history that you can delete independently through Google's settings.

If you have shared a Google account with someone else, deleting your activity will not delete theirs. Each person signed into the account has their own activity log, and you can only delete your own searches unless you have access to their password.

Delete search history on your phone or tablet

On an Android phone, open the Google app and tap your profile picture in the top right corner. Tap Manage your Google Account, then go to the Data & Privacy tab. Scroll down to Web & App Activity and tap it. Tap Manage all Web & App Activity, then tap the trash icon at the top to delete everything, or tap Delete activity by to choose a time range.

On an iPhone or iPad, open the Google app, tap your profile picture, and tap Manage your Google Account. Go to Data & Privacy, scroll to Web & App Activity, and tap Manage all Web & App Activity. Tap the trash icon or Delete activity by to remove your searches.

To clear your browser history on a phone, open Chrome and tap the three dots in the bottom right corner (Android) or top right corner (iPhone). Tap History, then Clear browsing data. Choose your time range and tap Clear browsing data again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does clearing my search history delete my searches from Google's servers?

Yes. When you delete your activity from myactivity.google.com, Google removes those searches from the servers where it stores your account data. However, Google may keep some data for internal purposes, and deleted searches cannot be recovered once they are gone.

Will deleting my search history affect my search results or recommendations?

Clearing your history will make Google's suggestions less personalized going forward, since Google uses your search history to predict what you might want to find. Your search results themselves will not change — Google will still show you relevant pages, just without tailoring them as much to your past behavior.

Can someone else see my search history if I delete it?

If you are the only person with access to your Google account, no one can see your deleted searches. If you share a device with someone else and they use the same browser, they could see your browser history unless you clear it. If you share a Google account password with someone, they can see your activity unless you delete it first.

What is the difference between clearing my browser history and clearing my Google account history?

Your browser history is stored on your device and shows what you searched for in your web browser. Your Google account history is stored on Google's servers and shows what you searched for while signed into Google. You must clear both separately — clearing one does not clear the other.

If I turn off Web & App Activity, will Google stop tracking me?

Turning off Web & App Activity stops Google from saving your searches to your account history, but Google still processes your searches to show you results and may use them for other purposes. It does not prevent Google from knowing what you searched for in the moment you search.