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    Safety & Privacy
    Beginner
    3 min read 5 stepsApril 19, 2026Verified April 2026

    How to Delete Your Google Search History

    Google keeps a record of everything you search for. Learn how to delete individual searches, clear your entire history, or turn off history tracking altogether.

    At a Glance

    Category
    Safety & Privacy
    Difficulty
    Beginner
    Read Time
    3 min read
    Steps
    5
    Topics covered
    google
    search history
    privacy
    delete history
    my activity

    In this guide (5 steps):

    1. 1.Go to My Activity
    2. 2.Delete a Single Search
    3. 3.Delete All Search History
    4. 4.Turn On Auto-Delete
    5. 5.Pause Activity Tracking Entirely
    1

    Go to My Activity

    ~15s
    On any device, open your web browser and go to myactivity.google.com. Sign in with your Google account if asked. You will see a full list of your recent Google activity, including searches, YouTube views, and more.
    2

    Delete a Single Search

    ~15s
    Find the search you want to remove. Click or tap the three-dot menu (⋮) next to it. Select "Delete." That specific search is removed from your history right away.
    3

    Delete All Search History

    ~22s
    Click "Delete" near the top of the My Activity page. Choose "Delete all time" to erase everything. A confirmation dialog appears — click "Delete" to confirm. Google removes all your saved search history from your account.

    Quick Tip

    Quick Tip: You can also choose a date range — for example, delete searches from the last week or last month — if you do not want to remove everything.

    4

    Turn On Auto-Delete

    ~15s
    On the My Activity page, click the three-line menu (top left) and choose "Activity controls." Under "Web & App Activity," click "Choose an auto-delete option." Set it to delete activity older than 3 months or 18 months automatically. Click "Next" and "Confirm."
    5

    Pause Activity Tracking Entirely

    ~24s
    To stop Google from saving new searches: on the Activity controls page, find "Web & App Activity" and toggle it off. Google will ask you to confirm. Once paused, your future searches are not saved to your account. Note: Google may still use searches to personalize results within that session.

    Warning

    Pausing activity tracking means Google search suggestions and "For You" recommendations become less personalized. You can turn it back on at any time.

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    Every time you search on Google while signed into your account, Google saves that search in your account history. This helps Google show you relevant results and lets you look back at what you searched for — but it also means Google is building a detailed record of your interests, health questions, and daily habits.

    You can view, delete, or pause this history at any time. Deleting your search history removes it from your Google account — searches you delete no longer influence your recommendations or ads. You can delete just one search, a range of searches, or your entire history.

    Your search history is stored in "My Activity" — a Google dashboard that also tracks YouTube watch history, Google Maps searches, Google Assistant commands, and more. You can manage all of this in one place.

    For ongoing privacy, you can also turn on "Auto-delete," which automatically removes history older than 3, 18, or 36 months. Or you can pause Web & App Activity entirely so Google stops saving new searches.

    Clearing your search history on your phone's browser is different from clearing your Google account history. This guide covers your Google account history — the one tied to your email address, visible across all your devices.

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    Official Resources

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