Clear your history in Chrome in three steps
Open Chrome and press Ctrl + H on Windows or Command + Y on Mac. This opens your History page. On the left side, click Clear browsing data. A window will pop up asking what time range you want to clear — choose All time if you want everything gone, or pick a specific range like Last hour or Last 7 days. Make sure the checkbox next to Cookies and other site data is checked, then click Clear data.
That's the whole process. Your history, cookies, and cached files are now deleted. Chrome will stop remembering the websites you visited, the passwords you saved on those sites, and the images and files it stored to make pages load faster.
If you want Chrome to forget your history automatically every time you close the browser, you can turn on a setting called Delete cookies and site data when you quit Chrome. We explain how to do that in the section below.
Key Takeaways
- Press Ctrl + H (Windows) or Command + Y (Mac), click Clear browsing data, choose your time range, and click Clear data to delete your history in one minute.
- The pop-up window lets you choose what to delete — history, cookies, cached images, passwords, and more — so you can keep some things while removing others.
- Clearing your history does not sign you out of websites, but it does delete saved passwords and login information for those sites.
- You can set Chrome to automatically delete your history every time you close the browser by turning on Delete cookies and site data when you quit Chrome.
What gets deleted when you clear your history
When you click Clear data, Chrome removes several things at once. Your browsing history — the list of websites you visited — disappears from the History page. Cookies, which are small files that websites use to remember you, get deleted. Cached images and files, which Chrome stores to make websites load faster the next time you visit, are removed.
By default, Chrome also clears saved passwords and autofill information if you check those boxes in the pop-up window. You do not have to delete passwords if you do not want to — you can uncheck that box and keep them. However, if someone else uses your computer, clearing passwords is a good idea because it prevents them from logging into your accounts.
One thing clearing history does not do: it does not sign you out of websites. If you are logged into Gmail or Facebook, you will still be logged in after you clear your history. If you want to sign out, you have to do that separately on each website.
How to choose what time period to clear
The pop-up window that appears after you click Clear browsing data has a dropdown menu at the top that says Time range. This menu lets you pick exactly how far back you want to go. All time deletes everything Chrome has ever recorded. Last hour deletes only what you did in the past 60 minutes. Last 24 hours, Last 7 days, and Last 4 weeks are also options.
Choose All time if you want a complete clean slate. Choose a shorter time range if you only want to delete recent activity — for example, if you visited a website you do not want anyone to see, you can delete just the last hour instead of your entire history. This is useful if you share your computer with family members or coworkers.
Set Chrome to delete history automatically when you close it
If you want Chrome to forget everything you do every time you close the browser, you can turn on automatic deletion. Click the three vertical dots in the top right corner of Chrome and select Settings. On the left side, click Privacy and security, then click Clear browsing data.
A section called Clear browsing data will appear. Check the box next to Delete cookies and site data when you quit Chrome. Now, every time you close Chrome completely, it will automatically delete your history, cookies, and cached files. The next time you open Chrome, it will be like you never visited any websites.
This setting does not affect other browsers on your computer — only Chrome. If you use Firefox or Edge, they will keep their own history unless you turn on the same setting in those browsers.
Clear history from a specific website only
If you want to delete your history for just one website instead of everything, you can do that too. Open your History page by pressing Ctrl + H or Command + Y. Look through the list for the website you want to remove. Hover your mouse over it and a checkbox will appear on the left. Click the checkbox to select it, then click Delete at the top of the page.
You can select multiple websites this way by checking several boxes, then delete them all at once. This is faster than clearing your entire history if you only want to hide a few sites.
What to do if you accidentally cleared your history
If you cleared your history by mistake, Chrome does not have a built-in undo button. However, if you cleared it very recently — within the last few minutes — you might be able to recover some information. Press Ctrl + Shift + T on Windows or Command + Shift + T on Mac to reopen the last tab you closed. This will not restore your full history, but it might bring back the last website you were on.
For a more complete recovery, you would need to check your internet service provider's records or your router's logs, which is beyond what most people can do on their own. The safest approach is to be careful when clicking Clear data and to double-check the time range before you confirm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does clearing my history sign me out of websites?
No. Clearing your history removes the record of websites you visited, but it does not log you out. You will still be signed into Gmail, Facebook, and other accounts. If you want to sign out, you have to do that manually on each website by clicking your profile and selecting Sign out.
Will clearing my history delete my saved passwords?
Only if you check the box for Passwords and other sign-in data in the pop-up window. By default, this box is unchecked, so your passwords stay saved. If you want to keep your history private but stay logged into your accounts, leave that box unchecked.
Can I clear history from just my phone or just my computer?
Yes. Clearing history on your phone does not affect your computer, and clearing it on your computer does not affect your phone. Each device keeps its own separate history. If you use the same Google account on both, you can turn on Sync in Chrome settings to sync your history across devices, but clearing on one device will not automatically clear the other.
What is the difference between clearing history and using Incognito mode?
Incognito mode prevents Chrome from saving your history in the first place — nothing you do in an Incognito window is recorded. Clearing history removes what Chrome has already recorded. Incognito is useful if you want privacy before you browse; clearing history is useful after you have already browsed and want to remove the record.