Delete a single search from your Google account
You can remove one search at a time from your Google Search history through your account settings. This takes about two minutes and works whether you searched on a computer, phone, or tablet — as long as you were signed into your Google account when you searched.
Go to myactivity.google.com in any web browser. You'll see a list of your recent activity, organized by date. Searches appear alongside other Google activity like YouTube videos you watched, maps you looked at, and images you viewed. Look for the search you want to delete — it will show the exact words you typed.
Click or tap the three dots next to that search result. A small menu will pop up with the option to "Delete." Click it. The search disappears from your history when ready. You won't see a confirmation message — it's straightforward gone.
Key Takeaways
- Visit myactivity.google.com while signed into your Google account to see all your searches in one place.
- Click the three dots next to any search and select "Delete" to remove that single search from your history.
- Deleting a search from your activity does not affect search results or change how Google ranks websites.
- If you delete a search by mistake, you cannot undo it — the deletion is permanent.
- Deleting searches from your account does not delete them from your device's browser history, which you must clear separately.
The difference between account history and browser history
When you delete a search from myactivity.google.com, you're removing it from your Google account history — the record Google keeps tied to your account across all your devices. This is separate from your browser history, which is stored on the specific device you used.
If you searched on your phone while signed in, deleting it from myactivity.google.com removes it from your Google account, but it will still appear in your phone's browser history until you clear that separately. Most people want to delete from both places. To clear your browser history on a phone, open your browser's settings, find "History" or "Clear browsing data," and select the time range and data types you want to remove.
Delete multiple searches at once
If you want to remove several searches instead of one, myactivity.google.com lets you select multiple items. Check the box next to each search you want to delete, or use the checkbox at the top to select all searches from a particular day. Then click "Delete" at the top of the page.
You can also filter your activity by date to make this faster. At the top left of myactivity.google.com, click the date range dropdown and choose a specific day, week, or month. This narrows the list to only searches from that time period, so you don't have to scroll through months of activity to find what you're looking for.
Pause your search history instead of deleting individual searches
If you find yourself deleting searches regularly, you might consider pausing your search history altogether. This stops Google from recording new searches going forward, though it does not delete searches you've already made.
On myactivity.google.com, click "Web & App Activity" in the left menu. At the top, you'll see a toggle switch next to "Web & App Activity." Turn it off to pause recording. You can turn it back on at any time. While paused, Google will not store your searches in your account history, but you will still see your search results normally — pausing history does not affect how Google works.
What happens when you delete a search
Deleting a search removes it from the activity log that appears when you visit myactivity.google.com. It also removes it from the suggestions Google shows you when you start typing in the search box — Google uses your history to predict what you might search for next, so deleting old searches means they won't appear as autocomplete suggestions anymore.
Deleting a search does not change your search results, affect how Google ranks websites, or remove you from any mailing lists. It only affects what Google remembers about you and what suggestions it shows you. If you're concerned about privacy, understand that deleting your history from your account is different from preventing Google from collecting data about you in the first place — that requires adjusting your account settings more broadly, which is covered in the parent article.
Deleting searches on different devices
Because myactivity.google.com is tied to your Google account, not your device, you can delete searches from any device where you're signed in. If you searched on your laptop, phone, and tablet all while signed into the same Google account, all three searches appear in the same list on myactivity.google.com, and deleting one removes it across all devices.
However, if you use multiple Google accounts — for example, a work account and a personal account — each account has its own separate activity history. You'll need to sign into each account on myactivity.google.com to delete searches from that account. Signing out of one account and signing into another does not automatically switch which history you're viewing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I undo a deleted search?
No. Once you delete a search from myactivity.google.com, it's permanently removed and cannot be recovered. If you delete something by mistake, you cannot get it back through Google. Make sure you've selected the right search before clicking delete.
If I delete a search from my account, will it disappear from my phone too?
It will disappear from your Google account history and from Google's suggestions, but it will still show up in your phone's browser history until you clear that separately. Browser history and Google account history are two different records. You need to clear both if you want the search completely gone from your device.
Does deleting my search history make me anonymous to Google?
No. Deleting your search history removes the record of what you searched for, but Google still knows you performed searches — it just doesn't store the details. If you want to prevent Google from collecting search data in the first place, you need to turn off Web & App Activity in your account settings, which is different from deleting past searches.
Why do some searches not appear in my activity?
Searches made while you were not signed into your Google account do not appear in myactivity.google.com. If you searched in an incognito or private browsing window, those searches are not recorded in your account history either. Only searches performed while signed in to your Google account show up in your activity list.
Can I delete searches from a specific app, like Google Maps or YouTube?
Yes. On myactivity.google.com, you can filter by product using the left menu. Click "Maps" or "YouTube" to see only activity from that app, then delete individual items the same way you would delete searches. This is useful if you want to clear your maps history without touching your search history.