Buzz
Erasing your browsing history online is straightforward, regardless of the browser you use, whether it's Chrome, Firefox, or Apple's Safari. However, you may need to repeat the process on different devices. Yui Mok/PA Images/Getty ImagesYour browser history offers a glimpse into your personal life, thoughts, and habits. Because of this, you may not want your Google digital diary spilling its secrets to anyone who happens to glance at the wrong moment.
You can manage this private history across browsers like Chrome, Firefox, or Apple's Safari, but each browser has slightly different steps. Also, keep in mind that if you use multiple devices and browsers on each one, you might need to repeat these steps, so your significant other doesn’t find out, for example, that you've been looking up engagement rings.
Here’s how to access and clear your browsing history across different browsers. We’ll begin with Chrome, developed by Google. Since Google has become a dominant search engine, its products, including the Chrome browser, synchronize your search history across devices like laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Once you erase your history on one device, it will be cleared from all synced devices. These steps also apply to searches made on other search engines.
On Google Chrome:
- Click or tap the menu icon with three dots in the upper-right corner of the browser window.
- Click or tap History > History (CTRL+H).
- On the left side, scroll to Clear Browsing Data. A box will pop up asking how much history you’d like to delete.
- For a thorough history wipe, select boxes for cookies and other site data and cached images and files. Then hit Clear Data. This will delete your past searches.
- You may also wish to stop Chrome from auto-completing searches in the future. In Settings, accessed via the three dots in the upper-right corner, select Sync and Google services and scroll to Other Google Services. There, toggle off Autocomplete searches and URLs.
- To clear mobile history, tap the three dots, select History, then click Clear Browsing Data and tap Clear Data.
In Firefox:
- Click or tap the three-line menu icon in the upper-right corner of the browser window.
- From the dropdown, click on the Library icon.
- Select the History icon within the Library tab that appears.
- Click on the View History sidebar. Options will range from "Today" to "Older Than 6 Months."
- Right-click on the entry you wish to remove and choose Delete.
- For mobile, tap the three-bar menu icon in the upper-right corner, then tap Settings.
- Scroll down under Search and uncheck the Show search history box to clear it.
On Safari:
For Safari (on desktop):
- Select the Safari menu and then click on the History tab.
- Click on Clear History and Website Data.
- Pick a time range to delete from the dropdown menu (usually all history).
- Finally, click Clear History.
For Safari (on mobile):
- Go to the Settings app on your home screen.
- Scroll down to find Safari.
- Tap Clear History and Website Data.
- Remember, this will delete all of your browsing history as well as any website cookies.
To remove your search activity from Google Maps, YouTube, and other Google services:
On your computer:
- Visit your Google account (https://myaccount.google.com/)
- Scroll through the left-hand panel and click on Privacy & personalization.
- Under the section "Activity and timeline," click on My Activity.
- From the left panel, select Delete activity by.
- Choose the time frame or date you want to clear and click delete.
On your Android phone/tablet:
- Open your device’s Settings app, go to Google, or tap the Google icon on your home screen.
- Tap on Google Account or Manage Your Account (depending on how you accessed the account).
- Tap Manage Your Data & Personalization.
- Under Activity and time, select My Activity.
- To the right of the search bar, tap the three dots and choose Delete activity by.
- Pick the date or time period you want to remove and hit delete.
On your iPhone/iPad:
- Launch the Gmail app. If you don’t use Gmail, visit https://myaccount.google.com/.
- Tap on the Menu (three lines), then select Settings, followed by your account, and then tap Manage your Google Account.
- At the top of the screen, tap on Data & Personalization.
- Under "Activity and timeline," select My Activity.
- In the top-right corner, click on the three dots and choose Delete activity by.
- Choose the desired date or time range and click delete.
When you sign into any Google service, like Gmail, you are also automatically signed into Chrome, which means your search history is shared across devices. This can be problematic, especially on shared devices. Follow these steps to disable automatic Chrome login.
