Clear your browsing history in Chrome in three steps
Open Chrome and press Ctrl + H on Windows or Command + Y on Mac. This opens your History page. On the left side, click Clear browsing data. A window will appear with checkboxes for different types of data — History, Cookies, Cached images and files, and others. Select what you want to remove, choose your time range at the top (Last hour, Last 24 hours, Last 7 days, Last 4 weeks, All time), and click Clear data.
Chrome will delete the selected data within seconds. Your browsing history — the list of websites you visited — is gone from the History page and the address bar suggestions. Other data like saved passwords and payment methods stay unless you specifically check those boxes.
If you want Chrome to clear your history automatically every time you close the browser, you can turn on this setting in Chrome's main menu under Settings > Privacy and security > Clear cookies and site data when you quit Chrome. Toggle it on, and Chrome will erase your history, cookies, and cached files each time you fully close the browser.
Key Takeaways
- Press Ctrl + H (Windows) or Command + Y (Mac) to open your History page, then click Clear browsing data on the left.
- Choose what to delete — History, Cookies, Cached images, or all of them — and pick your time range before clicking Clear data.
- Clearing history removes websites from your History page and address bar suggestions, but does not affect saved passwords unless you check that box.
- Turn on "Clear cookies and site data when you quit Chrome" in Settings to have Chrome automatically erase your history each time you close the browser completely.
What data gets deleted when you clear history
The History checkbox removes the list of websites you visited, which is what most people mean by "browsing history." This also clears the suggestions that appear when you type in the address bar — Chrome normally shows you sites you have visited before.
Cookies and cached images are separate. Cookies are small files that websites store on your computer to remember you — your login status, your preferences, items in your shopping cart. Cached images and files are copies of web pages and images that Chrome saved so websites load faster next time. Clearing these makes websites load slightly slower on your next visit because Chrome has to download everything fresh.
Passwords and payment methods are not deleted unless you check those boxes. Chrome stores these separately, and clearing your history does not touch them by default. If you want to remove a saved password, you can do that individually in Settings > Passwords instead of clearing everything.
Choose your time range before clearing
The dropdown at the top of the Clear browsing data window lets you pick how far back to go. Last hour removes only what you did in the past 60 minutes. Last 24 hours covers the past day. Last 7 days, Last 4 weeks, and All time work the same way — they delete everything back to that point.
If you only want to remove history from this morning, pick Last 24 hours. If you want to wipe everything you have ever done in Chrome, pick All time. The time range applies to all the checkboxes you have selected, so if you check both History and Cookies and pick Last 7 days, Chrome will delete both from the past week.
Clearing history does not sign you out of websites
Deleting cookies will sign you out of most websites because cookies are how sites remember that you are logged in. However, some websites use other methods to keep you logged in, and clearing history alone — without clearing cookies — will not sign you out.
If you want to stay logged in to a website while clearing your history, uncheck the Cookies box before you click Clear data. If you want to sign out everywhere, make sure Cookies is checked.
Set Chrome to clear history automatically when you close it
Open Chrome's main menu (the three vertical dots in the top right corner) and go to Settings. Click Privacy and security on the left. Scroll down until you see Clear cookies and site data when you quit Chrome and toggle it on.
Once this is on, Chrome will automatically delete your browsing history, cookies, and cached files every time you fully close the browser — not just when you close a tab or window, but when you quit Chrome entirely. This happens in the background; you will not see a confirmation. The next time you open Chrome, your history will be empty.
This setting does not clear your history right now — it only sets up the automatic deletion for future sessions. If you want to clear what you have already done, use the manual Clear browsing data method described above.
Difference between clearing history and incognito mode
Clearing history removes data you have already collected. Incognito mode prevents Chrome from collecting it in the first place. When you open an Incognito window (Ctrl + Shift + N on Windows, Command + Shift + N on Mac), Chrome does not save your history, cookies, or cached files from that session. When you close the Incognito window, everything you did in it is gone automatically.
Incognito mode is useful if you want to browse without leaving a record — for example, if you are shopping for a gift on a shared computer. Clearing history is useful after the fact, when you have already browsed normally and want to remove the record.
Note that Incognito mode does not hide your activity from your internet service provider, your employer if you are on a work network, or the websites you visit. It only hides your activity from other people who use the same computer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will clearing my history delete my saved passwords?
No. Passwords are stored separately from your browsing history. When you clear browsing data, the Passwords checkbox is unchecked by default, so your saved passwords stay. If you want to delete a specific password, go to Settings > Passwords and remove it individually.
Can I clear history for just one website?
Not directly through the Clear browsing data window — that tool clears everything in your chosen time range. However, you can remove individual sites from your history by opening the History page (Ctrl + H), finding the site, right-clicking it, and selecting Remove. This removes just that one entry without touching anything else.
Does clearing history speed up Chrome?
Slightly. Clearing cached images and files removes data Chrome has stored, which frees up a small amount of disk space. However, the performance gain is usually not noticeable unless your cache has grown very large. Clearing history itself (the list of websites) has almost no effect on speed.
What happens if I clear all my data but stay logged into a website?
If you clear cookies, you will be signed out of most websites because cookies store your login information. However, some sites use other methods to keep you logged in, so you might stay logged in even after clearing. The next time you refresh the page or navigate away, you will likely be signed out.
Can someone recover my history after I clear it?
Not from Chrome itself. Once you clear your history, it is gone from the browser. However, your internet service provider may have records of which websites you visited, and your employer may have records if you are on a work network. Clearing Chrome's history does not affect those records.