YouTube stores your watch history separately from your Google search history
YouTube keeps two different records: your watch history (videos you've clicked on) and your search history (what you typed into YouTube's search box). Clearing one does not clear the other. You can delete them together or separately, and you can pause YouTube from recording new activity without deleting what already exists.
The steps differ depending on whether you are signed into your Google account. If you are signed in, YouTube syncs your history across all your devices — phone, tablet, computer — so clearing it on one device clears it everywhere. If you are not signed in, YouTube still records what you watch in that browser session, but it only stays on that device.
Key Takeaways
- YouTube watch history and search history are stored separately, so you must delete them individually if you want both gone.
- Signed-in users can clear history from the YouTube settings menu, and the deletion syncs across all devices within minutes.
- You can pause YouTube from recording new history without deleting videos you have already watched.
- Clearing your YouTube history does not affect your Google search history or your Google account activity on other Google services.
- YouTube keeps deleted history in your Google Account activity log for a longer period, so you may need to delete it there as well if privacy from Google itself is your goal.
How to delete your YouTube watch history
Open YouTube on any device where you are signed into your Google account. Click your profile picture in the top right corner, then select History from the menu. You will see a list of videos you have watched, with the most recent at the top.
On the left side of the screen, click Clear all watch history. YouTube will ask you to confirm. Click the blue Clear watch history button. The deletion happens when ready, and YouTube removes these videos from your history on all devices where you are signed in.
If you want to delete only some videos instead of all of them, go to History and hover over or tap each video you want to remove. A small X or trash icon will appear. Click it to delete that single video from your history.
How to delete your YouTube search history
From the same History page, look for a tab or link labeled Search history (the exact location varies slightly by device). Click it to see everything you have searched for on YouTube.
Click Clear all search history at the top or side of the page. Confirm the deletion when YouTube asks. Your search history across all signed-in devices will be deleted within minutes.
To remove individual searches, hover over or tap each search term and click the X or delete icon next to it.
How to pause YouTube from recording new history
If you want to keep your existing history but stop YouTube from recording what you watch going forward, go to History and look for a toggle or button labeled Pause watch history or Pause search history. Click it to turn recording off.
While paused, YouTube will not save videos you watch or searches you perform. Your existing history remains visible to you and to YouTube's recommendation system, but no new activity is added. You can turn recording back on at any time by clicking the same toggle.
Pausing is useful if you want to watch something without YouTube using it to suggest future videos, or if you are letting someone else use your account temporarily.
What happens when you clear YouTube history on different devices
If you are signed into your Google account, clearing history on your phone, tablet, or computer removes it from all devices. YouTube syncs the deletion across your account within a few minutes.
If you are not signed in — for example, if you are browsing in an incognito or private window — YouTube still records what you watch in that session, but only on that device and only until you close the browser. Clearing your browser's cache and cookies will remove this unsigned-in history.
If you use multiple Google accounts, each account has its own separate YouTube history. Clearing history in one account does not affect the others.
Why YouTube history may still appear in your Google Account activity
Deleting your YouTube history from the YouTube app or website does not automatically remove it from your broader Google Account activity log. Google stores this information separately for account recovery and security purposes.
To remove YouTube activity from your Google Account entirely, go to myactivity.google.com, sign in with your Google account, and search for YouTube. You can delete individual items or use the filter to delete all YouTube activity from a specific date range. This step is more thorough if your goal is to prevent Google itself from retaining records of what you watched.
Clearing YouTube history on a shared device or account
If multiple people use the same Google account on the same device, clearing history removes it for everyone on that account. YouTube does not support separate viewing histories for different users on one account.
If you share a device but have separate Google accounts, each person should sign into their own account and clear their own history. If you want to watch something without it appearing in a shared account's history, use an incognito or private browsing window instead — YouTube will not save that activity.
If you are concerned about someone else seeing what you watch, the safest approach is to use a separate browser profile or a private browsing mode rather than relying on history deletion after the fact.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does clearing YouTube history delete my recommendations?
Not when ready. YouTube uses your watch history to power its recommendations, but the algorithm also learns from your paused videos, likes, and dislikes. Clearing history will make recommendations less personalized over time, but YouTube will start building new recommendations based on what you watch next. Existing recommendations may take a few hours to update.
Can I see what I deleted from my YouTube history?
No, once you delete a video from your YouTube history, you cannot retrieve the list of what you deleted. However, if you deleted it from YouTube but want to check your Google Account activity log, you can visit myactivity.google.com to see if YouTube activity is still recorded there.
Does incognito mode prevent YouTube from saving my history?
Incognito or private browsing mode prevents your browser from saving cookies and cache, so YouTube will not save your watch history to your account. However, your internet service provider and the websites you visit can still see your activity. If you are signed into your Google account in an incognito window, YouTube will still record your history.
Will clearing YouTube history speed up my device?
Clearing history will not noticeably speed up your phone or computer. YouTube history is stored on Google's servers, not on your device, so deleting it does not free up significant storage space. If you want to free up device storage, clear your browser cache and cookies instead.
What if I accidentally cleared my YouTube history?
YouTube does not have an undo button for deleted history. Once you confirm the deletion, it is removed from YouTube. Your only option is to check myactivity.google.com to see if Google's broader activity log still has a record, though even that may be deleted depending on your account settings.