How to Delete Your Recent Google Searches & More on a Desktop or Mobile Device

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Make your web activity more private with just a few clicks
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Deleting recent search history allows you to keep your browsing information private and hidden from third parties who access your computer and account information. Most browsers and search engines offer built-in features that allow you to clear and delete all browsing history, including recent searches. This wikiHow teaches you how to delete your recent searches on Google, Bing, and several popular social media platforms. If you want to clear your browser history, check out How to Delete Browsing History .

Quick Steps

  1. Go to https://myactivity.google.com .
  2. Click Filter by Date & Product .
  3. Select the date range you want to delete.
  4. Click the check box next to Search in the list of products.
  5. Click Apply > Delete results > Delete .
Section 1 of 4:

Google for Desktop Browsers

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  1. Go to https://myactivity.google.com in a web browser. This is the web page for your Google activity. Your activity includes Google searches, as well as other services associated with Google, such as YouTube, Google Assistant, and the Google Play Store. [1]
    • If you are not signed in to your Google account automatically, click Sign in in the upper-right corner. Enter the email address and password for the account associated with the history you want to delete.
    • Note that these steps will delete your saved search history in Google, but not necessarily on your device. You can delete local search data by clearing your browser history (see our articles on deleting browser history in Google Chrome , Microsoft Edge , Firefox , or Safari ).
  2. It's below the search bar near the top of the page.
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  3. Use the drop-down menu at the top to select a date range. You can select "Today", "Yesterday", "Last 7 Days", "Last 30 Days", "All Time", or "Custom".
    • If you select "Custom", use the calendar menus below the drop-down menu to select a start and end date. Click the calendar icon on the left to select a starting date. Then click the calendar icon on the right to select an ending date.
  4. It's in the list of products below "Filter by Google Product" at the bottom of the window. Any boxes you check will turn blue with a white checkmark to indicate they are selected.
    • You also can click additional products, such as "Video Search", "Image Search", "Assistant", etc.
  5. It's in the lower-right corner of the window. This displays your search activity for the dates you selected.
  6. After you click Apply , you’ll return to the main Activity page. Click Delete results under the search bar.
  7. It's in the lower-right corner of the pop-up alert. This deletes the search items for the time period you selected.
  8. If you don’t want to delete your search history manually, you can set it to delete automatically after a certain length of time. Go to https://myactivity.google.com/product/search and click Controls on the left side of the page, then choose an option under Auto-Delete (e.g., delete after 3 months, 18 months, or 36 months). Click Next to apply.
    • You can also turn off the option to save your search history completely. Click Turn off or Turn off and delete activity under Web & App Activity .
      • If this setting was already off, then your search history is not being saved, and you won’t see the option to turn on Auto-Delete.
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Section 2 of 4:

Google Mobile App

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  1. If you use Google on your mobile device, you can delete your history from the app. To get started, open the Google app (make sure you are using the Google search app for this, not Chrome).
  2. If you’re logged in, you should see your profile picture or initial at the top right corner of the screen. Tap on it to open a menu.
  3. It’s near the top of the menu.
    • If you just want to delete your most recent few searches, you can also tap Delete last 15 min right under Search history .
  4. A dropdown menu will open.
  5. You can select Delete today , Delete custom range , or Delete all time . If you choose the custom range option, you’ll be prompted to enter the dates for the data you’re deleting.
    • You won’t be given a confirmation warning once you press one of the delete options. The history for the selected date range will be deleted immediately.
  6. If you want, you can set your search history to automatically delete after a certain length of time. In the Search history menu, tap Auto-delete (Off) . Select the radio button next to Auto-delete activity older than , and then choose from 3 months, 18 months, or 36 months in the dropdown menu. Tap Next to confirm.
    • If you want to stop Google from saving your search history altogether, tap Saving to Web & App Activity . Select Turn off or Turn off and delete activity from the dropdown menu.
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Section 3 of 4:

Bing

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  1. To clear search data from a single browsing session when you’re not logged into a Microsoft account, visit https://ssl.bing.com/profile/history . Click Clear all in the Clear your search history box on the right side of the page.
  2. If you’ve been searching with Bing while logged into a Microsoft account, you can clear your search history from the privacy page. To do so, visit https://account.microsoft.com/privacy/ and log in (if you haven’t already). You may be prompted to verify your account. From there:
    • Click Browsing and search .
    • Scroll down to the Search history card.
    • Click the trash can icon next to any searches you want to delete. You can also click the Clear all activities button at the bottom right corner of the card.
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Section 4 of 4:

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  1. You can delete some or all of your search history on Facebook. Here’s how: [2]
    • In a desktop browser:
      • From the Facebook homepage, click your profile picture in the top right corner.
      • Click Settings & Privacy > Activity log .
      • In the left-hand menu bar, select Logged information . You might have to scroll down to see it.
      • Select Search > Your search history .
      • Click Clear Searches at the top right side of the screen, or click the ••• button next to an individual search and select Delete .
    • In the Facebook app:
      • Tap the ☰ menu with your profile picture, which will be at the bottom right on an iPhone or the top right on an Android.
      • Go to Settings & privacy > Settings and scroll down to Your activity . Tap Activity log .
      • Scroll down and tap Logged information > Manage search .
      • Tap ••• next to any search you want to delete, then tap the trash can icon. Use the Filters tool to narrow your results by category or date.
  2. X (Twitter) . Clear your search history directly from the search bar.
    • In a desktop browser: Click Explore in the left-hand menu bar, then click the search bar at the top of the page. Click Clear all .
    • In the app: Tap the
      Mac Spotlight
      Search icon at the bottom of the screen, then tap the search bar. Tap x > Clear next to Recent searches at the top.
  3. While you can delete your search history in the Meta Accounts Center, the easiest way to do it is from the search bar. [3]
    • In a desktop browser: Click the
      Mac Spotlight
      Search icon, then click Clear all above your list of searches. You can also click the X next to individual search terms to delete them.
    • In the app: Tap the
      Mac Spotlight
      Search icon at the bottom of the screen, then tap the search bar. Tap See all next to Recent , then tap Clear all . You can also use the X buttons to delete individual searches.
  4. You can’t easily delete recent searches from the Threads website, but you can do it in the app. Tap the
    Mac Spotlight
    Search icon at the bottom of the screen, then tap the search bar. Tap Clear or use the x next to individual search terms to delete them.
  5. There’s no way to clear your search history all at once on Bluesky yet. However, you can delete individual searches. On the app or the web client, tap or click the
    Mac Spotlight
    Search icon, then the search bar. Tap or click the x next to any search term you want to delete in your list of recent searches.
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Expert Q&A

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  • Question
    What are the advantages of keeping your browsing history?
    Luigi Oppido
    Computer & Tech Specialist
    Luigi Oppido is the Owner and Operator of Pleasure Point Computers in Santa Cruz, California. Luigi has over 25 years of experience in general computer repair, data recovery, virus removal, and upgrades. He is also the host of the Computer Man Show! broadcasted on KSQD covering central California for over two years.
    Luigi Oppido
    Computer & Tech Specialist
    Expert Answer
    If you're using your own personal computer, there's really no need to clean your browsing history, since it doesn't really take that much space, so it's not a big deal. Most of the time, clearing it will log you out of your accounts, so that could be a hassle in some situations. I believe that deleting your browsing history is only a must on shared or public computers.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
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    Not Helpful 0 Helpful 0
  • Question
    How do I delete wikiHow searches that show in the search box?
    Community Answer
    Delete cookies for wikiHow.
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  • Question
    How do I delete my browsing history in Google Chrome?
    Community Answer
    While in Chrome, press Ctrl and hold it while pressing H, then let go. This will bring you to a site with your browsing history. Then, click on the little boxes beside the searches or history and press the delete button at the top once you select the history entries you want to delete.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/6096136?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&oco=1
      2. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/help/messenger-app/382661798450396
      3. ↑ https://help.instagram.com/354860134605952

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Go to https://myactivity.google.com/ and sign in to your Google account.
      2. Click Delete Activity By in the sidebar menu to the left.
      3. Click All Time , Last Hour , Last Day , or Custom Date followed by a custom set of dates.
      4. Click Delete .

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