How to Delete All Google History Permanently?
- Can You Really Delete All Google History?
- iPhone or iPad?
- on the Computer?
- Why should You Clear Google History?
- What Happens After You Clear Chrome Browsing History?
- So, Is That It?
- Get Hold of Your Advertising Data
- How to Prevent Google from Saving your Search History?
- How to Protect your Online Privacy?
- Final Thoughts
Nowadays, you’re pretty naïve if you think that you are the one who knows the most about yourself. You might not believe it, but it is Google, the ginormous search engine that knows pretty much everything about everyone on the planet.
Google can access all the information about you simply because of the frequent visits you make to different websites every day. Every keystroke you make, every search query you run, and every website you visit is forever logged into Google’s memory.
You might not have taken it seriously before, but it is sensible to delete google history routinely. When you delete all Google history permanently, you are wiping the slate clean and further reinforcing your privacy and security.
Can You Really Delete All Google History?
See, the idea of “delete google search history” is nothing new to the masses. Over time, Google has stored a truckload of information about you. So, the thought has crossed nearly a million minds. And just in case you thought, “Am I the only one?”. Short answer, “No.”
Google is a tech giant who knows more about you than YOU yourself. From where you were born to which car you bought to who was your first romantic interest and the job you go to yet hate. Google has learned all this information about you from the searches you have made since, well, forever. Today, a world without Google is unimaginable. For your convenience, we have elaborated a few methods about how to delete history on Google Chrome browsers on different platforms.
How to Clear Search History on Chrome on Android
First, let us guide you on how to delete searching history on Chrome on Android devices. Here is what you need to do:
- On your Android device, open the Chrome browser.
- Then, open the More section by tapping on the three-dot icon on the top-right of the browser.
- Now, open your History.
- Tap on the Clear browsing data option.
- When the prompt for Time Range appears, choose All Time.
- Check the box next to Browsing History.
- Finally, tap the Clear Data option.
How to Clear History on Google Chrome on iPhone or iPad?
Here’s how to delete search history in google on iPhones or iPads:
- On the screen, fire up the Chrome web browser.
- At the bottom, open the More section by tapping on the three-dot icon in the browser.
- Tap on History.
- Tap on Clear Browsing Data.
- Check the box next to Browsing History.
- Tap on Clear Browsing Data.
- Click on Done.
How to Delete Search History on Chrome on the Computer?
Here’s how to delete chrome history on your computer:
- Open the Chrome Web browser.
- Open the More section by clicking on the three-dot icon on the top-right of the browser.
- Click on History, and then History again.
- On the menu on the left, click on the Clear browsing data option.
- A dropdown menu will open; select All Time.
- Check the box next to Browsing history and any other items you want to delete.
- Click on Clear data.
P.S. Make it a habit to clear search history Google routinely across all the devices you own.
Why should You Clear Google History?
If you clear Google search history, you are instantly reinforcing your level of privacy. You leave a data trail of where you’ve been and what you’ve looked at when you search the internet. This information can be used to target ads at you, or even worse; hackers could access it. By deleting your Google search history, you can minimize the risk of your personal information being compromised.
What Happens After You Clear Chrome Browsing History?
Getting rid of your browsing history is a big deal. When you clear history Chrome, you’re erasing your digital footprint—all the information Google has about you is gone. This includes your past searches and the places you’ve been, the websites you’ve visited, and even your YouTube history.
So, what happens when you hit “delete?”. First of all, it can take a while for everything to disappear. It could take a couple of hours or even up to a few days. Secondly, some things may not be deleted at all. For example, if you’ve saved something to your Google Drive, it will still be there after you delete all google history. The same goes for emails and phone contacts saved in Google Maps.
So, Is That It?
Of course not! You do not only need to know how to clear search history on Google. Did you know that Google stores the voice searches that you practice? If you have used the Voice Search feature of Google through its voice-activated assistant, then rest assured, as your voice queries are also getting saved by Google. Users have reported this act by Google.
But this has also gone in favor of Google as they allow for its permanent deletion as well. This has cemented the element of transparency and honesty that Google brings to the table. Google’s voice searches are recorded, and users can also listen to them the way they said. We know it’s creepy, but you can erase it. Here’s how:
- Head to Google’s Voice & Audio Activity page
- Review your voice searches and listen to them.
- Erase them by clicking on Delete (esp. the embarrassing ones).
However, you might ask, “why is there a need to store so much information about billions of souls?” See, Google offers its services for free and doesn’t earn from it. If you use YouTube or Google Drive, you are not paying to use it. The information Google holds onto thus is used to target you with relevant ads.
Advertisers pay Google for their ads’ number of impressions (views). So, tailoring ads is crucial, and it can be only if the information a company has about users is substantial. So, when you delete all Google history, you prevent third-party websites from displaying ads that Google stores to personalize for you.
Get Hold of Your Advertising Data
Now, if you were to say that Google sells our data to third parties and that it’s immoral, let’s bring you up to speed. When you sign up for a Google Account, there are terms and conditions that we don’t bother reading. You are ever so willing to agree by checking the box next to it. That is where Google gets your consent.
It’s written therein that your data will be shared with advertisers to bring you relevant ads. If you were to get hold of that advertising data and with whom it’s been shared, you can head to ad settings and turn off the ad personalization feature.
How to Prevent Google from Saving your Search History?
To prevent Google from logging your search history, you should use “Incognito Mode” on your browser. This will stop Google from saving any web activity, including your search history. And effectively, you will not need to delete all Google history again and again. To delete your search history manually, follow these steps:
- Go to Google’s My Activity page: https://myactivity.google.com/myactivity
- In the menu on the left, select “Delete activity by.”
- Under “Delete by date,” choose the date you wish to delete your history.
- Click “Delete.”
- A pop-up will ask if you’re sure you wish to delete this information. Click “Delete.”
- You’ll see a message confirming that your data has been deleted.
Whether you’re concerned about privacy or just want to start fresh, delete all Google history and simply clear out some digital clutter. Remember that deleting your history is permanent, so be sure you’re ready to lose all your old search data before hitting the delete button. You can keep your search activity cloaked in secrecy and start each new Search with a clean slate with a bit of effort.
How to Protect your Online Privacy?
Use Private Browsing or Incognito Mode
While you use Incognito browsing, your search history is not stored locally on your machine, thus ridding you of the need to delete all google history repeatedly. As a result, this gives you more of a secure browsing experience, but still, your data is stored remotely on Google servers. It is one way of keeping yourself anonymous, but it’s not the most secure and effective solution.
Use a Secure Web browser
Since Google Chrome keeps track of your entire search history, you could go for a more secure browser like Brave. Brave doesn’t track your cookies and neither stores your data. This gives you more online privacy, and you don’t have to get those annoying ads every time you open your browser or visit a website. If you want to add an extra layer of security, you can download Tor. Tor gives you more anonymity since your IP address can’t be traced, and onion routing makes your browsing experience more secure.
Use a Reliable VPN
The easiest and most effective way to prevent Google from tracking your search history is by using a reliable VPN, like Ivacy VPN. You can use Ivacy VPN, which masks your IP address so your ISP and Google servers can’t trace you. Ivacy VPN offers many servers from multiple countries with high bandwidth, so you can enjoy high speeds while keeping your online activity private. Ivacy VPN has dedicated apps for all major platforms, including a Chrome VPN extension. Just click on the Ivacy VPN icon in the extensions tab, select a server, and you will be good to go!
Final Thoughts
It is always advisable to back up your Google Activity before you finally get in the mind frame to delete all google history if you want to refer back to it for whatever reason. Always remember, even erasing everything does not make you invisible in the eyes of Google. And now that we have shed light on how to clear Google search history on different platforms, it is your responsibility to implement it on your devices.
Let’s be honest, how many of us can live without YouTube and Gmail? Minimize your usage of Google apps, switch to search engines that do not track your search activity, and having a VPN helps as it hides your IP, providing you with anonymity when online.