How to clear search history on your device

Big Tech search engines like Google keep a history of what you search and what you click. Why? Because that data is valuable—it helps them make money by selling targeted ads.

Want to delete your search history? It’s definitely possible to do so on your device (which can be helpful if you’re on a public or family computer). But as far as Big Tech options like Google or Microsoft Bing, your search history is still stored even after you delete the history on your device.

In this guide, we’ll look at how to clear search and browsing history, and look at some alternatives search engines that don’t collect your data in the first place.

Reasons you may want to clear your search history

Most often, when people ask how to “clear history” or “delete history,” they’re actually referring to browser history. This is the list of pages you’ve visited in your Web browser. But note that searches you conduct within your browser can also be tracked by the search engine itself (e.g. Google or Microsoft Bing).

So why clear your search history? Usually, it’s to hide a search you don’t want others to see. Been researching a birthday present on a shared home computer? Or a personal medical issue on a public computer? These are great—and common—reasons to clear history in your search engine.

But again, note that clearing search history usually only clears it from the device itself. The tech company that powers that search engine is often keeping a record of your searches, and this record won’t be cleared by deleting history from your device.

How to delete your search history on popular search engines

Here are step-by-step instructions to clear your search history on Google and Bing.

Delete your Google search history

To delete Google search history on your device:

1. Visit the Google homepage.
2. Click Settings to display the browser menu.
3. Click Your data in Search.
4. Under Your Search activity, find Delete your Search activity.
5. Select either Delete last hour or Delete all Search activity.

Note: In the Your data in Search section you’ll also find options to customize the info Google can collect in the future.

Delete your Bing search history

To delete Bing search history on your device:

1. Visit the Bing homepage.
2. Click the “≡” menu.
3. Click Search History.
4. Click Clear your search history.

Note: In the Search history page you can also customize privacy settings by clicking Privacy matters.

How to view and delete your Web browser history

If you actually want to clear browsing history (as opposed to just search history) from your device, you can easily do so on most major browsers. You’ll also find an option to clear cookies or cache, too.

Delete your browsing history on Google Chrome

To delete your browsing history on Google Chrome:

1. Open Google Chrome.
2. In the toolbar at the top of your computer screen, click Chrome.
3. Click Clear browsing data…
4. Select a time range and the history you want to delete.
5. Click Clear data.

Note: If you’re syncing your Google account between devices (e.g. between your phone and laptop), you may want to turn off syncing if you only want to delete the browsing history on one particular device.

Delete your browsing history on Microsoft Edge

To delete your browsing history on Microsoft Edge:

1. Open Microsoft Edge.
2. Click “…” in the top right of the screen.
3. Click History.
4. Click “…” (more options) in the panel that opens.
5. Click Clear Browsing Data.
6. Select a time range and the history you want to delete.
7. Click Clear now.

Delete your browsing history on Mozilla Firefox

To delete your browsing history on Firefox:

1. Open Firefox.
2. Click the “≡” menu.
3. Click History.
4. Click Clear recent history.
5. Select a time range and the history you want to delete.
6. Click OK.

Delete your browsing history on Brave

To delete your browsing history on Brave:

1. Open Brave.
2. In the toolbar at the top of your computer screen, click Brave.
3. Click Clear browsing data…
4. Select a time range and the history you want to delete.
5. Click Clear data.

The impact of private windows and Incognito mode

It’s important to note that private windows (or “Incognito mode”) can hide your search and browsing history on your device. But for Big Tech browsers like Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge, private / incognito windows don’t stop your activity from being collected.

Private / incognito windows can help if you share a computer and don’t want others to see your search / browsing history. But to keep your browsing history truly private, you’ll instead want a privacy browser like Brave.

Brave browser: a truly private browsing experience

Most often, when people ask how to delete their search / browsing history, what they’re really looking for is privacy. From others who might share their device, and from Big Tech’s prying eyes. As you can see, deleting search / browsing history is only half the equation. For real privacy, you’ll want a browser / search engine combo that doesn’t collect your data in the first place. This is where Brave comes in.

Brave blocks trackers and ads. It blocks fingerprinting and phishing attempts. And neither the Brave browser nor Brave Search track you, your searches, or the pages you visit. While Brave still gives you the option to clear browsing history on your device, there’s no worry about Brave keeping a history of what you searched or browsed. Unlike Google or Microsoft, Brave doesn’t collect your data in the first place.

Brave blocks the bad stuff online; by using Brave, you block Big Tech from profiting off your data. Download Brave and try it today.