Knowing how to delete the history from YouTube is essential if you value privacy, want to reset your recommendations, or simply keep your activity private. YouTube stores both your watch history and your search history, and these records directly affect the videos suggested to you. Over time, this data can create a cluttered or inaccurate recommendation feed and may raise privacy concerns if you share devices with others.
In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know:
- The difference between watch history and search history
- Step-by-step instructions to clear history on mobile and desktop
- How to delete specific searches
- How to pause or set auto-delete for your YouTube history
By the end of this guide, you’ll know exactly how to delete, pause, or auto-delete your YouTube watch and search history. You’ll be able to protect your privacy, control video recommendations, and ensure your YouTube feed reflects only the content you care about.
1. What happens when you delete YouTube history
YouTube keeps two types of history:
- Watch history: the videos you’ve watched. This helps YouTube improve recommendations and makes it easier to re-watch content.
- Search history: the terms you type into YouTube’s search bar. This influences suggested searches and video recommendations.
When you delete history, YouTube will no longer use that data for recommendations. This means your suggested videos may reset or feel less personalized. Deleting history also ensures that no one else with access to your account or device can see what you’ve searched or watched.
2. How to delete the history from YouTube (search history and watch history)
You can delete your activity completely, including both watch history and search history. The steps are slightly different depending on whether you’re using the mobile app or desktop.
2.1. On mobile (iOS/Android)
Clearing your YouTube watch and search history on mobile helps protect your privacy and refresh your video recommendations. Follow these steps to delete specific entries or your entire history easily.
Step 1: Open the YouTube mobile app on your phone.
Step 2: Tap your profile picture located in the upper-right corner.
Step 3: Go to Settings.
Step 4: S elect Manage all history. Choose the Google account you want to clear history from.
Step 5: To remove a specific entry, tap the cross icon next to a video or search in your history.
Step 6: To erase all records, tap the Delete drop-down menu and select Delete all time to clear your entire watch and search history.
Step 7: Confirm your action by tapping Delete to permanently remove your YouTube watch history.
These changes apply instantly across all devices connected to your account.
2.2. On desktop (web)
If you use YouTube on a browser, you can easily clear your watch history and search history directly from your account settings.
Step 1: Open YouTube in any web browser on your computer.
Step 2: Click History in the left-hand menu.
Step 3: Select Manage all history to access your full watch and search history.
Step 4: To remove a specific entry, click the cross button next to a video or search.
Step 5: Click Delete to confirm the removal of that individual entry.
Step 6: To erase all activity, open the Delete drop-down menu and choose Delete all time to clear your entire watch and search history.
Step 7: Confirm the operation by clicking Delete to permanently remove all selected history from your YouTube account.
This method allows you to clear both watch and search history in just a few clicks.
3. How to delete specific searches on the YouTube app
Sometimes you may not want to erase your entire history but only remove specific searches. YouTube makes this easy on both mobile and desktop.
3.1. On mobile (iOS/Android)
If you want to remove specific items from your YouTube search history on mobile, it’s easy to do directly within the app. Deleting individual searches helps keep your account private and prevents unwanted suggestions from appearing in your search results. Follow these steps to quickly remove any history item you no longer want.
Step 1: Open the YouTube app on your mobile device.
Step 2: Tap the search icon at the top of the screen.
Step 3: Find the history item you want to delete, long-press it, and tap Remove to delete it from your search history.
3.2. On desktop
Removing specific items from your YouTube search history on a desktop is quick and straightforward. This allows you to maintain privacy and prevent unwanted search suggestions from appearing in your YouTube account without deleting your entire history.
Step 1: Go to YouTube web browser.
Step 2: Use the search bar to locate the history item you want to delete.
Step 3: Click the X icon next to the entry to remove it individually from your search history.
4. How to pause your YouTube search and watch history
If you don’t want YouTube to record your activity but still prefer to keep past history, you can pause it instead of deleting. This option is useful when you want to browse without leaving a trace.
4.1. On mobile (iOS/Android)
Pausing your YouTube watch and search history allows you to browse without YouTube recording your activity. This helps protect your privacy and prevents new videos or searches from affecting your recommendations.
Step 1: Open the YouTube app on your mobile device.
Step 2: Tap your profile icon in the upper-right corner.
Step 3: Choose Your Data in YouTube.
Step 4: Scroll down to locate YouTube Watch History or Search History and tap the arrow button.
Step 5: Tap Turn off and select Pause to stop YouTube from recording your watch and search activity.
4.2. On desktop
Pausing your YouTube watch and search history on desktop lets you browse without leaving a record. This helps maintain your privacy and prevents new activity from influencing your video recommendations.
Step 1: Open YouTube in your web browser and click History.
Step 2: Click Pause watch history to stop recording your watch activity.
Step 3: Click Pause to confirm your action.
Step 4: Click Manage all history to access your search history settings.
Step 5: Choose Saving your YouTube history.
Step 6: Click Turn Off.
Step 7: Click Pause to stop YouTube from recording both your watch and search history.
When paused, new activity won’t be recorded, but your existing history remains intact until you delete it manually.
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5. How to set up YouTube auto-delete to clear your history
If you prefer not to delete your YouTube history manually and find pausing history too restrictive, you can set YouTube to auto-delete your watch and search history after a specified period. This keeps your account private without losing recent activity immediately.
Step 1: Open YouTube in a web browser and log in to your account.
Step 2: Click History in the left-hand menu.
Step 3: Select Manage all history to access your full watch and search history.
Step 4: Choose Auto-delete to configure automatic clearing of your YouTube history.
Step 5: By default, YouTube clears watch and search history after 36 months. Click this setting to adjust the schedule.
Step 6: Select the time frame that works best for you and click Next to save your changes.
6. FAQs about deleting YouTube history
Many users have questions about how YouTube history works and what happens when you delete it. Here are detailed answers to the most common concerns
Does deleting history delete recommended videos?
Yes. When you delete your YouTube watch history and search history, YouTube loses the data it uses to suggest videos based on your past activity. This means your recommended videos may reset or become less personalized until you start watching and searching again. Deleting history can help remove outdated or unwanted suggestions and give you a fresh start on your YouTube feed.
Can you recover deleted YouTube history?
No. Once your watch history or search history is deleted, it cannot be restored. YouTube does not provide a way to retrieve removed entries. If you want to maintain certain records, consider pausing history instead of deleting it, or using the auto-delete feature for automatic removal after a set period.
Is search history different from watch history?
Yes. Search history keeps track of the terms and queries you enter in YouTube’s search bar, influencing search predictions and results. Watch history, on the other hand, records all the videos you have played, which directly affects video recommendations. Both types of history are stored in your Google Account but serve different purposes in customizing your YouTube experience.
Can I delete history on one device only?
No. YouTube history is tied to your Google Account, not the device you are using. This means deleting your watch history or search history on one device will remove it from all devices where your account is signed in. To manage history on a specific device without affecting others, you can use Incognito mode or pause history temporarily.
7. Conclusion
Knowing how to delete the history from YouTube is an important step for maintaining your privacy, controlling your video recommendations, and keeping your account organized. Whether you want to remove specific items, clear your entire history, or prevent YouTube from recording new activity, managing your watch and search history gives you more control over your experience.
Here’s a quick recap of your options:
- Delete manually: Remove specific watch or search history entries or clear everything at once for a fresh start.
- Pause history: Stop YouTube from recording new activity while keeping your past history intact.
- Auto-delete: Set a schedule to automatically remove older watch and search history without manual effort.
By using these tools, you can ensure your YouTube activity remains private, your recommendations stay relevant, and your account stays organized. For more easy-to-follow tutorials and tips, visit Tech How-To Simplified category on Safelyo.
