Clear your Facebook search history from settings on any device
Facebook stores every search you make on the platform — from people you look up to pages you browse. You can clear this history from your account settings in under a minute. The process is the same whether you use Facebook on a computer, phone, or tablet.
Open Facebook and go to the menu in the top right corner (the three horizontal lines on mobile, or the downward arrow on desktop). Select Settings and privacy, then Settings. On the left side, click Your information and permissions, then Off-Facebook activity. You will see a list of searches tied to your account. Click the X next to any search to delete it individually, or use the option to clear all searches at once.
If you cannot find this menu, Facebook may have updated its layout. Look for a gear icon or Settings in the main menu. The exact wording changes between versions, but the path always leads through account settings to activity or history controls.
Key Takeaways
- Facebook keeps a searchable record of every person, page, and topic you have looked up on the platform.
- You can delete individual searches or clear your entire search history from Settings > Your information and permissions > Off-Facebook activity.
- Clearing your search history on Facebook does not affect what Facebook knows about you — it only hides your past searches from your own view.
- Facebook search history clears from your account only, not from shared devices or other people's accounts.
- You can turn off search history recording entirely by adjusting your activity settings, though Facebook will still track what you do on the platform.
Where Facebook stores your search history
Facebook keeps your search history in two places: in your account activity (visible to you when you search your own profile) and in the broader data Facebook collects about your behavior. The search history you see in your settings is the one you can control. The second type — what Facebook records about your interests and behavior — is harder to access and cannot be fully deleted.
Your visible search history appears when you click the search bar at the top of Facebook and scroll through past searches. This is the easiest record to clear. The searches you delete from this list will no longer appear in your search suggestions, but Facebook's internal records of your activity remain.
Delete searches one at a time or all at once
If you want to remove only certain searches, you can delete them individually. In Settings, go to Your information and permissions > Off-Facebook activity. Scroll through the list and click the X next to each search you want to remove. This takes longer if you have many searches, but it lets you keep searches you do not mind others seeing.
To clear everything at once, look for a button labeled Clear all history or Clear all searches in the same menu. Facebook will ask you to confirm. Once you confirm, all your search history disappears from your visible activity. This action cannot be undone, so make sure you want to remove everything before you proceed.
Clearing your search history does not affect your saved posts, liked pages, or other activity on Facebook. It only removes the record of what you have searched for.
What clearing your search history does and does not do
Clearing your search history removes searches from your own view and from Facebook's search suggestions when you start typing in the search bar. It also prevents other people who use your account or device from seeing what you have searched for in the past. If you share a computer or phone with family members or roommates, clearing your history keeps your searches private from them.
Clearing your search history does not stop Facebook from collecting data about you. Facebook still knows what you searched for — the company uses this information to build a profile of your interests for advertising purposes. Deleting your search history only hides it from you and from other people who might access your account. Facebook's internal records remain unchanged.
If you are concerned about what Facebook knows about your interests, you can visit your Ad Preferences in Settings to see the categories Facebook has assigned to you based on your activity. You can remove some of these categories, though you cannot prevent Facebook from collecting new data as you use the platform.
Clear search history on mobile devices
On iPhone or Android, the process is nearly identical to desktop. Open the Facebook app and tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) at the bottom right. Tap Settings and privacy, then Settings. Scroll down and tap Your information and permissions, then Off-Facebook activity. You will see your search history listed. Tap the X next to searches you want to delete, or look for an option to clear all at once.
On mobile, the menu layout may vary slightly depending on your phone model and which version of the Facebook app you have installed. If you cannot find the option, make sure your app is up to date. Open your device's app store (Apple App Store or Google Play) and check for Facebook updates.
Prevent Facebook from storing new searches
You cannot completely turn off Facebook's ability to record your searches, but you can limit what gets stored. Some users choose to clear their search history regularly rather than waiting until they have accumulated many searches. Others use Facebook's Private Browsing or Incognito mode on their web browser, which prevents the browser itself from storing search history, though Facebook still records the searches on its servers.
If you use Facebook on a shared device, the most practical approach is to clear your search history each time you finish using the account. This takes about 30 seconds and prevents other users of that device from seeing what you searched for. You can also log out of Facebook completely when you are done, which adds a layer of privacy on shared computers.
Search history on Facebook versus browser history
Clearing your Facebook search history is different from clearing your browser history. Your browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge) keeps a separate record of every website you visit, including Facebook.com itself. Clearing your browser history removes the record that you visited Facebook, but it does not touch your Facebook search history stored on Facebook's servers.
If you want complete privacy, you need to clear both. Clear your browser history through your browser's settings (usually under History or Privacy), and separately clear your Facebook search history through Facebook's settings. Doing both prevents anyone who checks your device from seeing either where you have been online or what you searched for on Facebook.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can other people see my Facebook search history?
No. Your search history is private to your account. Other people cannot see what you have searched for, even if they are your friends. However, if someone else uses your account or device while you are logged in, they can see your search history until you clear it.
Does clearing my search history delete messages or posts I have made?
No. Clearing your search history only removes the record of what you have searched for. Your messages, posts, photos, and other content remain on your account. If you want to delete posts or messages, you must do that separately.
Will Facebook stop showing me ads based on my searches after I clear my history?
Not when ready. Facebook uses your search history to build a profile of your interests, but clearing your history does not erase that profile. Facebook will continue to show you ads based on your past activity. Over time, as you use Facebook without searching for certain topics, the ads may change, but there is no way to when ready reset your ad preferences.
What happens if I clear my search history on one device but use Facebook on another?
Your search history is tied to your Facebook account, not to individual devices. When you clear your search history, it clears across all devices where you are logged into that account. If you log into Facebook on a new device, you will not see the searches you cleared, but any new searches you make on that device will be recorded.
Can I see a list of everything Facebook knows I have searched for?
You can see your visible search history in Settings, but Facebook may have records of searches that do not appear in that list. To see a more complete picture of what Facebook knows about you, read your data from Settings > Your information and permissions > read your information. This gives you a file containing much of what Facebook has recorded about your account activity.