How To Clear The History In Chrome

Google Chrome logo on a blue background

If you use Google's Chrome browser, and chances are you probably do, then you may want to clear your browsing history from time to time. It's always a good idea to do this for the sake of privacy, and it's not that difficult to do.

Nearly every browser, from Mozilla Firefox to Safari and Microsoft Edge, keeps a history of where you go on the Internet. Most of the time these places are what you would expect them to be, but sometimes you might end up somewhere you didn't expect to be, and as such, may not want that in your history. Other times, you might just want to clear everything out and start fresh.

RELATED: How to Clear Your History in Any Browser

Clear Browser History in Chrome for Desktop

Open Google Chrome on Windows, Mac, or Linux and then click the three-dot menu icon found in the top-right corner of the browser. From there, hover your mouse cursor over "More Tools" and choose "Clear Browsing Data."

To delete your entire browsing history, choose "All Time" from the drop-down box at the top of the screen and check the "Browsing history" option. You can also clear your download history, cookies, and browser cache if you'd like. Click "Clear Data" to finish.

Clear Browser History in Chrome for Mobile

Open Google Chrome on your iPhone, iPad, or Android phone or tablet. The process will look slightly different depending on your device. Tap the three-dot menu icon in the top-right—bottom-right on iPhone and iPad—and select "History" from the menu.

select history from the menu

Tap "Clear Browsing Data" at the top of the History list— the bottom of the list on iPhone and iPad.

tap clear browsing data

Decide how far back you want to clear data with the "Time Range" option. Select "Browsing History" and then tap "Clear Data."

select a time range and clear data

That's all there is to it. Clearing your browser history is a simple thing, but it's an important part of protecting your privacy. You don't need to do anything malicious or suspicious to need to clear your browser history. It's simply good practice for anyone.

RELATED: How to Clear Recent History in Safari on iPhone and iPad

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