It is understandable if you want to keep your Google search history safe.
Even if you do not own an Android phone, you are likely to use three or four of Google’s services daily, and the company has a lot of information about you. Even if you used the services offline, this includes your work commute and shopping habits.
But that does not mean that Google can track you down because the data is stored anonymously. Its primary purpose is to help marketers better understand audiences so that they can target ads more effectively. There are options to uninstall the Google search history stored on your computers, whether you have been looking at something you might not have been or do not want pages to be able to extract your private information.
There are various other ways to remain anonymous online, mentioned at the end of the article. Switching to DuckDuckGo is one of them gaining access to the dark web and dark websites.
Clear Google Search History
You can clear as much or as little of your Google data as you want after signing into My Activity, and it is pretty simple to do.
Using MyActivity: Web Browser to Delete Google History
Go to your My Activity page by clicking here to delete the Google history stored on your phone, tablet, or laptop.
To access this tab, you must register for a Google account. You will get a prompt to sign up if you are not. We do not recommend doing this while you are using a public device, and you must have to sign out when you’ve finished browsing.
Before deleting the activity, you may opt to filter it by date or type of data. To initiate the deletion process, click either of the choices on the right-hand side of the webpage. For a chronological list of data obtained by Google, choose ‘Item View.’
Google will immediately delete the data for that set if you tap the little trashcan in the upper right-hand corner. Since there is no pop-up validation box, be cautious before removing any information you might need.
To view a year’s worth of results, use the “Delete activity by” option on the left-hand side as it’s a hidden option in the phone’s left-hand menu. Access it by clicking the three lines in the top left-hand corner. It is a less cluttered version of the previous menu, but it also allows you to pick which data types and periods you choose to erase.
Clear Google History on Google Chrome
You can clear cookies and other site data (which will sign you out of most sites) and delete cached photos and files from the Basic tab. It helps free up space, particularly if your browser is running slowly, but it can make websites load slower the next time you use them.
Clearing Google History on Android
- In the upper right-hand corner, tap the three vertical dots.
2. Select ‘History’
3. Select ‘Clear Browsing Data’
4. Confirm when done.
5. After you complete these steps, you will clear your Google search history and website history.
Clearing Google History on iPhone
For iPhone users, open Google history and follow these steps to clear your history:
- In the lower right-hand corner, select ‘More.’
2. Select History
Enable Auto-Delete
Under the ‘ Web & Activity ‘ section of the activity list, choose the ‘Auto-delete (Off)‘ feature.
Select the frequency at which you want data to be removed and then choose “Next.”
The following page will go through some of the activities that Google will delete if you keep going. If you agree, press ‘Continue,’ and a confirmation page will appear.
Maintain your anonymity online
If you are very concerned about your privacy or wish to ensure a higher degree of online anonymity, you should take the following steps:
Use Google’s Incognito mode.
Use DuckDuckGo
Switch to DuckDuckGo, the so-called “privacy-conscious search engine,” if you want to avoid Google.
Unlike most search engines, when you click on a link from DuckDuckGo, the place you get directed to does not know the keywords you used to locate it. Therefore, your information is not collected for advertisement purposes since DuckDuckGo earns money based on the keywords a customer looks for rather than personal data.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some more answers to your questions on Google Activity and your online privacy.
I want to save lots of my passwords but delete everything else. How am I able to do this?
If you’re deleting all of your Google data, it’s possible to de-select the choice under ‘Clear Browsing Data’ for clearing passwords. But, if you would like more security, you can use a browser extension like the Last Pass to store all of your passwords in a secure location.
Can I permanently close my Google account?
Yes, indeed. If you no longer want to use your new Google account, you can delete it permanently. We do have an article that describes it in detail.
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