How To Delete Search History
Deleting your search history protects your privacy and keeps your browsing data clean. Whether you want to clear Google search history, browser history, or search suggestions on your phone, this guide covers every method across Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, iPhone, and Android.
How To Delete Google Search History
Google stores your search history separately from your browser. To delete it from your Google Account:
On Desktop:
- Go to myactivity.google.com
- Click "Delete" in the top area
- Choose: Last hour, Last day, Custom range, or All time
- Confirm deletion
On Phone (Google App):
- Open the Google app
- Tap your profile picture → "Search history"
- Tap "Delete" → choose your time range
- Confirm
Auto-Delete Google History:
- Go to myactivity.google.com/activitycontrols
- Under "Web & App Activity," tap "Auto-delete"
- Choose to auto-delete after 3 months, 18 months, or 36 months
- Click Confirm
How To Delete Search History in Chrome
Chrome Desktop:
- Open Chrome and press Ctrl + H (Windows) or Cmd + Y (Mac)
- Click "Delete browsing data" in the left panel
- Set Time range to "All time"
- Check "Browsing history" and "Search history"
- Click Delete data
Or use the shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + Delete (Windows) / Cmd + Shift + Delete (Mac)
Chrome on Android:
- Open Chrome → tap the three-dot menu (⋮)
- Tap "History" → "Delete browsing data"
- Select "Browsing history"
- Set time range and tap Delete data
Chrome on iPhone:
- Open Chrome → tap three dots (···) at the bottom
- Tap "History" → "Delete Browsing Data"
- Select "Browsing History"
- Tap "Delete Browsing Data" to confirm
How To Delete Search History in Safari
Safari on iPhone and iPad:
- Open Settings → scroll down to Safari
- Tap "Clear History and Website Data"
- Choose the time range: Last hour, Today, Today and yesterday, or All history
- Tap "Clear History"
Or from within Safari:
- Tap the book icon (📖) at the bottom
- Tap the clock tab (History)
- Tap "Clear" at the bottom → choose time range
Safari on Mac:
- Open Safari → click History in the menu bar
- Click "Clear History…"
- Choose the time range from the dropdown
- Click "Clear History"
How To Delete Search History in Firefox
Firefox Desktop:
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + Delete (Mac)
- Set "Time range to clear" to "Everything"
- Check "Browsing & Download History" and "Form & Search History"
- Click "Clear Now"
Firefox on Mobile:
- Tap the three-dot menu → "History"
- Tap "Delete history" to clear everything
- Or swipe individual entries to delete them one by one
How To Delete Search History in Microsoft Edge
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete
- Set the Time range to "All time"
- Check "Browsing history" and "Search history"
- Click "Clear now"
How To Delete Search Suggestions (Autocomplete)
Search suggestions come from your history. To stop them:
Chrome:
Go to Settings → You and Google → Sync and Google services → turn off "Autocomplete searches and URLs"
Safari (iPhone):
Go to Settings → Safari → turn off "Search Engine Suggestions" and "Safari Suggestions"
Google:
Turn off "Web & App Activity" at myactivity.google.com to stop personalized suggestions
How To Delete Individual Search History Items
If you only want to remove specific searches:
- Open your browser history (Ctrl + H on most browsers)
- Find the entry you want to remove
- Click the three dots or X next to it
- Select "Remove from history" or "Delete"
In Google’s My Activity, you can also search for specific queries and delete just those results.
How To Stop Saving Search History
To prevent future history from being saved:
- Use Incognito/Private mode: Ctrl + Shift + N (Chrome) or Cmd + Shift + N (Safari)
- Turn off Google Web & App Activity: myactivity.google.com → Web & App Activity → Turn off
- Use a privacy-focused search engine: DuckDuckGo or Brave Search don’t track your searches
- Set auto-delete: Configure Google to auto-delete history after 3 months
Tested on Chrome 134, Safari 18.3, Firefox 135, and Microsoft Edge 134 across Windows 11, macOS Sequoia, iOS 18, and Android 15. Last updated March 2026 by the DevX editorial team — our privacy and security writers have covered digital privacy topics for over a decade.
