What is it?
Your Google search history keeps an archive of everything you have ever searched on Google. For some people, this can be very embarrassing or awkward. Although it is a convenient way to look up old links, you may feel like your privacy has been violated if other people can see what you’ve searched or what websites you’ve been too. Deleting your search history removes all the things you’ve searched for, almost as if you have never searched for anything before. You can also clear your browser history, which removes any websites you may have visited. You can clear your search history on your computer, your iPhone or android smart phone, and your iPad or tablet.
How to
On your computer, you first need to visit your history page in your specific internet browser (Firefox, Chrome, etc…). There, you will see all of your previous searches. You can then decide to delete all of the searches at once, or just specific searches. To remove only some searches, check the box next to the searches you wish to remove, and click remove items at the top of the page. To remove all items, use the drop down box and select “from the beginning of time”, before clicking remove. To turn off your history to prevent future searches from being saved, visit your Account History page and click Pause > Pause history in the “Things you search for” page. You can also access your browser in an “incognito window, which will prevent your searches from being saved. Deleting your browser history depends on the internet browser you use. On Chrome for example, select the tools option from the browser toolbar and then select “clear browsing data”. You can select “beginning of time” to clear your entire browsing history. It is a similar method for deleting your browser history in other internet browsers.
Why do it?
The main reason for deleting your search history or browser history is privacy. Whether you are searching for something that is private in nature or you wish to keep all your searches to yourself, deleting your search history ensures that no one will be able to see what you have been looking up. This is also good for public computers, or if you share a computer with someone. People with access to your browser history can visit the same pages you did, which may include personal information or private conversations. Deleting your browser history, or going “incognito”, ensures that everything you do online, for the most part, is private.
Risks
Nothing you do on the internet is completely private, and deleting your search history doesn’t change that. There can be some issues when you try to delete your search history.
For example, sometimes searches you delete from your History page can still be seen on your Google Dashboard (although these usually disappear after a short time). If searches still show up on your History page after they’ve been deleted, try clearing your browser’s cookies and cache. Deleting your entire browser history will cause you to lose all the websites you’ve ever visited, which may make it difficult to find a specific site in the future. Thus, if you do need to search for something that is private in nature or slightly embarrassing, it is recommended that you use the “incognito” feature instead of deleting your entire history after the fact.
