How to Delete Your Google Search History Permanently

Some people have this misconceived notion that if they delete web search history from their browser periodically, it would be enough to keep them private. No more history, no proofs left, right? Well, it’s not as simple as you believe.

In the growing age of digital optimization, it is not enough to delete browsing history. You should also know how to clear Google search history since it helps you optimize your privacy. And, it can protect you from stumbling into embarrassing situations.

For a moment, can you recall what you were searching a decade ago? Obviously not, but here’s a surprise; Google does. Google Web and App History is keeping a track of all your searches since 2005. Anyhow, there’s nothing to fret upon as you can always find a solution. Just to add to your smartness, clearing your internet history from your browser will not delete search history from Google’s servers.

To make it easier for you, this blog will provide you in-depth details on how to delete history on Google, how to manage your Google Activity and what happens next.

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How to Clear Google Search History

While clearing Google history permanently is paramount for your online privacy, start with getting a grip on personalizing your Activity Controls. Unless you’ve disabled them, Google Activity has been keeping a record of your search and browsing activity for the last decade. It knows what links, images you have clicked on and also all the URLs that you have entered into the address bar.

Regardless, when you disable the settings, Google will no longer be able to save your specific activities in the future. You can be specific or you just go with the flow, deleting your entire search history. This is the first step to optimize your online privacy.

Here’s a simple step-by-step guide on to how you can clear Google search history:

1. Sign-in to your Google Account.

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2. Head towards your Google App and Web Activity section.

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3. Click the settings icon and select “Remove Items”.

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4 Choose the time period that you don’t want Google to remember or you can also select,”The beginning of time”, to erase your complete history.

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4 Click “Remove”

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There you go, it’s all gone! Now, you never have to wonder, “How do I delete search history from Google.” Anyhow, you can not only delete search histories collectively, but also as individual searches, specific search pages, searches that have been conducted recently or you can also erase it from your smart devices.

Deleting your Google activity permanently will definitely help you improve your online privacy.

How to Download Your Google Search History?

In case you feel sentimental when you delete or remove Google search history, the tech giant, Google, allows you to hold on to your search history. You can download an archive list of your Google search history. So you can always have an access to data whenever you want. Here’s how to do it:

Here’s a simple step-by-step guide on to how you can clear Google search history:

1. Sign into your Google Account.

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2. Go to your Web and App Activity section.

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3. Click settings and select ”Download”..

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4 Click “Create Archive”.

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4 While downloading, an email will be sent to you. The archive can be viewed in the takeout folder or you can download a zip folder as well.

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How to Delete Google Search History on Android?

If you want to delete your Google search history on Android, all you have to do is follow these simple steps:

1. Open Chrome on your Android device and go to myactivity.google.com.

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2. Tap on the 3 horizontal lines and select Delete Activity by.

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3. Tap on All products and select Search.

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4. Below Delete by Date, tap the down arrow and select All Time.

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5. Hit the Delete button. A warning popup will appear. Tap on Ok to delete your Google search history on Android without a trace. Remember, the deleted items can’t be recovered!

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How to Delete Google Search History on iPhone?

If you want to delete your Google search history on iPhone, all you have to do is follow these simple steps:

1. Open Chrome or Safari on your iPhone and go to myactivity.google.com.

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2. Tap on the 3 horizontal lines and select Delete Activity by.

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3. Tap on All products and select Search.

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4. Below Delete by Date, tap the down arrow and select All Time.

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5. Hit the Delete A warning popup will appear. Tap on Ok to delete your Google search history on iPhone for good. Remember, the deleted items can’t be recovered!

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How to Delete Google Search History on iPad?

If you want to delete your Google search history on iPad, all you have to do is follow these simple steps:

1. Open Chrome or Safari on your iPad and go to myactivity.google.com.

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2. Tap on the 3 horizontal lines and select Delete Activity by.

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3. Tap on All products and select Search.

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4. Below Delete by Date, tap the down arrow and select All Time.

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5. Hit the Delete A warning popup will appear. Tap on Ok to delete your Google search history on iPad. Remember, the deleted items can’t be recovered!

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How to Manage Your Google Activity?

In case you are wondering how to view search history or any other activity, you can always do this through Google privacy settings. All you need to do is sign into your Google account and head to My Activity located in your privacy settings. Here, you’ll find all your digital activities routed via Google services and products like Chrome, YouTube and Search.

Google does this to examine your preferences and habits in order to tailor better services for you. Don’t panic; it’s plain and simple. Anyhow, on the My Activity page, your activities will be listed in a chronological order and you have the option to customize the activities.

How to Disable or Delete “My Activity” in Google Account?

If you don’t want to limit your privacy to searches alone and want to hide (permanently) all your Google activities, you might want to learn how to delete “My Activity” in Google or simply turn off the activity tracking mechanism.

Switch Off Tracking in “My Activity”

1. Go to the My Activity page

2. Click the Menu (⋮) to go to “Activity Control“

3. Toggle-off all the services that you don’t want Google to track

Delete “My Activity” History in Google Account

1. Visit the My Activity page

2. Click to go to “Delete Activity by“

3. Change Date to “All time” and products to “All Products“

4. Click Delete

5. Click OK to delete if a pop-up appears

Your Online Activity is completely Your Own Business

Whatever you want to do online is your choice and it’s your personal matter. Keeping tabs on you, especially without your knowledge, is not at all ethical. However, as stated above, Google keeps a track of your search history through Google Web and App Activity unless you disable the feature or delete your search history periodically and permanently.

Just to keep the temperatures moderate, Google does this to create your profile leveraging your search results. It helps the search engine become more relevant while answering your search queries and exposes you to more relevant searches and options.

All it needs is your habits, preferences and interests that can be easily explored via your browsing history. Basically, they don’t need it to cause any sort of harm to you but it does not eliminate the fact that you are sharing your privacy with someone else.

See Also: How to permanently delete Yahoo mail account

Enhance Your Online Privacy

Even if you delete or disable your history, you are not invisible to Google, especially if you have a Google account for various Google apps and services, such as Gmail, Android, and YouTube.

It’s nearly impossible to be invisible to Google but you can be prudent. You can do this by eliminating all Google apps and services from your daily web use and use search engines, like DuckDuckgo, that don’t track your search activity.

To step up your online privacy game even further, you should get an Anonymous VPN like PureVPN since it allows you to stay secure by encrypting your online activity. It changes your IP Address, not allowing your ISP provider to keep a track of your online activity and builds a strong wall between you and those looking for your online activity. It is also advisable to get TOR along with a VPN Service to further aid in keeping your online browsing activities private

Don’t forget, deleting your internet history optimizes your online privacy but also has some drawbacks. Your preferences will no longer matter and you can view broader search results but on top of that, your favorite search results will not appear on the top.

Here are some more guide to further erase your online presence: