How to Delete Your Google Search History

Believe it or not, Google knows everything about it. It knows what smartphones you have owned, and the people you communicate with regularly. In fact, it has seen every embarrassing situation you have been through.

No matter what you have searched for, Google Activity has a record of it all. However, if you do not want this to be the case anymore, for privacy reasons, then you should look into how you can delete Google Search history.

It is important to note that deleting your Google Search history is not the same as clearing your browser history. When you delete your browser history, you are clearing whatever data and information is stored locally on your device. This does not delete the data Google has on you.

With that out of the way, let’s take a look at how to delete your Google Search history.

How to Delete Your Google Search History Permanently?

The following steps need to be followed to the word to delete your Google activity, including the ads you have clicked on, your searches, and video searches.

1. On the My Activity Page, select (⋮) > Delete activity by.
2. Change the date to All Time from Today. From the drop-down menu, select All Products > Delete.
3. Google will notify you regarding how your data is used to improve its services for you. Select OK.
4. You will be asked whether you want to delete your activity. Select Delete.
5. The next screen will contain “No Activity”.

Congratulations. You have successfully delete your Google Search History. You now have a blank slate, but if you want to stop Google from saving any data, that is a completely different story altogether.

How to Prevent Google from Saving your Activity?

Google does not exactly provide a permanent solution to prevent it from saving your activity, but you can pause it for an indefinite amount of time. Here is how you can make that happen:

1. On the Activity Controls Page, look for “Web & App Activity”. Disable the option.
2. Google will want you to confirm whether you want it to pause your Web & App Activity. Click Pause.
3. The next screen will state “Web & App Activity (paused)”. The sliding toggle will be greyed out.
4. To pause Google from storing your activity on all of its services and apps, ensure the switches are to the left on the same page.

Google will no longer store any information on you, but this can be reverted at any time.

Backup your Google Activity before Removing your Google Search History

If you want to make a backup of your Google Search History, you will be pleased to know there is a way. Google released a feature that allows you to download your Google data without any hassles.

So if you are sure you want to delete your Google Activity and disable it forever, and want to keep a backup just in case, then you should definitely download a backup of all your Google data. You may never know when you may need it again.

To download your Google data, follow these steps:

1. In Google Account history, click the cog on the top right side of the screen.
2. Click Download.
3. You will be presented with a warning screen, and may even be requested to set up two-step verification. Select Create Archive.
4. You will immediately receive a link to Google Drive in your email for your search archive.

What happens if you delete and Turn off Google Search History?

Knowing what happens if you delete and turn off Google Search History is important for making an informed decision.

Google personalizes your search results according to your search activity. So if you search for gadgets and click on links from, for instance, mygadgets.com more often, then Google will rank this site higher on the search results every time you search for gadgets.

By deleting and turning off your Google Search History, the search results provided will not be specific to you.

Deleting and Pausing Google Search History does not make you Invisible Online

If you are deleting and pausing your Google Search History in the hopes you will be invisible online, you are thoroughly mistaken.

There is absolutely no way you can go unnoticed by Google that is unless you stop using Google apps and services for good.

If you really value your online privacy, then you should use a trustworthy VPN, like Ivacy VPN. Once connected to a VPN server, your information will be hidden. Not even your own ISP will be able to log your activities online. This means your information will not be handed over to third parties without your consent.