YouTube stores three separate histories that work differently

YouTube keeps track of what you watch in two places: your watch history (videos you've opened) and your search history (what you've typed into the search box). A third record, your upload history, tracks videos you've posted yourself. Clearing one does not clear the others. Most people want to delete watch and search history, which you can do from your account settings in under a minute.

The reason YouTube maintains these records is to power recommendations and to let you resume videos where you left off. If you clear your history, YouTube stops showing you personalized suggestions based on past viewing, and you lose the ability to jump back into videos you were watching. You can turn off history recording entirely if you prefer — YouTube calls this "Incognito mode" on mobile and "Don't save" on desktop.

The steps differ slightly between desktop browsers, phones, and tablets, but the underlying process is the same: you log into your YouTube account, navigate to your history settings, and choose what to delete.

Key Takeaways

  • YouTube stores watch history and search history separately, so you must delete both if you want to remove all traces of your activity.
  • On desktop, go to your account menu, select "History," then use the "Clear all watch history" and "Clear all search history" buttons.
  • On iPhone or Android, open the YouTube app, tap your profile picture, go to Settings, then History and Privacy, and tap the clear buttons.
  • Turning on Incognito mode (mobile) or using "Don't save" (desktop) prevents YouTube from recording new history without deleting what already exists.
  • Clearing history removes recommendations based on your past viewing but does not affect videos you've liked, playlists you've created, or subscriptions.

Clearing history on a desktop browser

Open YouTube in any browser and sign into your account. Click your profile picture in the top right corner — it appears as a small circle with your initial or photo inside. A menu will drop down. Select "History" from that menu.

You will see two options on the left side of the page: "Watch history" and "Search history." Click "Watch history" first. On the right side, you will see a button that says "Clear all watch history." Click it. YouTube will ask you to confirm — click "Clear watch history" in the popup that appears.

Now click "Search history" on the left side. You will see a similar button labeled "Clear all search history." Click it and confirm again. Both histories are now empty. If you want to prevent YouTube from recording new history going forward, stay on this page and look for the toggle that says "Pause watch history" or "Pause search history" — turning these on stops YouTube from saving anything new without deleting what already exists.

Clearing history on iPhone or iPad

Open the YouTube app and tap your profile picture in the bottom right corner. Tap "Settings" from the menu that appears. Scroll down and tap "History and Privacy."

You will see two options: "Clear watch history" and "Clear search history." Tap "Clear watch history" first. A popup will ask you to confirm — tap "Clear" to proceed. Then tap "Clear search history" and confirm again. Both are now deleted from your account.

If you want to stop YouTube from recording history without deleting what you've already watched, stay in the History and Privacy menu and toggle "Pause watch history" or "Pause search history" to the on position. You can also turn on YouTube's Incognito mode from this same menu — when Incognito is active, YouTube does not save anything you watch or search for.

Clearing history on Android phones and tablets

Open the YouTube app and tap your profile picture in the top right corner. Tap "Settings." Scroll down and tap "History and Privacy."

Tap "Clear watch history." A popup will ask you to confirm — tap "Clear" to proceed. Then tap "Clear search history" and confirm. Both histories are now deleted.

To prevent future recording, toggle "Pause watch history" or "Pause search history" to on. You can also enable Incognito mode from this menu if you want YouTube to stop saving your activity entirely without erasing your past history.

The difference between clearing history and pausing it

Clearing history deletes everything YouTube has already recorded about you. Pausing history stops YouTube from recording anything new, but leaves your old history intact. If you clear your watch history but do not pause it, YouTube will start recording again the next time you watch a video.

Pausing is useful if you want to keep your old history for recommendations but do not want YouTube to record what you watch from this point forward. Clearing is the right choice if you want to remove all traces of past activity. You can do both — clear the old history and then pause recording — if you want a completely fresh start with no recording going forward.

What clearing history does and does not affect

Clearing your watch and search history removes those records from your account. YouTube will no longer use them to suggest videos to you, and you will lose the ability to resume videos where you left off. However, clearing history does not delete videos you have liked, playlists you have created, or channels you have subscribed to. Those remain in your account untouched.

If you want to remove those as well, you must delete them separately. Go to your "Liked videos" playlist and unlike videos one by one or in bulk. Delete playlists from your library. Unsubscribe from channels by clicking the Subscribe button again. Clearing history only affects the records of what you watched and searched for, not the actions you took on the platform.

Clearing history from a shared device or public computer

If you used YouTube on a computer or device that belongs to someone else, clearing your YouTube history is not enough to remove all traces of your activity. You must also clear the browser's cache and cookies, which store login information and other data separate from your YouTube account.

On most browsers, press Ctrl+Shift+Delete (Windows) or Command+Shift+Delete (Mac) to open the clear browsing data menu. Select "All time" or the longest time range available. Check the boxes for "Cookies and other site data" and "Cached images and files." Click "Clear data." This removes YouTube's ability to recognize you on that device. If you are concerned about privacy on a shared device, use the browser's incognito or private mode instead — it does not save any data when you close the window.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does clearing YouTube history delete my account or my subscriptions?

No. Clearing watch and search history only removes the record of what you watched and searched for. Your subscriptions, liked videos, playlists, and account settings remain unchanged. If you want to remove those as well, you must delete them separately through your library.

Can I clear only part of my history instead of all of it?

YouTube does not offer a way to delete individual videos from your watch history or specific searches from your search history. You can only clear everything at once. If you want to hide a particular video from your recommendations, you can click the three-dot menu next to it in your history and select "Remove from watch history," but this does not delete the full history.

What is the difference between YouTube Incognito mode and clearing history?

Incognito mode (on mobile) or "Don't save" mode (on desktop) prevents YouTube from recording anything new while you are in that mode. Clearing history deletes what has already been recorded. You can use Incognito mode to watch without leaving a record, but it does not erase your past history. To start completely fresh, clear your history first, then use Incognito mode going forward.

If I pause my watch history, will YouTube still recommend videos to me?

YouTube will still recommend videos based on your past watch history — pausing only stops new recordings. If you want recommendations to stop using your viewing patterns, you must clear your history in addition to pausing it. Once cleared, recommendations will be based on trends and your subscriptions instead of your personal viewing habits.

Does clearing my YouTube history on one device clear it everywhere?

Yes. Your YouTube history is tied to your account, not to a specific device. When you clear your watch or search history, it is deleted from your account across all devices. If you sign into YouTube on a phone, tablet, and computer, clearing history on any one of them removes it from all of them.