How to Clean Up Google Search History

Add the google toolbar to enable web history and clean up your google search history.

The Internet is all about speed. One of the reasons the Internet moves quickly, providing you with the information you need, is because each time you visit a page the URL is stored on your hard drive. The next time you visit that site your computer remembers and loads the page faster. So, if you spend a lot of time surfing, you may find it necessary to clean up your search history so you're able to save disk space and keep your browser moving quickly.

Instructions

1. Visit the Google toolbar home page and download and install the toolbar if you don't already have the toolbar installed. The Google toolbar is required in order to enable Google to record the history of the URLs you visit. If you already have the Google toolbar enabled you may skip this step. Otherwise, click the "Google Home" link at the bottom of the page after the install is complete to return to Google.com.

2. Go to Google.com or click the "Google Home" link located at the bottom of the Google toolbar screen to go to Google's home page.

3. Select "Search Settings" from the "Settings" drop-down located in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. If you're not signed into your Google account select the "Search settings" link from the same location.

4. Click the "Web History" link located in the "Google Instant" box of the Google Preferences pages.

5. Sign into your Google account if you're not already signed in or create a Google account if you don't have an account by clicking the "Create an account now" link on the right-hand side of the Google Account page. If you're already signed into your Google account skip this step.

6. Enable your web history, if asked to do so, by clicking the "Expand your web history" link on the right-hand side of the screen to bring up the "Web History" page. Enable the page by clicking the "enable Web History" button located near the bottom of the screen.

7. Clean up your Google history by using the search box and "Search History" button to find historic URLs or by narrowing your search with the "All History" options located in the side bar on the left-hand side of the "Web History" screen for your Google account.

   Remove URL history links by selecting the "Remove" link in the side bar and placing a check mark in the box located next to the historic link you wish to remove. Finalize the remove using the "Remove" button.

Tips & Warnings

• You must sign into your Google account for Google to record your web history.

• When performing history searches don't enter the https:// in the search box.

References

• Google toolbar.com
• Google Accounts: Troubleshooting: Web History not appearing
• Google Accounts: History