Google Maps keeps a record of everywhere you search for and every place you visit

Google Maps stores two separate histories: your search history (places you looked up) and your location history (places Google tracked you visiting). Both are saved to your Google account and can be deleted individually or together. You can erase them all at once, delete specific entries, or turn off tracking going forward.

The process differs slightly depending on whether you use the Maps app on your phone, the website on a computer, or Google's main account settings. Most people find it fastest to clear everything from their Google Account page rather than from within Maps itself.

Key Takeaways

  • Google Maps search history and location history are stored separately, and you can delete one without affecting the other.
  • The quickest way to clear both is through myactivity.google.com, where you can delete all Maps activity at once or remove individual entries.
  • You can turn off location history entirely in your Google Account settings so Maps stops tracking where you go.
  • Deleting your history from Maps does not delete it from your Google Account — you must delete it from your account settings for it to be fully removed.
  • On an iPhone or Android phone, you can also clear Maps history through the app itself, though the account page method is more complete.

Delete all your Maps history from your Google Account

The most complete way to clear your Maps history is through Google's My Activity page. Go to myactivity.google.com and sign in with the Google account you use for Maps. On the left side, click Maps to show only Maps activity. At the top, click the three-dot menu and select Delete all. Google will ask you to confirm; click Delete again.

This removes both your search history and location history in one step. The deletion is permanent — Google does not keep a backup you can restore. If you want to keep some entries and delete only others, click on individual items and select the trash icon instead of using the Delete All option.

Remove individual searches or locations from your history

If you want to keep most of your history but remove specific searches or places, go to myactivity.google.com and filter to Maps. Scroll through your activity and click on any entry you want to remove. A panel will open on the right side; click the trash icon at the top of that panel. The entry disappears immediately.

You can also delete entries directly from the Maps app. On Android, open Maps, tap your profile picture, go to Settings, then Maps history. Tap the three-dot menu next to any entry and select Delete. On iPhone, open Maps, tap the profile icon, tap Settings, then Maps history, and swipe left on any entry to delete it.

Turn off location history so Maps stops tracking you

Even after you delete your history, Google Maps will start recording new locations the next time you use it. To prevent this, turn off location history in your Google Account settings. Go to myaccount.google.com, click Data & Privacy on the left, scroll down to Web & App Activity, and click it. Uncheck the box next to Web & App Activity. This stops Google from recording your Maps searches and locations going forward.

Turning off Web & App Activity affects more than just Maps — it also stops Google from storing your searches on Google Search, YouTube activity, and other Google services. If you want to disable only Maps tracking without affecting other services, you can instead go to myactivity.google.com, click the three-dot menu, select Activity controls, and toggle off Location History. This is more selective but requires you to remember to do it.

Clear Maps history from your phone without using your account

On Android, open the Maps app, tap your profile picture, go to Settings, then Maps history. At the top, tap the three-dot menu and select Delete all. On iPhone, open Maps, tap the profile icon, go to Settings, then Maps history, and tap Clear all at the bottom of the screen.

Clearing history from the app only removes it from that device. Your history is still stored on your Google Account and will reappear if you sign in on another phone or computer. To fully delete it, use the myactivity.google.com method described above.

What happens to your data after you delete it

Once you delete an entry from myactivity.google.com, it is gone permanently. Google does not keep deleted activity in a trash folder or recovery bin. If you delete your entire Maps history and later realize you need a record of a place you visited, you cannot recover it from Google.

Deleted entries do not appear in your Maps timeline or in your location history. However, if you have shared your location with someone else (such as through Google Maps' location sharing feature), deleting your history does not remove their copy of that information. You would need to stop sharing your location with them separately.

Why Google Maps stores your history

Google keeps your search and location history to personalize your Maps experience — it shows you frequent locations, suggests places based on your past searches, and speeds up navigation by remembering where you go. This data also helps Google improve Maps' accuracy and traffic predictions. You can use Maps without any history being stored, but some features like "Your places" and personalized recommendations will not work.

Your history is tied to your Google Account, not to the Maps app itself. If you sign out of your Google account in Maps, the app will not record new activity. If you sign back in later, your old history will reappear.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does clearing my Maps history delete my Google Search history too?

No. Maps history and Google Search history are separate. Clearing one does not affect the other. If you want to delete your Google Search history as well, you need to go to myactivity.google.com, filter to Search, and delete those entries separately.

Can I delete my location history but keep my search history?

Yes. On myactivity.google.com, you can click on individual location entries and delete them while leaving your searches intact. Or you can turn off Location History in your account settings while keeping Web & App Activity on, which stops location tracking but continues recording your searches.

If I delete my Maps history, will Google stop tracking me?

Deleting your history removes the record of past activity, but it does not stop Google from tracking you going forward. To stop tracking, you must turn off Location History or Web & App Activity in your account settings. Deleting old data and disabling future tracking are two separate steps.

Will deleting my Maps history affect my saved places or favorites?

No. Your saved places, starred locations, and custom lists are stored separately from your search and location history. Deleting your history will not remove them. If you want to delete saved places, you must do that separately by opening each place in Maps and clicking the star icon to unstar it.

Can I see what Google Maps has recorded about me before I delete it?

Yes. Go to myactivity.google.com, filter to Maps, and scroll through your activity. You can see every search you made and every location Google tracked. This is also where you can see your timeline — a map view of everywhere Google recorded you going. You can review this before deciding what to delete.