Anyone wishing to protect their online privacy and clear their browsing history from Google may be interested in this quick guide that takes you through the process of clearing and deleting your Google search history and how to manage your Google Account effectively by deleting your search activity directly from the Google servers.
Your search history is recorded by Google whenever you are logged into your official Google Account in any browser and is recorded both in your local browser and offsite remotely on the official Google Servers.
Google search and app activity
To delete or clear your search history from your Google Account
Many people regularly delete their search history from their browser but forget to delete it from their Google Account.
1. First go to the https://myaccount.google.com/ website in your favorite browser
2. Login to your Google Account if you are not already signed in
3. Navigate to the Data & Privacy section listed on the left-hand side of the main menu page
4. Scroll down the page to History settings
5. Click on My Activity
6. Click the Delete button and select the option you would like to use : Last hour, Last Day, All time or a custom range.
7. A pop will be shown with a small section of your history. If you are happy with your choice select the blue Delete button in the bottom right of the pop-up to delete and clear your Google search history.
delete your Google search history 2
Permanently turning off the ability for Google to capture your search activity is also possible by going to the Activity controls section within the History settings as shown in the image below. Once you turn it off you are stopping Google from saving “Your activity on Google sites and apps, including associated info like location, to give you faster searches, better recommendations, and more personalized experiences in Maps, Search, and other Google services”.
Google search activity
A couple of optional settings are also available, allowing you to include Chrome history and activity from sites, apps, and devices that use Google services and voice and audio activity. “When you speak to Google services, Google uses its audio recognition technologies to process your audio and respond to you. For example, if you touch the mic icon to search by voice, Google’s audio recognition technologies translate what you say into words and phrases that Search looks up in an index to give you the most relevant results.”
In all fairness to Google, they make it possible for you to delete your Google search history and other data that may be linked to your browsing habits. However, there are several options for each specific area Google collects data from you, such as Web & App Activity, Location History and YouTube History.
Google advertising personalization
Make sure you have a good look through all the options that are available within the History settings section and personalize and to your exact privacy requirements. You can also choose whether advertising is personalized on things such as your interests and brand preferences.
Google advert personalisation
Sharing your personal information with others
While you are tweaking, your Google Search history is also worth mentioning that you can tweak the personal information you have saved in your Google Account and how it is shared with others visibly on Google Services. Just in case you are showing something you would prefer to keep private. Google also provides the option to adjust your payment methods, subscriptions and your link devices. Providing an important place for all your privacy settings.
