Clear all your Chrome history in three steps

Open Chrome and press Ctrl+H on Windows or Command+Y on Mac to open the History page. On the left side, click Clear browsing data. A window will appear with checkboxes for different types of data — make sure Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files are checked along with Browsing history. At the top, change the time range from "All time" if you only want to clear recent history, then click Clear data.

Chrome will clear everything you selected within seconds. The history page will be empty, and Chrome will stop remembering the websites you visited, the searches you ran, and the passwords it stored for those sites during that time period.

If you want Chrome to forget your history automatically every time you close the browser, you can turn on this setting instead of clearing manually each time.

Key Takeaways

  • The fastest way to clear history is pressing Ctrl+H (Windows) or Command+Y (Mac), then clicking Clear browsing data in the left menu.
  • You can clear all history at once or choose a specific time range — last hour, last 24 hours, last 7 days, last 4 weeks, or all time.
  • Clearing history removes your browsing record, cookies, cached files, and saved passwords for those sites, but does not delete files you downloaded.
  • You can set Chrome to automatically clear history every time you close the browser by turning on the setting in Chrome's privacy options.
  • Clearing history on your device does not sign you out of your Google account or remove your browsing data from Google's servers if you use sync.

What gets deleted when you clear history

When you click Clear data, Chrome removes the list of websites you visited and the dates you visited them. It also deletes the search terms you typed into search engines, the autofill suggestions Chrome learned from your typing, and any passwords Chrome offered to save for those websites.

The Cookies and other site data checkbox removes login information that websites stored on your device — this is why you may need to log back into email, social media, or banking sites after clearing. Cached images and files removes copies of pictures, videos, and other content Chrome stored to load pages faster next time.

Clearing history does not delete files you downloaded — those stay in your Downloads folder. It also does not remove extensions you installed or change your bookmarks unless you specifically check those boxes.

Clearing history for a specific time period

When you open the Clear browsing data window, the dropdown at the top shows All time by default. Click it to see other options: Last hour, Last 24 hours, Last 7 days, Last 4 weeks, or All time. Choose the range that matches what you want to delete.

This is useful if you only want to clear recent browsing but keep older history, or if you want to remove just today's activity without touching anything from last week. The time range applies to all the checkboxes you have selected.

Automatic clearing every time you close Chrome

Instead of clearing history manually, you can tell Chrome to delete everything automatically when you close the browser. Click the three-dot menu in the top right corner, go to Settings, then click Privacy and security on the left. Under Clear browsing data, toggle on Clear cookies and site data when you quit Chrome.

Once this is on, Chrome will delete your browsing history, cookies, cached files, and autofill data every single time you close all Chrome windows. You will need to log back into websites each time you open Chrome, but your browsing will be private by default.

This setting does not affect your Google account or any data synced to your Google account — it only clears data stored on your device.

The difference between clearing history and signing out

Clearing your browsing history removes the record of websites you visited from your device, but it does not sign you out of your Google account. If you are signed into Chrome and have sync turned on, Google still has a record of your browsing on its servers — clearing local history does not remove that.

To remove your browsing data from Google's servers, you need to go to myactivity.google.com, click Delete activity by, and choose what to remove. This is separate from clearing history on your device. If you want complete privacy, you should do both: clear local history and delete your Google activity.

Clearing history in Chrome on your phone

On Android, open Chrome, tap the three-dot menu at the bottom right, go to Settings, then tap Privacy. Tap Clear browsing data, make sure the boxes you want are checked, and tap Clear data. On iPhone, open Chrome, tap the three-dot menu at the bottom right, go to Settings, tap Privacy, then Clear browsing data, and confirm.

The process is the same as on desktop — you choose what to clear and what time period to clear it from. If you have sync turned on, clearing history on your phone does not automatically clear it on your computer, and vice versa.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does clearing history delete my saved passwords?

Clearing history deletes passwords Chrome offered to save for websites you visited during the time period you selected. If you want to keep passwords but clear everything else, uncheck Passwords and other sign-in data before clicking Clear data. You can also manage saved passwords separately by going to Settings, then Privacy and security, then Passwords.

Will clearing history sign me out of websites?

Yes, if you clear cookies and site data. Websites use cookies to keep you logged in, so removing them forces you to log back in the next time you visit. If you uncheck Cookies and other site data before clearing, you will stay logged in.

Can I recover history after I clear it?

No, once you clear browsing history from Chrome, it is gone from your device. If you have sync turned on and want to recover it, you can check your Google account activity at myactivity.google.com, but you cannot restore it to Chrome's history page.

Does clearing Chrome history clear it from other devices?

No. Clearing history on your computer only removes it from that computer. If you use the same Google account on multiple devices with sync on, you can clear history on each device separately, but clearing on one device does not automatically clear the others.

What is the difference between clearing history and private browsing?

Private browsing (Incognito mode) prevents Chrome from saving history while you browse, but it does not clear history you already created. Clearing history removes the record of past browsing. You can use both together — browse in Incognito mode to avoid creating history, and clear history periodically to remove what was already saved.