How to Delete All Your Google Search History Permanently

Ever wondered how much of your online life Google remembers? From your favorite restaurants to those random, late-night questions, your search history holds more than you think. It’s like a digital diary you didn’t know you were keeping—tracking every video you’ve watched on YouTube, every product you’ve thought about buying, and every symptom you’ve nervously Googled.

Unless you’ve fully deleted all history, Google records everything you’ve searched for dating back to 2005. It’s all stored in your Google Activity (formerly Google Web & App History), which builds a profile of your age, gender, interests, and habits. Sure, this might make search results and ads feel smarter, but it’s also an invasion of your privacy.

But don’t worry—you have the power to clear it. This guide will teach you how to permanently delete all history from Google, so you can take back control of your digital privacy.

Note: If you use G Suite (formerly Google Apps for Work) at your job, make sure you check your company’s acceptable use and data retention policies before you delete all search history!

What data is stored in your Google account?

Google tracks a surprising amount of data across its services, and knowing what’s collected can help you make more informed choices. Knowing what’s stored is the first step whether you want to protect your privacy, regain control of your digital footprint, or simply clean up your account.

Here’s an overview of the main types of data Google collects:

• Search history: Google Search saves every query you enter, allowing quicker future searches and personalized results.
• Browsing history: If you use Google Chrome, your visited websites and browsing activity are stored, enabling features like faster page loading and personalized suggestions.
• YouTube watch history: Videos you’ve watched or searched for on YouTube are logged to provide tailored video recommendations and improve your viewing experience.
• Location history: Places you’ve searched for on Google Maps or visited with location services enabled are tracked. This helps with personalized location-based services and recommendations.
• App activity: Interactions with apps linked to your Google account, including use patterns and in-app actions, are recorded to enhance app functionality and user experience.
• Voice and audio recordings: If you’ve used voice commands with Google services, recordings of your voice interactions are stored to improve speech recognition accuracy.
• Purchases and reservations: Confirmations and details from your Gmail about purchases, reservations, and subscriptions are saved to help you manage bookings and orders.

Deleting all history stops it from lingering in your account, making it hard for third parties to track your browsing habits or target you with ads.

Why should you manage and delete your Google search history? Worried about your Google history? Delete all of it and protect your privacy to protect your privacy, reduce targeted ads, and keep sensitive searches out of your account. 

Protect your privacy from being tracked

Managing and deleting your Google search history is a key step in protecting your online privacy. Google uses your search history to build a detailed profile of you, including your interests, habits, and preferences. While this might make search results more personalized, it also means your online behavior is constantly tracked. When you delete all history, you minimize how much of your activity is saved and reduce the data advertisers can collect about you.

Reduce targeted ads based on your search behavior

Clearing your history can also help reduce targeted ads. If you’ve searched for a product and then seen ads for it everywhere, that’s Google using your search behavior to target you. If you delete all history, Google can’t use it to serve you targeted ads. 

Avoid retaining sensitive or personal searches

Your search history may also contain sensitive or personal information. Medical concerns, financial questions, or other private searches can linger in your account. Deleting this history ensures those searches remain private, especially if someone else uses your device.

What are the risks and benefits of keeping your Google search history?

Still on the fence about whether to delete your Google search history? While keeping it can make your online experience smoother and more tailored, it could also risk your privacy. Weighing the pros and cons of storing your Google search history can help you decide what’s best for your data:

How to download your Google search history

Before you delete your Google search history, you might want to save a copy for reference. Google provides an easy way to download your data, giving you access to your search history and other activity stored in your account.

Steps to download your search history using Google Takeout 

Google’s Takeout feature lets you download data from the Google products you use, including your Google Search history, Gmail, Calendar, Chrome, Google Photos, Maps, and more. Here’s how to use Takeout to download all your Google data:

1. Go to the Google Takeout “Download your data” page and select the data you’d like to download. By default, all of the boxes are selected. Select Next step.

2. Choose where to save your files, whether you want to set your account to export files regularly or just once, file type, and file size, and then select Create export. 
3. Google will email you once the exporting is complete with a link to view your archive. This could take a few minutes to a few days.

How to view your downloaded search history 

After you’ve downloaded your search history, you’ll receive a compressed file. This will be via email and appear in your Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, or Box, depending on the option you selected. Here’s how to view the contents:

1. Locate the downloaded file: Open the folder where your file was saved. It will typically be a .zip file named something like “takeout-YYYY-MM-DD.”
2. Unzip the file: Right-click the file and select Extract or Unzip to view its contents. You’ll now see a folder with several subfolders and files.
3. Open the Search folder: Look for a folder labeled Search or My Activity within the extracted files.
4. View your search history: Inside the folder, you’ll find files in formats like .html or .json:
   • For .html files: Double-click to open them in a browser, where your search history will appear in a readable format.
   • For .json files: You can open these with text editors like Notepad or software like Excel for better readability.

Important notes about downloading your search history

Downloading your Google search history gives you a complete record of your past searches. Depending on how long and how frequently you’ve used Google, this file can be quite large. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• File size can be significant: Depending on how long you’ve been using Google services, your search history data may take up a lot of storage space. Ensure you have enough available before downloading.
• Sensitive information: Your downloaded file may include private searches, location history, or other sensitive data. Keep the file secure and avoid storing it on shared or unprotected devices.
• No automatic updates: Once downloaded, the file is static and will not update as you continue searching. If you want the most recent data, you’ll need to download a new version through Google Takeout.
• Understanding the format: Google typically provides search history in .json or .html formats. If you’re unfamiliar with these formats, open the .html files in a web browser for a cleaner, easier-to-read version.

Now that you’ve downloaded an archive of your data, and know how to view it, you’re ready to delete all history.

How to delete all your Google search history across devices and platforms

Use these steps to delete all history across all your devices, including your searches, video searches, and any ads you’ve clicked on.

How to delete all history from Google using My Activity

Deleting all history using My Activity erases your search history across all linked devices, regardless of which one you’re using to wipe data.

1. Go to Google My Activity at myactivity.google.com.
2. Sign in to your Google account if prompted.
3. Click on the three dots next to the Search your Activity search bar. Select Delete activity by on the drop-down menu.

4. This will open a pop-up menu. You can choose to delete the last hour, last day, always, or a custom range. To erase all activity, select Always.
5. Under the list of products, select Search to delete only your search history. To delete all history, keep all products selected. Press Next.

6. Click Delete and confirm your choice.

How to delete search history on desktop

Follow these steps to perform an all-delete of your history on your desktop:

1. Open your browser and go to myactivity.google.com.
2. Sign in to your Google account
3. Click the Filter by date & product option.

4. Select the tick box next to Search under products and set a date range or select All time.
5. Click Apply to view the filtered history.

6. Select Delete and confirm your choice to remove the search history.

How to delete search history on Android

Follow these steps to delete all history on Android:

1. Open the Google app on your Android device.
2. Tap your profile icon in the top-right corner and select Search history.
3. Tap Delete and choose a time range:

• • All time: Deletes all search history.
  • Last hour, last day, or custom range: Deletes searches from a specific period.

4. Press Delete then tap the Got it button to confirm.

Alternatively, visit myactivity.google.com in your browser and follow the steps we’ve outlined above.

How to delete search history on iOS

Follow these steps to delete all history on iOS:

1. Open the Google app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap your profile icon in the top-right corner and click on Privacy and security.
3. Click Delete browsing data then press Time range.
4. Select a time range:

• • All time: Removes all search history.
  • Last hour, last 24 hours, last 7 days, or last 4 weeks: Deletes specific searches.

5. Press Back then click Delete browsing data to clear the history.

You can also visit myactivity.google.com in Safari or Chrome to manage and delete search history.

How to delete individual items in your browsing history

If you don’t want to delete all history, you can remove specific searches instead:

1. Open Chrome and click the three vertical dots (⋮) in the top-right corner.
2. Hover over History, then click on History in the submenu. You can also press Ctrl + H (Windows) or Cmd + Y (Mac).
3. Use the Search bar or scroll to find the entries you want to delete.
4. Click the three dots (…) next to an entry and select Remove from history. To delete multiple items, check their boxes and click Delete at the top.

Note: In some versions, you can simply click the X next to the entry to delete it.

How to stop Google from saving your history

If you don’t want Google to track and save your activity, you can adjust your settings to limit or stop data collection entirely. Follow the steps below to turn off tracking and set up auto-deletion for your search history.

How to turn off web and app activity

Google doesn’t provide a way to permanently disable it from saving your activity, but you can hit pause:

1. Go to the My Google Activity page and sign in to your account.
2. Click on Web & App Activity at the top of the page.

3. Under Web & App Activity, select Turn off.
4. This will open a new drop-down menu. To erase your history, select Turn off or Turn off and delete activity.

5. You’ll see another screen informing you that new activity won’t be saved to your account, but Google still uses other methods to personalize your experience. Select Got it.

How to delete all history automatically (auto-delete options)

Google allows you to set up auto-delete options to clear your search history after a set period. This ensures your history doesn’t build up over time.

1. Sign in to your Google account, click on your profile, and then Manage account.
2. Click on Data & privacy in the left-hand menu.
3. Under History settings, select Web & App Activity.

4. Click Auto-delete to manage your activity settings.

5. Choose how long you want Google to keep your activity:

• • 3 months
  • 18 months
  • 36 months

6. Click Next, then confirm your choice.

How to delete your browser search history across all devices

Even after clearing your Google search history, your browsing activity could still be saved on your computer or mobile device. If you don’t want others snooping on your activity, clear your browser search history too.

Delete your search history in Safari

To perform delete all history for Safari on a Mac:

1. Open Safari.
2. In the taskbar at the top, click History.
3. Select Clear History at the bottom of the drop-down menu.
4. Choose the time range you want to clear. To delete everything, select all history.
5. Click Clear History.

Delete your Safari search history on an iPhone or iPad

To delete all history for Safari  on an iPhone or iPad:

1. Open Settings on your device.
2. Scroll down and tap Safari.
3. Tap Clear History and Website Data.
4. Confirm your choice by selecting Clear History and Data.

This removes browsing history, cookies, and cached files.

Delete your search history in Firefox

To delete all history in Firefox:

1. Open Firefox.
2. In the taskbar at the top, click History.
3. Select Clear Recent History.
4. Under Time range to clear, choose Everything.
5. Check the box for Browsing & Download History and any other data you want to delete.
6. Click Clear Now.

Delete your search history in Chrome and Chromium

To delete all history for Chrome on a computer:

1. Open Chrome.
2. Click the three vertical dots (⋮) in the top-right corner.
3. Select Settings.
4. Scroll to Privacy and security and click Clear browsing data.
5. Under Time range, select All time.
6. Check Browsing history and any other data you want to clear.
7. Click Clear data.

Delete your Chrome search history on an iPhone or iPad

To delete all history for Chrome on an iOS device:

1. Open the Chrome app.
2. Tap the three dots (⋮) at the bottom-right corner.
3. Select History.
4. Tap Clear Browsing Data.
5. Choose the time range, then check Browsing history.
6. Tap Clear Browsing Data again to confirm.

Delete your search history in Brave

To delete all history in Brave:

1. Open Brave.
2. Click the three horizontal lines (≡) in the top-right corner.
3. Select Settings.
4. Scroll to Privacy and security and click Clear browsing data.
5. Under Time range, choose All time.
6. Check Browsing history and any other data you want to clear.
7. Click Clear data.

Delete your search history in Microsoft Edge

To delete all history in Edge:

1. Open Edge.
2. Click the three dots (…) in the top-right corner.
3. Select Settings.
4. Click Privacy, Search, and Services on the left.
5. Under Clear browsing data, click Choose what to clear.
6. Choose All time from the time range drop-down menu.
7. Check Browsing history and any other data you want to clear.
8. Click Clear Now.

Delete your search history on an Android device

To delete all history for Edge on an Android device:

1. Open the Edge app.
2. Tap the three dots (…) at the bottom of the screen.
3. Select History.
4. Tap the trash can icon to clear all browsing history.
5. Confirm by tapping Clear.

How to delete your YouTube watch history

Your YouTube watch history keeps track of the videos you’ve watched. This helps with recommendations but can also reveal your viewing habits. You can delete your YouTube history entirely or remove individual videos.

Steps to clear watch history on YouTube

How to  delete all history using the YouTube app

1. Open the YouTube app on your phone or tablet.
2. Tap your profile icon in the top-right corner.
3. Select Settings from the menu.
4. Tap History & privacy.
5. Select Clear watch history and confirm when prompted.

This will remove all videos from your YouTube watch history across all devices where you’re signed into your account.

How to delete all history using the YouTube website

1. Go to youtube.com and sign in to your account.
2. Click the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines ≡) in the top-left corner.
3. Select History from the menu.
4. Under History type on the right, choose Watch history.
5. Click Clear all watch history and confirm your choice.

How to delete individual videos from watch history

You can remove specific videos from your YouTube watch history. This lets you keep your history clean without erasing everything.

• In the YouTube app:
  1. Go to the Library tab and tap History.
  2. Find the video you want to delete and tap the three dots (⋮) next to it.
  3. Select Remove from watch history.
• On the YouTube website:
  1. Go to History from the left-hand menu.
  2. Hover over the video you want to remove.
  3. Click the X next to it to delete it from your YouTube watch history.

Additional tips for protecting your privacy

Deleting your Google search history is a great first step in protecting your online privacy, but there’s more you can do to stop people from snooping on your data.

How to use incognito mode to prevent history tracking

Using incognito mode (or private browsing mode) prevents your browser from saving your search history or browsing history during a session. While it doesn’t stop websites, your ISP, or Google from tracking you, it helps keep local data—like cookies and browsing history—off your device. Incognito mode is ideal for quick, private sessions, like looking up sensitive topics or using shared devices.

How to use incognito mode in major browsers:

• Chrome: Click the three dots (⋮) in the top-right corner and select New Incognito Window.
• Safari: Go to File > New Private Window.
• Firefox: Click the hamburger menu (≡) and select New Private Window.
• Edge: Click the three dots (…) and choose New InPrivate Window.

To further improve your privacy, consider switching to a privacy-focused browser. Although Chrome is popular, it’s owned by Google, which actively tracks your activity to serve ads. Alternatives like Firefox and Brave offer better privacy features, including tracker and ad blockers by default. 

Pairing incognito mode with a privacy-focused search engine is another way to get more anonymity. Unlike Google, private search engines like DuckDuckGo don’t track or store your searches. This keeps your online queries safely hidden.

Consider using a VPN for enhanced privacy

A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is one of the best tools for protecting your online privacy. 

A VPN masks your real IP address, making it much harder for websites to track your location. Without access to your true IP address, it’s difficult for websites and apps to collect information about you. 

All internet traffic is encrypted when using a VPN, which means no one—not even your ISP—can see what you’re doing online. This keeps your data safe from prying eyes, including hackers who may try to intercept your information. With no browsing history to see, outsiders can’t use it to track you or target you. Encryption also protects your other online activity, like emails or online banking apps.

If you frequently use public Wi-Fi networks, you could also be putting your data at further risk. These networks can be unsafe, as cybercriminals often monitor them waiting to steal your data. ExpressVPN adds a layer of protection by creating a secure, encrypted connection, preventing anyone on the same network from accessing your data. Whether you’re working from a coffee shop or streaming at an airport, you can browse safely, knowing your information is protected.

Get ExpressVPN

Delete your Google Maps search history

Your Google Maps search history contains places you’ve searched for or visited. Clearing this data helps maintain privacy, especially if you share your account or device.

On your computer

1. Open Google Maps and sign in.
2. Click hamburger menu (☰) in the search bar and select Maps activity.
3. To delete individual items,click Remove next to the entries you want to erase.
4. To delete a group of items, Click Delete on the right and specify a date range, specific dates, or select All time.

On your mobile device

1. Open the Google Maps app and sign in.
2. Tap your profile picture, then click on Your data in Maps.  Under Web & App Activity, tap See & delete activity.
3. To delete individual items, tap the three dots (⋮) next to the entry and select Delete.
4. To delete a group of items, tap Delete on the top-right, choose a date range, or select All time.

What happens when you delete and disable your Google search history

Deleting and disabling your Google search history can reshape your online experience. While clearing your history improves privacy by stopping data collection, it also means losing personalized features.That’s because, by default, Google personalizes your search results based on your past search activity. This means frequently visited websites or topics appear higher in your search results. 

When you delete all history, Google no longer has access to this personalized data. This means your future search results will be broader and less tailored to your past behavior. It can be beneficial if you prefer diverse information and wish to avoid the “filter bubble” effect, where algorithms limit diverse search results.

Disabling search history tracking prevents Google from collecting data on your search activities. This enhances your privacy by ensuring your searches aren’t stored or used for personalization. That said, it also means features relying on search history will no longer function, such as quick access to previous searches or personalized recommendations.

Before you delete your search history, consider the trade-off between personalized content and privacy to determine what’s best for your browsing habits.