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People just realized they are clearing their Google search history WRONG: There’s a hidden setting you’re missing
- Users can delete their entire search history by accessing a hidden feature
- Searches made in the last hour can also be deleted or just the last day
- Google’s “My Activity” tab also allows users to change their location history
Most of us have asked Google to answer our bizarre questions, whether it’s the meaning of life or whether aluminum foil can be microwaved.
When the embarrassment of these late night musings is too much to bear, it’s no secret that users can delete their history with a few clicks (or so they thought).
As it turns out, your search data will remain on Google unless you take another secret step to delete it altogether.
The most common way to clear your past searches is to press “Control” and “H” on the keyboard or click the three little dots in the top right corner of Chrome.
But the hidden feature takes it a step further by deleting data associated with your account that the tech giant may have kept.
Users can clear their entire search history by accessing a hidden feature on Google
The most common way to clear your past searches is to press “Control” and “H” on the keyboard or click on the three little dots in the top right corner of Google (pictured right)
To do this, first tap your profile picture in the top right corner of Chrome next to the search bar.
Users must then click on “Manage your Google Account,” which will lead to a menu with numerous tabs, including “Data & Privacy,” “Security,” and “Personal Info.”
The easiest way to access your web history is to type “My Activity” into the search bar on the page (not at the top of the screen).
Clicking the “My Activity” option when it appears will take you to another page that lists all of your past searches.
These can be filtered based on the website used or the date searched if you want to get a taste of past page views.
However, if you want to clear these searches for good, click the ‘delete’ button.
Users can then choose whether to delete all searches ever made or those from the last day, hour, or a custom time frame.
Before the removal, Google will show you a list of the products it includes, whether it’s just Chrome or other sites like YouTube.
After clicking past this, you may be asked to provide one final confirmation before the deletion proceeds.
Google’s My Activity tab allows users to change their location information and their search history
While this process deletes your history, Google states that other data will be retained as long as you keep your account to help the tech giant improve its services.
“We keep some data for the life of your Google account if it’s useful to help us understand how users interact with our features and how we can improve our services,” reads Google’s privacy terms.
“For example, after you remove a specific Google search from My Activity, we may keep information about how often you search for things, but not what you searched for. Deleting your Google account will also delete information about how often you search for things.”
The My Activity tab can also be used to change your location history, with Google providing nearby recommendations and personalized maps to those who provide this information.
This is disabled by default, but users can opt in provided they are over 18 years old.
Google’s advice reads: “When you turn on Location History, you may see a number of benefits for Google products and services, including personalized maps, recommendations based on places you’ve visited, help finding your phone, real-time traffic updates about your commute and more useful ads.”