Clear your Google search suggestions in three places

Google stores your search history in three separate locations, and clearing suggestions means removing them from all three. The first is your Google Account search history (what Google keeps on its servers). The second is your browser's local search history (what Chrome, Firefox, or Safari stores on your device). The third is Google's suggestion dropdown itself — the list that appears when you start typing in the search box.

Most people need to clear only the account history to stop seeing old searches as suggestions. But if you share a device, you may also need to clear your browser history. If you want to prevent Google from storing new searches going forward, you can turn off search history entirely.

The steps below work on desktop and mobile. On mobile, the layout is slightly different but the options are in the same places.

Key Takeaways

  • Clearing your Google Account search history removes past searches from your suggestions across all devices where you are signed in.
  • Clearing your browser history removes searches stored locally on that specific device, which is necessary if you share a computer.
  • You can delete individual searches one at a time, or delete all searches from a specific date range or all time.
  • Turning off Web & App Activity in your Google Account settings prevents Google from storing new searches, though you can still search normally.

Delete your Google Account search history

Go to myactivity.google.com in any browser while signed into your Google Account. This page shows everything Google has stored about you — searches, videos you watched, places you visited, and more. On the left side, click Search to see only your search history.

You now have two options. To delete everything at once, click the three-dot menu at the top and select Delete all. Google will ask you to confirm and will delete all searches from all time. To delete only recent searches or searches from a specific date range, click the three-dot menu and select Delete by date. Choose the range you want to remove — last hour, last day, last week, last month, or all time — and confirm.

If you want to delete individual searches one by one, hover over each search result and click the X that appears. This is slower but useful if you want to keep some searches and remove only specific ones.

Clear search history from your browser

Your browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge) stores a separate copy of searches you performed in that browser. Clearing this history removes suggestions that appear in that browser's search box, even if you have not cleared your Google Account history.

On Chrome: Press Ctrl + H (Windows) or Command + Y (Mac) to open your browser history. On the left, click Clear browsing data. A window will appear. Make sure Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files are checked. At the top, select the time range — All time will clear everything. Click Clear data.

On Firefox: Press Ctrl + H (Windows) or Command + Y (Mac). On the right side, click Clear Recent History. Choose your time range and make sure Browsing & read History is checked. Click Clear Now.

On Safari: Click Safari in the menu bar, then Clear History. Choose how far back you want to clear — all history removes everything. Click Clear History.

Stop Google from storing new searches

If you do not want Google to save your searches going forward, you can turn off Web & App Activity. Go to myactivity.google.com, click the three-dot menu at the top, and select Settings. Under Web & App Activity, toggle the switch to Off. Google will ask you to confirm.

When this setting is off, Google will not store your searches in your account history. You can still search normally — Google will still show you results and suggestions based on what you are typing right now, but it will not remember what you searched for yesterday or last week. This setting applies to all devices where you are signed into that Google Account.

Note that turning off Web & App Activity also stops Google from storing other activity like YouTube videos you watched or places you visited. If you want to keep that history but stop only search history, you cannot do that — the setting is all or nothing.

Clear suggestions on mobile devices

On an Android phone or iPhone, open the Google app or go to google.com in your browser. Tap your profile picture in the top right corner and select Manage your Google Account. Tap the Data & Privacy tab. Scroll down and tap Web & App Activity. Tap Manage all Web & App Activity.

From here, you can see your search history and delete it the same way as on desktop. Tap the three-dot menu and select Delete by date or Delete all. You can also turn off Web & App Activity entirely by toggling the switch at the top.

To clear your mobile browser's local history, open your browser's settings. In Chrome, tap the three-dot menu, go to Settings, tap Privacy, and select Clear browsing data. In Safari on iPhone, go to Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data.

Why suggestions still appear after clearing

If you cleared your Google Account history but suggestions still appear, you probably have not cleared your browser history. Each browser stores its own copy of your searches. If you use Chrome on your computer and Safari on your phone, you need to clear both.

Another reason suggestions persist is that you are signed into multiple Google Accounts. If you have a work account and a personal account, clearing history in one account does not affect the other. Check which account you are signed into at the top right of google.com.

Finally, if you see suggestions that look like they are from your search history but you do not recognize them, someone else may be using your device or account. If you share a computer, ask household members to clear their own browser history, or create separate user accounts on the device so each person has their own browser history.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will clearing my search history delete my saved passwords and payment methods?

No. Clearing your Google Account search history on myactivity.google.com removes only searches and related activity. Your passwords, payment methods, and other account settings stay in place. If you clear your browser's browsing data, you may be asked to sign back into websites, but your saved passwords in your Google Account remain.

Can I delete just one search suggestion from the dropdown?

Yes. When you start typing in the Google search box, hover over the suggestion you want to remove and press the Delete key on your keyboard (or the X that appears on mobile). This removes that single suggestion from appearing again, but does not delete it from your full search history.

Does clearing my search history affect my Google search results?

Clearing your search history does not change your search results. Google may personalize results based on your current search and location, but removing past searches does not affect that. You will still see relevant results for what you are searching for right now.

If I turn off Web & App Activity, will Google still show me ads?

Yes. Google will still show you ads based on your current search and your general interests, but it will not use your search history to personalize them. Ads may be less targeted, but you will still see advertising.

What if I want to keep some searches but delete others?

Go to myactivity.google.com, click Search on the left, and hover over individual searches. Click the X that appears next to each one you want to remove. This lets you delete specific searches while keeping the rest of your history.