Find & erase your Google Search history - Computer (original) (raw)

When you search on Google with “Web & App Activity” on, Google saves activity like your search history to your Google Account. It helps Google improve your search results and suggestions.

With My Activity, you can:

• Erase the search history saved to your Google Account.
• Change your search settings. You can pick what Google saves and when Google deletes your history.

You can also delete all your activity, and not just Google Search history. Learn how to delete your activity.

Erase your search history

Important: Once you erase your search history, you can’t get it back.

When you use the Google app while you’re signed out of your Google Account, your search history can be saved to your computer.

Stop saving your search history

1. On your computer, go to your search history in My Activity.
2. At the top left, click Controls.
3. Under "Web & App Activity," click Turn off.
4. Click Turn off or Turn off and delete activity.
   • If you select “Turn off and delete activity,” follow the steps to choose what you want to erase.

Tip: Your search history isn’t saved to your Google Account when you search and browse in Incognito mode.

Erase your search history automatically

Important: If you set your search history to erase automatically, you can still erase it.

1. On your computer, go to your search history in My Activity.
2. At the top left, click Controls.
3. Find "Web & App Activity."
4. Click the words under "Auto-delete (Off)" or "Auto-delete (On)."
5. Select what you want to do.
   • Based on when you want to automatically erase your search history, click Auto-delete activity older than and choose:
     * 3 months
     * 18 months
     * 36 months
   • If you don't want to erase your search history automatically, click Don't auto-delete activity.
6. Click Next.

Change search history saved on your computer

Erase browser history

Even if your search history isn’t saved to your Google Account, or you delete it from My Activity, your browser might track it.

You can erase your browser history in:

• Chrome: Learn how to erase browsing history and other browsing data.
• Other browsers: Look for the instructions in your browser.

Turn off search customization while signed out of your Google Account

If you’re signed out from your Google Account when you search on Google, you may find recommendations related to your recent search. If you don’t want this, turn off search customization.

1. On your computer, go to Google.
2. At the bottom, click Settings Search settings Search customization.
3. Turn off Search customization.

How Google erases your history in your Google Account

When you choose to manually or automatically delete activity, it starts the removal of your activity from the product and system.

First, we aim to remove it from view and the data may no longer be used to personalize your Google experience.

We then begin a process designed to safely and completely delete the data from our storage systems.

For limited purposes, like business or legal requirements, Google may retain certain types of data for an extended period of time.

Related resources

• Delete your activity
• Find & control your Web & App Activity
• Manage your audio recordings in your Web & App Activity
• Change your Google app settings
• Browse in Incognito mode
• How Search works with your activity

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