How to Delete History on Chromebook (2026)

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Delete All Browsing History

1. Open Chrome (it’s the default and primary browser on Chromebooks).
2. Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete. This opens the “Clear browsing data” dialog directly.
3. Set the time range: “Last hour,” “Last 24 hours,” “Last 7 days,” “Last 4 weeks,” or “All time.”
4. Check “Browsing history” (and any other data types you want to clear).
5. Click “Clear data.”

This removes all websites from your browsing history. The sites won’t appear in your address bar suggestions or history page anymore. If you’re signed into Chrome with your Google account, this also clears the history from other devices synced to that account.

Delete Specific History Entries

If you only want to remove certain sites rather than clearing everything:

1. Press Ctrl + H to open the History page (or type chrome://history in the address bar).
2. Find the entries you want to remove. Use the search bar to filter by site name or keyword.
3. Check the box next to each entry you want to delete.
4. Click “Delete” at the top of the page.
5. Confirm the deletion.

This is useful when you want to remove a few specific visits without wiping your entire browsing history.

What You Can Clear

Clear Cookies and Cache

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete.
2. Click the “Advanced” tab for more options.
3. Check “Cookies and other site data” and “Cached images and files.”
4. Set the time range to “All time” for a complete clear.
5. Click “Clear data.”

Clearing cookies signs you out of every website. You’ll need to log back into Gmail, YouTube, Netflix, banking sites – everything. Only clear cookies when you have a specific reason (fixing website issues, privacy cleanup) or when you’re ready to re-enter your passwords.

Clearing cache is less disruptive. Websites just load a bit slower on the first visit after clearing because Chrome has to re-download images and files instead of using stored copies. After one visit, the cache rebuilds for that site.

Auto-Delete History

Set Google to automatically delete your browsing history after a period of time.

1. Go to myactivity.google.com in Chrome.
2. Click “Web & App Activity.”
3. Click “Auto-delete.”
4. Choose how long to keep activity: 3 months, 18 months, or 36 months.
5. Click “Confirm.”

This applies to your Google account across all devices, not just the Chromebook. Activity older than your chosen period is automatically deleted on an ongoing basis.

Browse Without Saving History

Use Guest mode or Incognito mode to browse without saving any history.

Incognito mode: Press Ctrl + Shift + N to open an Incognito window. Browsing history, cookies, and form data from the Incognito session are deleted when you close all Incognito windows. Downloads and bookmarks made during the session are kept.

Guest mode: From the Chromebook login screen, click “Browse as Guest.” This creates a temporary session with no connection to any Google account. All data is erased when you end the guest session. This is useful when letting someone else use your Chromebook temporarily.

Clear Search History From Google

Clearing Chrome’s browsing history doesn’t automatically clear your Google search history (what you searched for on google.com). Google stores that separately in your Google account.

1. Go to myactivity.google.com.
2. Click “Delete activity by” in the sidebar.
3. Choose a time range or “All time.”
4. Select “Search” to clear only search history, or “All products” to clear everything.
5. Click “Delete.”

Troubleshooting

History keeps coming back after clearing. If Chrome sync is enabled, history syncs from other devices signed into the same Google account. Clear history on all synced devices, or go to myactivity.google.com and delete activity there. You can also pause “Web & App Activity” in your Google account settings to stop Google from recording your browsing activity.

Can’t clear data (button grayed out). This happens on managed Chromebooks (school or work). The administrator may have restricted the ability to clear browsing data. Contact your IT administrator if you need to clear history on a managed device.

Websites still remember me after clearing cookies. Some sites use “supercookies” or fingerprinting that persists beyond normal cookie clearing. For complete privacy, use Incognito mode for those sites. Also check if you’re signed into the site through Google Sign-In, which reconnects automatically through your Google account.

Does clearing history free up storage space?

Clearing cached images and files frees up some space (usually a few hundred MB to a few GB depending on how long it’s been since you last cleared). Clearing browsing history and cookies uses almost no space, so those won’t noticeably affect storage. For significant storage recovery, check your Downloads folder for large files you no longer need.

Will clearing history delete my bookmarks?

No. Bookmarks are separate from browsing history and are never affected by clearing history, cookies, or cache. Your saved bookmarks remain intact. The same goes for saved passwords unless you specifically check “Saved passwords” when clearing data.

Can my school or employer see my history after I clear it?

On managed Chromebooks, your school or employer’s network may log your browsing activity at the network level regardless of whether you clear your local browser history. Clearing history on the Chromebook removes it from your device and Google account, but doesn’t affect network-level logs maintained by the organization.

See also: How to Rotate Screen on Chromebook, How to Split Screen on Chromebook

Sources

Google – Clear Browsing Data | Google – Delete Activity