Delete your search history from Google Search in three steps
You can delete your Google Search history directly from your Google account. The process takes about two minutes and removes the record of searches you have performed on Google.com and in the Google Search app on your phone. Google stores this history in your account settings, not on your device, so deleting it affects all your devices at once.
The fastest way is to go to myactivity.google.com, sign in with your Google account, and delete from there. You can delete everything at once, or pick specific searches to remove. If you want to stop Google from storing future searches, you can turn off search history recording in the same place.
Key Takeaways
- Visit myactivity.google.com and sign in to see and delete your entire search history or individual searches.
- Deleting search history removes it from your Google account but does not clear your browser's local cache — you may need to clear that separately in your browser settings.
- You can set Google to stop recording new searches by turning off Web & App Activity in your account settings.
- Deleting search history from one Google account does not affect searches performed on other accounts or devices where you are not signed in.
Delete all your search history at once
Go to myactivity.google.com in your web browser and sign in with the Google account whose history you want to delete. You will see a list of your recent activity, including searches, videos you watched, and other Google services you used.
On the left side of the page, click Delete activity by. A panel will open with options for what to delete. At the top, you will see a dropdown that says "All time" — leave this selected if you want to delete everything. Below that, make sure Search is checked (it usually is by default). Then click the blue Delete button at the bottom right.
Google will ask you to confirm. Click Delete again. Your search history is now removed from your account. This change takes effect when ready across all your devices.
Delete specific searches instead of everything
If you only want to remove certain searches, go to myactivity.google.com and sign in. Scroll through the list of your activity until you find the search you want to delete. You can also use the search box at the top to find a specific search term.
Hover your mouse over the search you want to remove. A trash icon will appear on the right side. Click it. The search disappears when ready. You can delete searches one at a time this way, or select multiple searches by clicking the checkbox next to each one, then clicking the trash icon that appears at the top.
Stop Google from recording future searches
If you want to prevent Google from storing new searches going forward, you can turn off Web & App Activity. Go to myactivity.google.com, and on the left side click Activity controls. You will see a section called Web & App Activity.
Click on Web & App Activity to expand it. You will see a toggle switch at the top. Click it to turn off recording. Google will ask you to confirm — click Turn off. From now on, Google will not store your searches in your account history, though Google may still keep other records for security and fraud prevention purposes.
If you turn this off and later want to turn it back on, you can return to the same page and click the toggle again.
Clear search history from the Google Search app on your phone
The Google Search app on Android and iPhone stores search history separately from your web browser. To clear it, open the Google Search app and tap your profile picture in the top right corner. Tap Settings, then General.
Look for Clear search history or Delete search history (the exact wording varies by phone and app version). Tap it and confirm. This removes searches performed in the app itself. To also delete searches from Google.com on your phone's browser, you will need to clear your browser history separately — see your browser's settings for how to do this.
Understand what deleting search history does and does not do
Deleting your Google Search history removes the record from your Google account. This means when you visit myactivity.google.com, those searches will no longer appear. It also means Google will not use those searches to personalize your results or ads.
However, deleting Google Search history does not clear your web browser's local cache. If you used Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or another browser to search, that browser may still have its own record of what you typed. To clear that, you need to clear your browser history separately. In most browsers, you can do this by pressing Ctrl+H (or Cmd+H on Mac), finding the search in the list, and deleting it — or by going to Settings and clearing your browsing history for a date range.
Deleting search history also does not affect searches you performed while not signed into your Google account, or searches on a different Google account. Each account stores its own history separately.
What to do if you cannot sign into your Google account
If you forgot your Google password or cannot access your account, you will not be able to delete search history through myactivity.google.com. You can recover your account by going to accounts.google.com/signin/recovery and following the steps to verify your identity.
If you are trying to delete search history from someone else's account without their permission, you cannot do so remotely. Search history is tied to the account and requires that account's password to access. If you are concerned about privacy on a shared device, the better option is to use your browser's private or incognito mode, which does not store search history locally.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does deleting my Google Search history delete it from Google's servers completely?
Deleting your search history removes it from your account and from the activity log you can see. However, Google may retain other records for security, fraud prevention, and legal compliance purposes. Deleting your history does prevent Google from using those searches to personalize your results and ads going forward.
If I turn off Web & App Activity, will Google stop tracking me?
Turning off Web & App Activity stops Google from storing your searches in your account history. However, Google may still collect other data for security and service improvement. If you want more privacy, you can also use a private browser window or a search engine that does not track searches, though those are separate choices from managing your Google account history.
Can I delete search history from my phone without deleting it from my computer?
Deleting search history from the Google Search app on your phone removes it from that app only. Deleting history from myactivity.google.com removes it from your entire Google account across all devices. If you want to delete searches from only one device, clear your browser history in that browser's settings instead of using myactivity.google.com.
What happens to my search history if I delete my Google account?
When you delete your Google account, your search history and all other activity associated with that account are permanently removed. This process takes a few days to complete. You cannot recover the account or its history after deletion, so make sure you want to delete the entire account before proceeding.