Find & erase your Google Search history
Important: We’re currently updating settings for Google Search services, which include Search, Maps, Shopping, Flights, Hotels, Translate and News. The settings described in this article are being updated so may not match your current experience. Learn more about the updated settings.
You can see and manage your updated privacy settings directly at account.google.com or in the latest app version of your Search services apps. The latest versions of the apps are available in the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
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 that’s saved to your Google Account, you can’t get it back.
You can erase one search, or all your Search history from a day, week, or ever.
- On your iPhone or iPad, open the Google app 👁 Image
. - At the top right, tap your Profile picture or Initial 👁 and then
Search history. - Select a search history you want to erase.
- All your Search history: Tap Delete 👁 Down arrow
👁 and then
Delete all time. - Erase searches from a time period: Tap Delete 👁 Down arrow
👁 and then
Delete custom range. - Erase searches from a day: Find the day, then tap Delete activity 👁 Image
. - Erase one search: Find the search, then tap Delete activity 👁 Image
.
- All your Search history: Tap Delete 👁 Down arrow
Tip: You can manage your activity in Access and control activity in your account.
Manage & delete Search history
When you use the Google app while you’re signed out of your Google Account, your search history can be saved to your phone or tablet.
Stop saving your search history
- On your iPhone or iPad, open the Google app 👁 Image
. - At the top right, tap your Profile picture or Initial 👁 and then
Search history 👁 and then
Controls. - Under "Web & App Activity," tap Turn off.
- Tap 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.
Erase your search history automatically
Important: If you set your search history to erase automatically, you can still erase it.
- On your iPhone or iPad, open the Google app 👁 Image
. - At the top right, tap your Profile picture or Initial 👁 and then
Search history 👁 and then
Controls. - Select what you want to do.
- Based on when you want to automatically delete your Search history, tap Auto-delete activity older than and choose:
- 3 months
- 18 months
- 36 months
- If you don't want to delete your search history automatically, tap Don’t auto-delete activity.
- Based on when you want to automatically delete your Search history, tap Auto-delete activity older than and choose:
- Tap Next.
Change search history saved on your computer
Even if your search history isn’t saved in your settings, or you delete it from saved settings, 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.
If you use the Google app while you’re signed out of your Google Account, the app saves your search history to your device.
Tip: If you delete your search history in the Google app, it might still be saved in your Google Account. To find and erase your search history saved to your Google Account, go to My Activity.
To erase search history saved on your device:
- On your iPhone or iPad, open the Google app 👁 Image
. - At the top right, tap your Profile picture or Initial 👁 and then
Settings 👁 and then
Privacy & Safety. - Tap Clear app history.
- In the pop-up confirmation, tap Clear all.
To erase searches from the Search bar:
- On your iPhone or iPad, open the Google app 👁 Image
. - Tap the search bar 👁 and then
Manage History 👁 and then
Delete. - Choose what you want to do.
- Based on what you want, you can tap:
- Delete today
- Delete custom range
- Auto-delete
- Based on what you want, you can tap:
- On your iPhone or iPad, open the Google app 👁 Image
. - At the top right, tap the Person icon 👁 Image
👁 and then
Settings 👁 and then
Privacy & Safety. - Tap Signed-out search.
- Turn off Search customization.
Fix problems with your search history
- Connect your device to the internet: If you erase your history from My Activity on one device, it can show on another device that’s offline. When that device connects, it erases the search history.
- Clear your cache and cookies: Learn how to clear your cache and cookies.
To erase search history saved on your device:
- On your iPhone or iPad, open the Google app 👁 Image
. - At the top right, tap the Person icon 👁 Image
👁 and then
Settings 👁 and then
Privacy & Safety. - Tap Clear app history.
- In the pop-up confirmation, tap Clear all.
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.