YouTube stores two separate histories you can clear independently
YouTube keeps a record of every video you watch and every search you perform. You can delete your watch history, search history, or both — and you can do this from any device where you're signed in. The steps differ slightly between the YouTube website, the mobile app, and your Google Account settings, but all three routes lead to the same result.
Clearing your history does not delete the videos themselves or affect your subscriptions. It only removes the record that you watched or searched for them. If you want YouTube to stop recording your activity going forward, you can pause your history instead of just clearing it.
Key Takeaways
- You can clear watch history and search history separately, or delete both at once from your YouTube account settings.
- Clearing history from the YouTube website takes about 30 seconds and requires only a few clicks in your account menu.
- The YouTube mobile app has a dedicated History section where you can delete individual videos or clear everything at once.
- Pausing your history stops YouTube from recording new activity without deleting what's already recorded.
- Clearing your YouTube history does not affect videos you've uploaded, playlists you've created, or channels you've subscribed to.
Clear history from the YouTube website
Sign in to YouTube on a computer or tablet. Click your profile picture in the top right corner, then select History from the dropdown menu. This opens your watch history page, which shows every video you've watched in reverse chronological order.
On the left side of the page, click Clear all watch history. YouTube will ask you to confirm. Click the blue Clear watch history button. Your entire watch history is now deleted, though YouTube may still use some of your past activity to recommend videos until you clear your search history as well.
To clear search history from the same page, click Search history on the left sidebar instead of Watch history. Then click Clear all search history and confirm. You can also delete individual searches by hovering over them and clicking the X that appears.
Clear history from the YouTube mobile app
Open the YouTube app on your phone or tablet and tap your profile picture in the top right corner. Select History from the menu. This shows your watch history in the order you watched videos, with the most recent at the top.
Tap the three-dot menu icon at the top right of the screen. Select Clear watch history and confirm when prompted. To clear search history instead, tap Search history at the top of the screen, then tap the three-dot menu and select Clear search history.
If you want to delete individual videos from your history without clearing everything, tap the three-dot menu next to any video and select Remove from watch history. This removes only that one video.
Clear history through your Google Account settings
Go to myactivity.google.com in your browser. This page shows all activity across your Google Account, including YouTube, Gmail, Google Search, and other Google services. Sign in if you're not already.
On the left side, click YouTube to filter and show only YouTube activity. You can then delete individual items by clicking the three-dot menu next to each one, or delete everything by clicking the three-dot menu at the top and selecting Delete all.
This method is useful if you want to see your YouTube activity alongside your other Google activity, or if you want to delete activity from a specific date range. You can also use the search box at the top to find and delete specific videos or searches.
Pause your history instead of clearing it
If you want YouTube to stop recording your activity without deleting what's already recorded, you can pause your history. Go to your YouTube account settings by clicking your profile picture and selecting Settings. Click Privacy in the left menu.
Under History settings, toggle Pause watch history or Pause search history to the off position. When paused, YouTube will not record new videos you watch or searches you perform, but your existing history remains visible to you and continues to influence recommendations.
You can pause one type of history without pausing the other. For example, you might pause watch history but keep search history active. Pausing is reversible — toggle the setting back on anytime to resume recording.
What happens after you clear your history
Clearing your watch history removes the list of videos you've watched, but YouTube's recommendation algorithm may still use older data to suggest videos. Clearing search history removes the list of terms you've searched for. Neither action affects your subscriptions, playlists, or uploaded videos.
If you're signed out of YouTube, your activity is not recorded at all. If you're signed in on multiple devices, clearing history on one device clears it across all devices where you're signed in with the same Google Account. The deletion is permanent — YouTube does not restore cleared history.
Other people who use your device will not see your watch history or search history after you clear it, even if they're not signed in. However, if you share your Google Account password with someone, they can see your history on their own devices by signing in with your account.
Delete individual videos from your history
You don't have to clear your entire history to remove one or two videos. On the YouTube website, go to your History page, find the video you want to remove, and click the three-dot menu next to it. Select Remove from watch history.
In the mobile app, swipe left on any video in your history (on iPhone) or tap the three-dot menu and select Remove from watch history (on Android). You can also use the search box in your history to find a specific video quickly, then remove just that one.
Removing individual videos does not affect YouTube's recommendations as much as clearing your entire history does. If you want to prevent YouTube from recommending videos similar to one you watched, clearing your entire watch history is more effective.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does clearing my YouTube history delete the videos I watched?
No. Clearing your history only removes the record that you watched those videos. The videos themselves remain on YouTube and can still be found through search or recommendations. Other people can still watch them, and creators still have access to their own videos.
Will clearing my history remove my subscriptions and playlists?
No. Your subscriptions, playlists, and any videos you've uploaded are separate from your watch history and search history. Clearing either history type does not affect them.
Can I clear history from just one device?
No. When you clear your YouTube history, it clears across all devices where you're signed in with the same Google Account. If you want to keep your history on one device but not another, you would need to use different Google Accounts on each device.
What's the difference between clearing history and pausing it?
Clearing history deletes what's already recorded. Pausing history stops YouTube from recording new activity going forward, but keeps your existing history intact. Pausing is useful if you want to keep your current history but prevent future activity from being recorded.
If I clear my history, will YouTube stop recommending videos to me?
YouTube will still recommend videos based on other signals like the channels you subscribe to, videos you've liked, and your general account activity. However, recommendations based specifically on your watch history will disappear. Recommendations may become less personalized until you watch more videos.