Where to find and delete your Google search history

Google stores your search history in your Google Account, and you can delete it through your account settings on any device. The fastest way is to go to myactivity.google.com, sign in with your Google Account, and delete searches from there. You can delete individual searches, searches from a specific day, or your entire history at once.

If you want to delete history without signing into a web browser, you can also clear it from Google Search settings on your phone or computer. On Android, open the Google app, tap your profile picture, go to Settings, then Search settings, then Delete activity. On iPhone, open Google Search, tap your profile picture, go to Search settings, then Delete activity. On a computer, the process is similar but accessed through your browser's Google Search settings.

The key difference between these methods is scope: myactivity.google.com shows you everything Google has recorded across all your devices and services, while deleting from individual apps or browsers only clears history from that specific place.

Key Takeaways

  • Visit myactivity.google.com and sign in to see and delete all your Google searches in one place across all your devices.
  • You can delete individual searches, all searches from a specific date, or your entire search history at once.
  • Deleting your history from the Google app or a web browser only removes it from that specific location, not from your Google Account.
  • Turning on auto-delete in your Google Account settings will automatically remove searches older than a certain time period without you having to delete them manually.

Deleting searches one at a time or by date

If you only want to remove certain searches, myactivity.google.com lets you delete them individually. Sign in, scroll through your activity, find the search you want to remove, hover over it, and click the trash icon. This is useful if you want to keep most of your history but remove a few specific searches.

You can also delete all searches from a particular day. On myactivity.google.com, click the date filter at the top, select the date range you want to clear, then click Delete to remove everything from that period. This is faster than clicking individual searches if you want to wipe out a day or week of history.

Deleting all your search history at once

To delete your entire Google search history, go to myactivity.google.com, click the three-line menu icon in the top left, and select Delete activity by date. Choose "All time" from the date dropdown, make sure "Search" is checked under the activity types, then click Delete.

Google will ask you to confirm this action because it cannot be undone. Once you confirm, all your search history is removed from your Google Account. This does not affect your browsing history in Chrome or other browsers — it only removes the searches Google recorded in your account.

Setting up automatic deletion of old searches

Instead of manually deleting your history, you can set Google to automatically delete searches older than a certain time period. Go to myactivity.google.com, click the three-line menu, select Settings, then choose Auto-delete activity. You can set it to delete searches automatically after 3 months, 18 months, or 36 months.

Once you turn on auto-delete, Google removes your searches on a rolling basis — so if you choose 3 months, searches from more than 3 months ago are deleted automatically. You can still manually delete searches at any time, and auto-delete works alongside manual deletion, not instead of it.

Differences between deleting history and pausing activity recording

Deleting your history removes searches you have already made, but Google will continue recording new searches going forward. If you want to stop Google from recording your searches altogether, you can turn off Web & App Activity in your Google Account settings. Go to myactivity.google.com, click the three-line menu, select Settings, then turn off Web & App Activity.

When Web & App Activity is off, Google stops recording your searches, but it does not delete your existing history. You would need to delete your history separately if you want to remove past searches. Turning off activity recording also affects other Google services like YouTube watch history and location history, depending on your settings.

Clearing search history on your phone or computer

On an Android phone, open the Google app, tap your profile picture in the top right, go to Settings, then Search settings, then Delete activity. You can delete all activity or choose a time range. On an iPhone, the steps are the same: open Google Search, tap your profile picture, go to Search settings, then Delete activity.

On a computer, open Google Search in your browser, click your profile picture in the top right corner, go to Manage your Google Account, then click the Data & privacy tab. Under Web & App Activity, you can delete your search history or turn off activity recording. These methods delete history from your Google Account, not just from that device.

What happens to your data after you delete it

When you delete your search history from myactivity.google.com, Google removes it from your account within a short time. The searches no longer appear in your activity log, and Google no longer uses them to personalize your search results or ads. However, Google may keep some data for a limited time for system maintenance and security purposes before permanently removing it.

Deleting your history does not affect searches you have already made or results you have already clicked on — it only removes the record that you made those searches. If you have shared your Google Account with someone else, deleting your history only removes your own activity, not theirs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does deleting my Google search history also delete my Chrome browsing history?

No. Google search history and Chrome browsing history are separate. Deleting your Google search history on myactivity.google.com only removes searches recorded in your Google Account. To delete your Chrome browsing history, you need to clear it in Chrome's settings by pressing Ctrl+H (or Cmd+H on Mac), clicking Delete browsing data, and choosing your time range.

Can I delete search history from a specific website or app?

On myactivity.google.com, you can filter your activity by service. Click the filter icon and select which Google services to show — Search, YouTube, Maps, and others. This lets you see and delete only searches from a specific service, though you cannot filter by individual websites within Google Search.

If I delete my search history, will Google stop showing me personalized ads?

Deleting your search history removes the record of past searches, but Google continues to personalize ads based on your current activity and other data like your location and device. To reduce personalization, you can turn off Web & App Activity in your Google Account settings, though this affects all Google services, not just ads.

What if I forgot my Google password and cannot sign into myactivity.google.com?

You will need to recover your Google Account first. Go to accounts.google.com/signin/recovery and follow the steps to verify your identity. Once you regain access to your account, you can then delete your search history through myactivity.google.com or your account settings.

Does turning off Web & App Activity delete my existing search history?

No. Turning off Web & App Activity stops Google from recording new searches going forward, but it does not remove searches you have already made. You must delete your existing history separately through myactivity.google.com if you want to remove past searches.