Delete your searches from your Google account

Google stores your search history in your account settings, and you can delete it in a few minutes. The fastest way is to go to myactivity.google.com while logged into your Google account. This page shows everything Google has recorded about you — searches, videos you watched, places you visited on Maps, and more.

On the left side of the page, click Delete activity by. A panel will open on the right. At the top, you'll see a date range dropdown that says "All time" — leave this selected if you want to clear everything. Below that, you'll see a checkbox next to Search. Check that box. Uncheck anything else you want to keep, like your YouTube history or Maps activity.

At the bottom right, click the blue Delete button. Google will ask you to confirm. Click Delete again. Your search history is now gone from your account. This takes effect when ready, though it may take a few hours for the change to show everywhere Google stores data.

Key Takeaways

  • Go to myactivity.google.com, click Delete activity by, check the Search box, and click Delete to remove all your searches from your Google account.
  • You can delete searches from a specific date range instead of all time by changing the dropdown at the top of the deletion panel.
  • Clearing your search history from your account does not clear the searches stored on your device — you need to clear your browser history separately for that.
  • If you turn on Web & App Activity before deleting, Google will stop recording new searches; if you turn it off, Google will not record anything going forward.
  • Deleting your search history from your account does not affect searches Google has already used to build your ad profile.

Delete searches from a specific date range

If you only want to remove searches from certain days or weeks, you don't have to delete everything. On the myactivity.google.com page, click Delete activity by again. This time, click the date range dropdown at the top — it will show "All time" by default.

Select Custom range. A calendar will appear. Click the start date and end date to select the period you want to delete. For example, if you want to remove searches from the past week, click today's date as the end date and seven days ago as the start date. Then check the Search box and click Delete.

Stop Google from recording new searches

Deleting your history removes what Google has already stored, but Google will start recording again the next time you search. To prevent that, you need to turn off Web & App Activity in your account settings.

On the myactivity.google.com page, look for the gear icon in the top right corner and click it. Select Settings. On the left side, click Web & App Activity. You'll see a toggle switch at the top. Click it to turn off the setting. Google will show you a confirmation message. Once it's off, Google will not record your searches, YouTube videos you watch, or other activity tied to your account.

Keep in mind that turning off Web & App Activity does not delete what Google already knows about you. It only stops new data from being added. If you want to prevent Google from using your search history to show you targeted ads, you'll need to manage your ad settings separately.

Clear searches from your browser, not just your account

Your Google account stores searches you made while logged in, but your web browser also keeps a separate record of everything you searched for. Clearing your account history does not touch the browser's copy. You need to clear your browser history as a separate step.

In Chrome, click the three vertical dots in the top right corner, then select History and Clear browsing data. A window will open. Make sure the time range is set to All time at the top. Check the box next to Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files. Click Clear data.

In Firefox, click the three horizontal lines in the top right, select History, then Clear Recent History. Set the time range to Everything and click Clear Now.

In Safari on Mac, click Safari in the menu bar, select Clear History, choose how far back you want to go, and click Clear History.

What happens to your search history after you delete it

Once you delete your searches from myactivity.google.com, Google removes them from the activity log you can see. However, Google may still have copies of your data in backup systems, and deletion can take several hours to process across all of Google's servers.

Deleting your search history does not erase the patterns Google has already learned about you. If Google used your searches to build an ad profile — to figure out that you're interested in gardening, for example — that profile remains. Deleting history only removes the individual searches from your visible activity. To change what ads you see, you need to manage your ad settings and interests separately in your Google account.

If you've shared your Google account with family members through Family Link, deleting your history does not affect theirs. Each person's activity is tracked separately, and each person can only delete their own searches.

Automatically delete old searches

Instead of manually clearing your history every few weeks, you can set Google to delete searches automatically. Go to myactivity.google.com, click the gear icon, and select Settings. Click Web & App Activity. Scroll down until you see Auto-delete. Click it.

Google will offer you three options: delete activity older than 3 months, 18 months, or 36 months. Pick the timeframe that works for you. Once you choose, Google will automatically remove searches older than that date every month. This is useful if you want to keep recent activity but don't want years of old searches sitting in your account.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does clearing my search history on Google.com clear my account history?

No. When you search on Google.com and click the X next to a search result, you're only clearing that one search from the dropdown menu on that device. Your full search history remains in your Google account. You must go to myactivity.google.com to delete your account history.

If I clear my history, will Google stop showing me personalized ads?

Clearing your search history removes the searches from your activity log, but Google keeps the interests and patterns it learned from those searches. To change what ads you see, go to your Google account settings, click Data & privacy, then Ad personalization, and turn it off or manage your interests there.

Can I delete searches from my phone differently than my computer?

No. Whether you use a phone, tablet, or computer, you delete your account history the same way — by going to myactivity.google.com and clicking Delete activity by. The deletion applies to all devices at once because it's tied to your account, not your device.

Will deleting my search history delete my Gmail or Google Drive files?

No. When you delete your search history, you're only removing the record of what you searched for. Your emails, documents, photos, and other files in your Google account stay exactly where they are. You can only delete those by going into Gmail, Drive, Photos, or other services and removing them individually.

What if I don't have a Google account but use Google to search?

If you search without logging into a Google account, Google still stores some information about your searches based on your IP address and browser. You can clear your browser history to remove the searches stored locally on your device, but you cannot access or delete Google's server-side records without an account. Using private browsing mode (Incognito in Chrome) prevents your browser from storing searches, though Google may still record them on its servers.