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 “Search Services History” on, Google saves search activity. It helps Google improve your search results and suggestions.
With Search Services, you can:
- Erase the search history.
- 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.
You can erase one search, or all your search history from a day, week, or ever.
- On your computer, go to your search history.
- Select a search history you want to erase.
- All your Search history: Click Delete
Delete all time.
- Erase searches from a time period: Click Delete
- Erase searches from a day: Find the day, then click Delete all activity from [day]
.
- Erase one search: Find the search, then click Delete activity item
- All your Search history: Click Delete
Delete all time.Tip: You can manage your activity in Access and control activity in your account.
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
- On your computer, go to your Search Services History.
- Under "saving history," click Turn off.
- 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.
- On your computer, go to your Search Services History.
- Under "Saving history," select Auto-delete.
- 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.
- Based on when you want to automatically erase your search history, click Auto-delete activity older than and choose:
- Click Next.
Change search history saved on your computer
Erase browser historyEven 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.
Even if your search history isn’t saved in your settings, or you delete it from saved history, 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’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.
- On your computer, go to Google.
- At the bottom, click Settings
- Turn off Search customization.
Tip: Search customization only works if you accept all cookies. You can change your cookies, or sign in to your Google Account to control what’s saved to your account.
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.