How To Easily Delete Past Activity From Your Google History

The days of traversing the internet without leaving some sort of digital footprint are long gone, but there are still steps you can take to clear away as much of your digital footprint as possible. As one of the most prolific tech giants, Google offers a variety of apps and services like YouTube, Google Chrome, Google Search, and more. However, the flip side is that Google tracks a staggering amount of your data through virtually all its products. The company then sells your personal data for profit to potential advertisers.

Whenever you use any of Google’s services, websites, or apps, the activity is stored in your Google Account. Deleting this information is rather simple and you can do it by accessing your Google Account settings. As your activity can build up again over time, checking these settings periodically can be a great way to maintain some online privacy. Additionally, you may use Incognito mode on Google Chrome to temporarily avoid activity tracking until you close the window or browser. Keep in mind, however, that if you sign into a Google Account while using any private browsing window, Google may still save your search activity.

Deleting your Google Activity isn’t just a means of protecting your privacy; it’s also a great way to reduce targeted advertising on your device. However, even if you delete all of your data, Google may retain some of it for legal or security reasons. The company is rather vague about the types of information it stores, so don’t expect a squeaky-clean slate after clearing your activity. Also, Google may still continue tracking you despite opting out, especially on Android devices.

Keeping that in mind, follow these steps to clear your activity:

1. From a computer or smartphone, visit Google’s My Activity page.

2. Filter the apps and services or Select All, then choose Delete.

3. Choose All time.

4. Select Next and click Delete to confirm your decision.

Note that you can also delete individual items from the list of activities by selecting an item from the Activity list and choosing Delete. You may also filter or search for individual items, including browsing actions by specific days. Moreover, you can customize your Google Account settings to automatically delete your activity after a while. Simply navigate to your Google Account, select “Data & privacy”, and then you should see a “History” settings list containing activities and other items. Select an activity and choose “Auto-delete”. Next, select a time duration and then confirm your decision. Additionally, you may “Turn off” or “Turn off and delete” an activity by clicking on a specific activity type.