Clear your browsing history in three steps

Open Chrome and press Ctrl + H on your keyboard (or Cmd + H if you use a Mac Chromebook). This opens your History page. On the left side, click Clear browsing data. A window will pop up asking what you want to delete and how far back. Choose your time range from the dropdown at the top — "All time" removes everything, "Last hour" removes only the past 60 minutes, or pick a custom date range. Make sure the checkbox next to "Cookies and other site data" is checked if you want websites to forget you were there. Click the blue Clear data button at the bottom right.

That's the whole process. Your history is gone when ready. Chrome will not show those websites in your address bar suggestions, and the sites themselves won't know you visited them the next time you go back.

If you want Chrome to stop saving your history altogether, you can turn on Guest mode or use Incognito mode for individual browsing sessions. Guest mode is useful if someone else is borrowing your Chromebook — it leaves no trace of what they do. Incognito mode works the same way but only for the windows you open in that mode, so you can keep your regular browsing separate.

Key Takeaways

  • Press Ctrl + H (or Cmd + H on Mac) to open your History page, then click Clear browsing data on the left.
  • Choose your time range from the dropdown — "All time" deletes everything, or pick a specific period like "Last 24 hours" or "Last 7 days".
  • Make sure "Cookies and other site data" is checked if you want websites to forget you visited them.
  • Use Incognito mode (Ctrl + Shift + N) if you want Chrome to stop recording a browsing session before it starts.
  • Guest mode leaves no history at all and is useful when someone else uses your Chromebook temporarily.

What gets deleted when you clear browsing data

When you click Clear data, Chrome removes your browsing history — the list of websites you visited. It also removes your read history, the passwords Chrome saved for you, and cached images and files (the copies of web pages Chrome stored on your Chromebook to load them faster next time). By default, cookies and site data are checked too, which tells websites to forget you.

You can uncheck any of these boxes if you want to keep some of them. For example, you might want to clear your history but keep your saved passwords so you don't have to type them in again. The checkboxes let you pick exactly what goes and what stays. Just remember that leaving cookies checked means websites will still recognize you the next time you visit.

Clearing history for a specific website

If you only want to delete history for one or two websites instead of everything, you don't have to clear all your data. Open the History page with Ctrl + H, and you'll see a list of websites you visited, grouped by date. Find 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 before you delete. This is faster than clearing everything if you only want to hide a few visits. The rest of your history stays intact.

Using Incognito mode to avoid saving history

Incognito mode is a private browsing window where Chrome doesn't save your history, cookies, or passwords. Open a new Incognito window by pressing Ctrl + Shift + N (or Cmd + Shift + N on Mac). The window will have a dark theme and show a small spy icon in the corner so you know you're in Incognito mode. Everything you do in that window stays private — when you close it, Chrome forgets it happened.

Incognito mode is useful when you're shopping for a gift on someone else's Chromebook, looking up medical information you'd rather keep private, or checking your bank account on a shared device. Websites can still see that you're visiting them (your internet provider can still see your traffic), but Chrome itself won't remember the visit after you close the window.

You can have Incognito windows open at the same time as regular windows. Your normal browsing in other windows still saves to history as usual. Only what happens in the Incognito window stays private.

Guest mode for temporary users

If someone is borrowing your Chromebook for an hour or a day, Guest mode is the cleanest option. Click your profile picture in the bottom right corner of the screen and select Guest. The Chromebook will restart in Guest mode, and the person using it will see a completely fresh browser with no history, passwords, or personal settings. When they're done and you sign back in, nothing they did appears in your history or your saved data.

Guest mode is separate from your account entirely. The guest user can browse, read files, and use apps, but nothing gets saved to your Chromebook. It's the safest way to let someone else use your device without worrying about what they might see or what traces they might leave behind.

Clearing history on a shared Chromebook

If multiple people sign into the same Chromebook with different accounts, each person has their own history. When you clear your browsing data, it only clears your own history — it doesn't affect anyone else's account. Each person needs to clear their own history separately by signing in and following the steps above.

If you're the owner of the Chromebook and want to see what someone else has been doing, you can't access their history directly. Each account is private. However, if you're concerned about what's being accessed on your device, you can set up parental controls through your Google account, which lets you monitor activity on child accounts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does clearing history delete my saved passwords?

Only if you check the "Passwords and other sign-in data" box when you clear your data. By default, this box is unchecked, so your passwords stay saved. If you want to clear history but keep passwords, just leave that box unchecked and click Clear data.

Can I undo clearing my history?

No, once you click Clear data, it's permanent. Chrome doesn't have an undo button for this action. If you're not sure what you want to delete, use the time range dropdown to delete only the last hour or day instead of everything.

Will clearing my history sign me out of websites?

If you check "Cookies and other site data", yes — websites will forget you and you'll be signed out. If you leave that box unchecked, you'll stay signed in. The choice is yours depending on what you want to happen.

Does Incognito mode hide my activity from my internet provider?

No. Incognito mode only hides your activity from Chrome and the websites you visit. Your internet provider can still see which websites you're connecting to. If you need to hide your activity from your provider, you would need a VPN, which is a different tool entirely.

What's the difference between clearing history and using Guest mode?

Clearing history removes your past activity from your account. Guest mode prevents any activity from being saved in the first place. Use clearing history when you want to clean up your own account. Use Guest mode when someone else is using your Chromebook and you don't want their activity mixed with yours.