Clear your Google search history directly in the Google app or through your Google Account settings
You can remove your Google searches from your iPhone in two ways: delete them within the Google app itself, or wipe them from your Google Account online. The Google app method is faster if you want to clear recent searches quickly. The Account method is better if you want to delete searches across all your devices at once, or if you want to set Google to stop saving your searches automatically going forward.
Both methods work whether you use Google as your default search engine or just visit Google.com directly. The searches you delete are removed from your Google Account, so they won't appear on any device where you're signed in with that account.
Key Takeaways
- Open the Google app, tap your profile picture, select Settings, then tap Manage your Google Account and choose the Data & Privacy tab to delete searches from your phone.
- You can delete all your search history at once or choose a specific date range like the last hour, day, week, month, or year.
- Deleting searches from your Google Account removes them from all devices where you're signed in, not just your iPhone.
- You can turn off search history saving entirely so Google stops recording your searches going forward.
Delete searches using the Google app on your iPhone
Open the Google app on your iPhone. Tap your profile picture or initial in the top right corner of the screen. This opens a menu with several options.
Tap Settings. Then tap Manage your Google Account. A new screen will open showing several tabs at the top — tap the Data & Privacy tab.
Scroll down until you see Web & App Activity. Tap it. You'll see a button that says Manage all Web & App Activity — tap that button. This takes you to a page showing your recent searches and activity.
At the top of the page, tap the trash or delete icon. Google will ask you to choose a time range. Select All time to delete everything, or pick a specific range like Last hour, Last day, Last week, Last month, or Last year. Tap Delete to confirm.
Delete searches through your Google Account online
Open Safari or any web browser on your iPhone and go to myactivity.google.com. Sign in with the Google account you use on your iPhone if you're not already signed in.
You'll see a list of your recent activity, including searches. At the top left, tap the three horizontal lines (the menu icon). Tap Delete activity by. Choose your time range — All time will delete everything, or pick a specific period.
Make sure Search is checked in the activity types list. Tap Delete. Google will confirm that your searches have been removed.
Turn off search history saving so Google stops recording searches
If you don't want Google to save your searches in the first place, you can turn off Web & App Activity. Open the Google app and tap your profile picture, then Settings. Tap Manage your Google Account and go to the Data & Privacy tab.
Scroll to Web & App Activity and tap it. At the top, toggle off the switch next to Web & App Activity. This stops Google from recording your searches going forward. Note that turning this off may affect how well Google's search suggestions work, since Google uses your search history to personalize results.
You can turn this setting back on at any time by toggling the switch back on.
Delete individual searches instead of all of them
If you only want to remove specific searches rather than your entire history, go to myactivity.google.com in your browser. Find the search you want to delete in the list. Tap the three dots next to that search result.
Tap Delete. That single search is now removed from your history. You can repeat this for as many individual searches as you want. This method takes longer if you have many searches to remove, but it's useful if you want to keep most of your search history and only hide a few searches.
What happens when you delete your search history
When you delete your Google search history, those searches are removed from your Google Account. They won't show up in your search suggestions on any device where you're signed in with that account — your iPhone, iPad, computer, or any other device.
Deleting your search history does not delete the websites you visited. If you want to remove those from your iPhone's browser history, you need to clear Safari history separately. Also, your internet service provider and the websites you visited may still have records that you visited them — deleting your Google history only removes the record from Google's servers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does clearing Google search history on my iPhone clear it on my computer too?
Yes. When you delete your Google search history from your iPhone, it's removed from your entire Google Account. Any computer, tablet, or phone where you're signed in with that account will no longer show those searches. The deletion happens across all devices at once.
Can I delete just today's searches without deleting older ones?
Yes. When you tap the delete button in your search history, Google asks you to choose a time range. Select Last day or Last hour instead of All time. Only searches from that period will be deleted.
Will deleting my search history speed up my iPhone?
No. Deleting your Google search history won't make your iPhone faster. Your search history is stored on Google's servers, not on your phone's storage. If you want to free up space on your iPhone, you need to delete apps, photos, or videos instead.
What if I accidentally deleted searches I wanted to keep?
Google doesn't have an undo button for deleted search history. Once you delete searches, they're gone. If you deleted everything by mistake, you can turn Web & App Activity back on and your new searches will start being saved again, but the old deleted searches cannot be recovered.
Do I need to delete my search history if I use private browsing?
Private browsing in Safari doesn't stop Google from saving your searches to your Google Account. If you search using the Google app or Google.com even in private mode, those searches are still recorded. You need to delete your Google search history separately if you want those searches removed from your account.