Search History: How to View or Delete It

To view or delete your Google search history, open myactivity.google.com; for Bing, use the Microsoft privacy dashboard at account.microsoft.com/privacy; for your browser, press Ctrl + H in Chrome or Edge.

This guide covers Google, Bing, Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari on computers and iPhone, plus YouTube and Maps, private windows, and why deleted searches sometimes come back.

The fastest way to find and delete your search history

Your searches are usually saved in two places at once: the search engine's account history and your browser's history. Match where you searched to a row, then clear both if you want the search gone everywhere.

Where you searched	Open this	Delete it with
Google, signed in to a Google Account	myactivity.google.com	Delete at the top, then a range such as All time, then Next and Delete
Bing, signed in to a Microsoft account	account.microsoft.com/privacy, then Browsing and search	Clear all activities in the Search history section
Bing, not signed in	Any Bing.com page, select … at the upper right, then History	Select a search and choose Clear, or select Clear all
Chrome on a computer	More > History > History	More > Delete browsing data, tick Browsing history, then Delete data
Microsoft Edge	Press Ctrl + H	Settings and more > Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Clear browsing data > Choose what to clear
Safari on iPhone	The History button on the Start Page	Settings > Apps > Safari > Clear History and Website Data
Safari on Mac	The History menu	History > Clear History, then pick how far back

Clearing only one of the two places leaves the other copy intact. Deleting from My Activity does not touch the history stored in your browser, and clearing the browser does not touch your Google or Microsoft account.

What “Search History” Usually Means

Search history is not one list. Four separate records can hold the same search, and each one is cleared in a different place.

Type of history	Where it is stored	What it contains	Where to clear it
Browser history	On the device, and in your Google, Microsoft or Apple account if sync is on	Pages you opened, including search results pages	The browser's own history or clear-data screen
Search engine history	Your Google Account (Web & App Activity) or Microsoft account	The words you searched for while signed in	My Activity for Google, the privacy dashboard for Bing
Search suggestions and autocomplete	Built from your browser history, account history and trending searches	The predictions that drop down as you type	Clear the underlying history, or turn predictions off
Device and app search history	Inside individual apps such as YouTube, Google Maps and the Google app	Searches made inside that app	Each app's own history screen

How to View Your Search History in Google

Google saves your searches to your account while Web & App Activity is on. The record lives on the web, so the same page works on Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone and iPad.

1. Open myactivity.google.com in any browser and sign in to your Google Account.
2. Scroll down to see your activity, newest first.
3. Select the Search icon and filter by Google product to show only your Google Search entries.
4. Select the Calendar icon to narrow the list to a preset or custom date range.
5. Select an entry to see its details, or select the search text to run it again.

The Google app on iPhone and iPad also keeps recent searches on the device. Open the Google app, tap the search bar, then tap View all to see them.

How to Delete Google Search History

All of these start at myactivity.google.com, or at myaccount.google.com > Data & privacy > History settings for the account-wide controls.

What you want	Steps
Delete individual Google searches	On myactivity.google.com, find the search and select the Delete icon on that item.
Delete searches from a custom date range	Select the Calendar icon, choose the range, then select Delete next to the search bar and confirm with Delete Results.
Delete all Google search history	Select Delete at the top, choose All time, select Next, then Delete.
Set Google search history to auto-delete	Go to Data & privacy > History settings, select the activity, select Auto-delete, choose a retention period, then Next and Confirm.
Turn off Google search history	Go to Data & privacy > History settings, select Web & App Activity, then Turn off or Turn off and delete activity.
Delete on-device searches in the Google app on iPhone	Tap the search bar, tap View all, swipe left on a search and tap Delete, or tap Clear all > Clear on-device history.

Turning off Web & App Activity stops new saving. Only Turn off and delete activity also removes what is already stored.

How to View or Delete Bing Search History

Bing's steps depend on whether you were signed in when you searched. Signed-in history lives on the Microsoft privacy dashboard; signed-out history is tied to the browser and device.

1. To view Bing search history, open any Bing.com page, select … in the upper-right corner, then select History.
2. Select Open history page to filter your searches by type or date.
3. If you are not signed in, select individual searches and choose Clear, or select Clear all under Manage or clear your search history.
4. If you use a personal Microsoft account, go to account.microsoft.com/privacy, select Browsing and search, and select Clear all activities in the Search history section.
5. If you use a work or school account, select Clear all under Manage or clear your search history on the Search History page.
6. To stop Bing from saving search history, turn off the toggle under Show new searches here on the Search History page.

Turning the toggle off only stops new entries. Your existing Bing history stays until you clear it.

How to View or Delete Browser Search History

Every search you run opens a results page, and your browser records that page like any other visit. If sync is on, deleting on one device also deletes it on your other signed-in devices.

Browser	View history	Delete all or a time range	Delete one entry
Google Chrome on a computer	More > History > History, or type @history in the address bar	More > Delete browsing data, set Time range, tick Browsing history, select Delete data	Tick the entry on the History page, then Delete > Remove
Chrome on Android	More > History	More > Delete browsing data, choose Time range, tick Browsing history, tap Delete data	Tap Remove to the right of the entry
Chrome on iPhone or iPad	More > History	More > Delete Browsing Data, choose the time range, tap Delete Browsing Data	On the History page, tap Edit, tick entries, tap Delete, then Done
Microsoft Edge	Press Ctrl + H	Settings and more > Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Clear browsing data > Choose what to clear, pick Time range, select Clear now	Clear a time range that covers the visit
Mozilla Firefox	For one tab's back-and-forward list, use the tab history menu	Type clear history in the address bar to run the quick action, or use the Forget toolbar button for the last 5 minutes, 2 hours or 24 hours	Clear a time range that covers the visit
Safari on iPhone and iPad	Start Page > History button	Settings > Apps > Safari > Clear History and Website Data, confirm the timeframe, tap Clear History	History > More > Select Websites, select entries, tap the Trash button
Safari on Mac	History menu	History > Clear History, open the pop-up menu and choose how far back	Clear a time range that covers the visit

Chrome's History page shows the last 90 days and leaves out Incognito pages. Vivaldi keeps typed address-bar entries separately, covered in how to delete Vivaldi typed history.

How to Delete Search History on iPhone

On an iPhone, searches can sit in Safari, in Chrome and in the Google app at the same time. Clear each one you use, starting with Safari.

1. Open Settings, tap Apps, then tap Safari.
2. Scroll down and tap Clear History and Website Data.
3. Confirm the timeframe you want to clear, then tap Clear History.
4. If you use Chrome, open it and tap More > Delete Browsing Data, pick the time range, then tap Delete Browsing Data.
5. If you use the Google app, tap the search bar, tap View all, then tap Clear all > Clear on-device history.
6. Open myactivity.google.com in Safari and delete the searches saved to your Google Account.

Clearing Safari history this way does not remove your AutoFill information. If iCloud syncs Safari, the history is also removed from your other Apple devices.

How to Delete Search Suggestions in the Address Bar

Suggestions come from your own history and from trending searches. Clearing your history removes the personal ones; the trending ones need their own setting.

Where the suggestion appears	Remove a single suggestion	Turn off search suggestions
Google search box on Android	Touch and hold the prediction, then tap Report this; Google reviews it but may not remove it	Google app > Profile picture > Settings > Other settings > Autocomplete settings > turn off Autocomplete with trending searches
Google Search, based on your past searches	Delete the search from myactivity.google.com	Turn off Search personalization so predictions no longer draw on past searches
Microsoft Edge address bar	Clear browsing history for the time the search was made	Settings and more > Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Search and connected experiences, then turn off Show me search and site suggestions using my typed characters
Bing.com search box	Clear the search from your Bing history	Bing Settings > Search, clear See search suggestions as you type; it switches back on if you clear cookies
Safari Smart Search field	Clear history; recent searches are removed with it	Use a private window so recent searches are not kept
YouTube search box	Delete the search from YouTube history	Pause YouTube search history

How to View or Delete Search History in Popular Apps

Apps keep their own search lists, which is why a search can survive after you clear the browser.

App	View search history	Delete it	Stop saving it
YouTube app	Profile picture > Settings > Manage all history	Tap the close icon beside a search, or use Delete for a time frame, which also deletes watch history from that period	Controls tab, clear Include your searches on YouTube
Google Maps on a computer	Menu > Maps history	Remove next to an entry, or Delete > Delete today, Delete custom range or Delete all time	Turn off Web & App Activity in your Google Account
Google Maps, one place	Open the place, then Your Maps history in the left panel	Delete next to recent history	Same as above
Google app on iPhone	Search bar > View all	Swipe left and tap Delete, or Clear all	More > Turn on incognito

After you delete YouTube searches, they stop appearing as suggestions in the search box and stop shaping your recommendations.

How to Use Private Browsing to Avoid Saving Local History

A private window keeps searches off the device, not off the internet. Websites, your employer or school, and your internet provider can still see the traffic.

Browser	Open a private window	What is not saved
Chrome	Press Ctrl + Shift + N on Windows, or Command + Shift + N on Mac	Site data and the record of sites visited, once all Incognito windows close
Microsoft Edge	Settings and more > New InPrivate window, or right-click the Edge icon on the taskbar	Browsing history, download history, cookies, cache, form data and site permissions; Bing searches are not tied to your Microsoft account
Safari on iPhone	Tap More, then New Private Tab; on iOS 17 and earlier, use the Tabs button and the Private group	Pages you visit, search history and AutoFill information
Safari on Mac	File > New Private Window	Pages visited, AutoFill, recent searches in the Smart Search field and the downloads list

If you sign in to your Google Account inside a private window, searches can still be saved to that account.

What Deleting Search History Does—and Does Not—Remove

Each delete button covers only its own copy. Use this table to see what is left after each action.

Action	Removes	Does not remove
Deleting from Google My Activity	Searches saved to your Google Account	Browser history, and deletions on offline devices until they sync
Clearing Bing history on the privacy dashboard	Search history associated with your Microsoft account	Signed-out searches, and copies held briefly in Microsoft backup systems
Clearing browsing data in Chrome or Edge	History on the device and on synced devices	Your Google or Microsoft account activity
Clearing history in Safari	Visited pages, recent searches, frequently visited sites and the downloads list	Downloaded files, AutoFill information and records kept by websites themselves
Turning off Web & App Activity or the Bing toggle	Nothing already stored; it stops new saving	Existing history until you delete it
Using a private window	Local history for that session	What websites, networks, employers and internet providers can observe

How to Clear Search History on a Shared or Work Device

On a shared or managed computer, your history can outlive your session in the browser, in your accounts and in the organisation's own logs. Clear what you control before you leave.

1. Do your searching in a private window where possible, so nothing is written to the browser's history.
2. In Edge, open Settings and more > Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Clear browsing data, and select Choose what to clear every time you close the browser.
3. In Chrome, open More > Delete browsing data, choose All time, tick Browsing history, and select Delete data.
4. If you signed in to Bing with a work or school account, select Clear all under Manage or clear your search history on the Search History page.
5. Delete account-level searches at myactivity.google.com or account.microsoft.com/privacy.
6. Sign out of your Google and Microsoft accounts in the browser before you walk away.

Your employer or school can still see network activity on a managed device, even in a private window.

How to check your search history is really gone

1. Reopen myactivity.google.com and filter to Search; the deleted range should show no entries.
2. Reopen the Bing Search History page and confirm the list is empty or missing the searches you cleared.
3. Press Ctrl + H in Chrome or Edge and search the history list for a word from the deleted search.
4. Click in the address bar and type the first letters of the old search; it should no longer appear as a personal suggestion.
5. On a second synced device, open its history page and confirm the same entries are gone.

Troubleshooting: Why Search History Still Appears

Searches still show after deleting them from Google

My Activity and the browser keep separate copies.

1. Clear your browser history for the same time range.
2. In the Google app on iPhone, also clear on-device history under View all > Clear all.
3. Keep other signed-in devices online so the deletion can sync to them.

Bing keeps saving new searches after you cleared them

Clearing deletes past entries but does not stop new ones.

1. Open the Bing Search History page.
2. Turn off the toggle under Show new searches here.

Why can't I view my search history?

Nothing was saved to the place you are checking.

1. Check that you are signed in to the same Google or Microsoft account you searched with.
2. Remember that signed-out Bing searches do not appear on the Microsoft privacy dashboard.
3. Check whether Web & App Activity is off in Data & privacy > History settings.
4. In Chrome, look back no further than 90 days, and note that Incognito visits are never listed.

Old searches still appear as suggestions while typing

Suggestions come from trending searches and app histories, not only your browser.

1. Turn off Autocomplete with trending searches in the Google app's Autocomplete settings.
2. In Edge, turn off Show me search and site suggestions using my typed characters.
3. Delete the search from YouTube's Manage all history if it appears in the YouTube search box.

Quick Privacy Tips for Future Searches

Goal	Setting to use
Keep Google history, but not forever	Auto-delete under Data & privacy > History settings
Stop Google saving searches at all	Turn off Web & App Activity
Stop Bing adding new searches	Turn off Show new searches here
Wipe Edge history automatically	Choose what to clear every time you close the browser
One search you do not want recorded locally	A private window: Incognito, InPrivate or Private Browsing
Search in the Google app without saving	More > Turn on incognito
Stop YouTube search suggestions from your past	Clear Include your searches on YouTube

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I view my search history?

Open myactivity.google.com for Google searches, or the Bing History page (select … then History on Bing.com) for Bing searches. For the pages your browser recorded, press Ctrl + H in Chrome or Edge, or open the History menu in Safari.

How do I find search history on my computer?

Your computer's copy lives in the browser. Press Ctrl + H in Chrome or Edge to open the history list, or type @history in Chrome's address bar to search it. On a Mac, open the History menu in Safari.

How do I search my search history?

Use the search bar on Chrome's History page, or type @history followed by a word in the address bar. On myactivity.google.com, use the Search icon to filter by product and the Calendar icon to filter by date.

How do I see my Bing search history?

On any Bing.com page, select … in the upper-right corner and then History. Select Open history page to filter by type or date. If you were signed in, the same history also appears on the Microsoft privacy dashboard under Browsing and search.

Why can't I view my search history?

Usually nothing was saved where you are looking. You may be signed in to a different account, Web & App Activity may be off, the search may have been made in a private window, or it may be older than the 90 days Chrome's History page shows.

Can people see my search history?

Anyone using your unlocked device or signed-in account can open your history. On a network, websites, your employer or school, and your internet provider can observe activity even in a private window, because private browsing only stops the device from saving it.

Can anyone see my search history after I delete it?

Deleted searches no longer appear in your account or browser. Microsoft notes that some copies may stay in its backup systems for a limited time, and network operators may have logged traffic before you deleted anything.

Why does search history exist?

Search history powers personal suggestions, lets you revisit past searches, and personalises results. Google uses Web & App Activity for this, and Microsoft uses signed-in Bing history. You can turn off either setting or set Google history to auto-delete.

Does deleting browser history delete Google search history?

No. Clearing Chrome, Edge or Safari history removes the local and synced browser copy only. Searches saved to your Google Account stay in My Activity until you delete them there, and the reverse is also true.

How do I delete search history on iPhone?

Open Settings, tap Apps, tap Safari, then tap Clear History and Website Data and confirm the timeframe. Clear Chrome and the Google app separately if you use them, and delete account searches at myactivity.google.com.