Simple Steps to Clear Google Search History

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A step-by-step guide to get rid of your search history on Google

Co-authored by Marc Crabbé

Last Updated: December 8, 2024 Tested

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Clearing Your History

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Deleting One Item

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Video

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Expert Q&A

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Tips

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Warnings

You can delete single search history results from the autocomplete list on the Google search page. If you need to clear out a lot or all of your search history, you can use the Google My Activity page. Clearing your Google Search history will only remove items that you've typed into the Google Search box. If you need to delete your web browsing history, see Delete Browsing History.

Things You Should Know

Open your web browser on your computer, phone, or tablet, and go to the Google activity site.
Click or tap the vertical three-dot menu then select "Delete activity by."
You can use a web browser on your computer, Android, iPhone, or iPad to do this.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Clearing Your History

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You can do this from your computer or mobile device.
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Even if you're already signed in, you'll likely be asked for your password again. Sign in with the account that you want to delete the entire search history for.
This can be found in the upper-left corner. In larger browser windows, the menu will be open automatically.
This will let you change how much search history will be deleted.
This will ensure that only your search history is deleted.
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Click or tap Delete. After confirming, your entire Google Search history for that Google account will be deleted.^{[1]
X
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- You can delete specific items instead of your whole history by tapping or clicking the ⋮ button next to an item in your "Item view" list and selecting "Delete."

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Deleting One Item

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Open the web browser on your computer or mobile device.
Enter www.google.com into the browser's address bar.
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Click or tap the Sign In button if you aren't signed in. Sign in with the Google account that the search entry is associated with.
- Previous searches will only appear if you are signed into Google.
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Look for the previous search entry. It will be purple instead of black.
- Note: The black results are autocomplete results based on common or popular searches. They cannot be deleted and have no bearing on your local search history.
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Click the Remove link or tap the X next to the entry. This will delete the search from your Web History.
- On mobile devices, you'll need to tap "OK" in the pop-up that appears to confirm.

Expert Q&A

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Question

How do I delete unwanted searches?

Marc Crabbé
Google Suite Expert
Marc is a translator and International Project Manager, who has been working in Google Suite for project management since 2011.

Marc Crabbé

Google Suite Expert

Expert Answer

To delete your Google search history on Chrome, open the configuration menu clicking on the ⋮ icon on the top-right corner of the Chrome window, go to 'Settings,' then 'Advanced Features,' then 'Privacy and Security'—or 'Privacidad y Seguridad' if your Chrome is in Spanish like mine. Finally, select 'Clear browsing data' and select the options you need.

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Question

How can I delete my history on my Android?

Jackson Quesinberry

Community Answer

Tap the dots in the top right corner. Scroll down and select "Delete search history." Next time, I recommend opening an incognito tab by tapping the tabs button (the square with a number), then the dots, and then selecting "Open a new incognito tab." Your search history, preferences, etc., will not be saved.

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Question

I don't have Google Chrome. How do I clear my Google search history?

Community Answer

Go to myactivity.google.com and sign into your Google account. Here, you can select either Bundle view or Item view, then click the 3-dot menu button at the top right of an entry to delete it. You can also delete local search history by clearing your browsing data.

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Tips

Google Search History only tracks searches made through Google Search. Clearing it is not the same thing as deleting your browser's web browsing history.

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If you wish to pause Google's activity storing function after clearing your search history, you can turn off Google Web and App activity.

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Warnings

Though your search history will be unavailable to you, it will still exist on Google servers "in perpetuity." This means that, given a court order, they could (and no doubt would) release your history to law enforcement.

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Clearing your search history is irreversible.

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