Chrome stores three kinds of data you can delete separately

Google Chrome keeps a record of what you search for, the websites you visit, and passwords you've entered. You can delete all of it, some of it, or none of it — the choice is yours. The process takes about two minutes and you can do it from your browser settings without installing anything extra.

The three main things Chrome saves are your browsing history (every website you've visited), search history (what you typed into search boxes), and saved passwords (login information Chrome offers to fill in automatically). You might want to delete one category but keep another. For example, you could clear your browsing history but keep your passwords so you don't have to re-enter them everywhere.

Key Takeaways

  • Open Chrome, click the three vertical dots in the top right corner, select "Settings," then "Privacy and security," then "Clear browsing data" to reach the deletion screen.
  • Choose your time range at the top — "All time" deletes everything Chrome has stored, while "Last hour" or "Last 24 hours" deletes only recent activity.
  • Check the boxes next to "Cookies and other site data," "Browsing history," and "Passwords and other sign-in data" to delete those categories, then click "Clear data."
  • Deleting your browsing history does not sign you out of websites, but deleting cookies may log you out of some accounts.
  • You can also delete individual passwords by going to Settings, then "Passwords," finding the password in the list, and clicking the trash icon next to it.

Step-by-step: clearing all your browsing data at once

Open Google Chrome and look for the three vertical dots (called the menu button) in the top right corner of the window. Click it. A dropdown menu will appear with several options.

Find and click "Settings" in that menu. A new tab will open showing Chrome's settings page. On the left side of the page, you'll see a menu with several options. Click "Privacy and security" — it's usually near the top of that left-side menu.

Once you're in the Privacy and security section, look for "Clear browsing data" and click it. A box will pop up with options for what to delete and how far back to go.

Choosing what time period to delete

At the top of the pop-up box, you'll see a dropdown menu that says "Time range." Click it to see your options: "All time," "Last 24 hours," "Last 7 days," "Last 4 weeks," or "Last hour." Choose whichever period matches what you want to delete.

"All time" removes everything Chrome has stored since you started using it. "Last 24 hours" removes only what happened in the past day. Pick the timeframe that fits your situation. If you only want to clear out today's searches, choose "Last 24 hours." If you want a complete wipe, choose "All time."

Selecting which data types to delete

Below the time range dropdown, you'll see checkboxes for different types of data. The most common ones are "Cookies and other site data," "Browsing history," and "Passwords and other sign-in data." Check the boxes next to the things you want to delete.

If you only want to delete your browsing history but keep your passwords saved, check only the "Browsing history" box. If you want to delete everything, check all three boxes. You can also scroll down in this box to see additional options like "Cached images and files" (which frees up storage space on your computer) or "read history."

Completing the deletion

Once you've chosen your time range and checked the boxes for what you want to delete, click the blue "Clear data" button at the bottom right of the pop-up. Chrome will delete the selected information when ready.

The pop-up will close and you'll be back at your Chrome settings. The deletion is complete. If you want to verify it worked, you can click on the address bar (where you type website names) and start typing — Chrome should no longer suggest websites from your deleted history.

Deleting individual passwords instead of everything

If you only want to delete one or two saved passwords rather than clearing your entire password list, you can do that from a different settings page. Click the three vertical dots menu again, go to "Settings," then click "Passwords" on the left side menu.

You'll see a list of all the passwords Chrome has saved. Find the one you want to delete, hover your mouse over it, and click the trash icon that appears on the right side of that entry. Confirm the deletion if Chrome asks you to. That single password will be removed, but all your other saved passwords stay in place.

What happens after you delete your data

Deleting your browsing history means Chrome stops suggesting those websites when you start typing in the address bar. It does not sign you out of websites you're currently logged into — you'll stay logged in to Gmail, Facebook, or any other site until you manually log out or your session expires.

Deleting cookies and site data may log you out of some accounts because cookies are how websites remember you. If you delete cookies, some sites will ask you to log back in the next time you visit. Deleting passwords removes the stored login information, so Chrome won't auto-fill your username and password on those sites anymore — you'll have to type them in by hand or use a password manager instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does deleting my browsing history in Chrome delete it from Google's servers?

No. Deleting your history from Chrome only removes it from your computer. If you're signed into a Google account in Chrome, Google may still have a record of your searches and websites on their servers. To delete that data, you need to visit myactivity.google.com, sign in with your Google account, and delete your activity there separately.

Will deleting my passwords log me out of websites?

Deleting saved passwords does not log you out of websites. It only removes the stored password from Chrome, so Chrome won't fill it in automatically next time. You'll still be logged in until you manually log out or your session expires.

Can I set Chrome to automatically delete my history when I close the browser?

Yes. Go to Settings, click "Privacy and security," then turn on "Clear cookies and site data when you quit Chrome." After you do this, Chrome will automatically delete your cookies and site data every time you close the browser completely, though your browsing history will remain unless you also enable that option.

What's the difference between clearing browsing history and clearing cookies?

Browsing history is the list of websites you've visited. Cookies are small files websites store on your computer to remember information about you. Clearing history removes the list of sites, but websites can still recognize you if their cookies remain. Clearing cookies removes those recognition files, which may log you out of accounts.

If I delete my history, can someone else see what websites I visited?

Deleting your history from Chrome removes it from your computer, so someone using your device won't see it in Chrome's history. However, your internet service provider and the websites you visit may still have records. If you want more privacy while browsing, consider using Chrome's Incognito mode, which doesn't save history at all.