Introduction
YouTube History is a feature that records the videos you watch and your search activity on the platform. Managing your YouTube search history is essential for privacy and a cleaner YouTube experience. This comprehensive guide will help by acknowledging how to delete your YouTube search history on various devices, ensuring you have the knowledge and control to curate your digital footprint effectively.
Whether you use a computer, a phone, or a smart TV, we have simple steps for each. Follow the instructions corresponding to your device, and you can easily remove your search history without any inconvenience. It also offers crucial recommendations for striking the right balance between personalization and privacy in your YouTube experience. Additionally, we’ll address how long your YouTube search history should be retained, giving you the insights to make informed choices about your online activities.
How To Delete YouTube Search History
Removing YouTube search history may vary slightly depending on the devices and operating systems. Detailed description has been given below:
On A Computer
Using a computer to manage your YouTube search history is straightforward. Here are the simple steps:
Step 1: Open your web browser and search YouTube.
Step 2: Click on the three horizontal lines (the “hamburger menu”) at the top of the left corner.
Step 3: Select “History.”
Step 4: Clear all or delete specific Search and watch history by following options:
- Option 1: On the right side of the “History” page, you’ll see an option labelled “Clear all search history.” Click on it, and then confirm your decision when prompted.
- Option 2: Select “search” (with a search icon) in the middle of the top and type a word or anything you want to delete. Then select “remove” beside the title.
- Option 3: You can either type a video title on the “search watch history” (with a search icon) or scroll histories in the “History” page to choose the one you want to delete. Once selected, click the “╳” sign (symbolizing “remove from watch history”), and the specific video will be deleted.
- Option 4: On the “History” page, find “Manage all histories” on the right side. Click it and choose “Delete.” You have three options: “Delete today” to erase the current day’s searches, “Delete all time” to remove all records, and “Delete custom range,” which allows you to select specific dates for deletion.
- Option 5: In “Manage all histories,” you can use the calendar icon to delete histories before a chosen date. You can also use the search icon to delete histories by typing video titles. Additionally, scrolling through your history allows you to select and delete specific videos by clicking the “╳” symbol.
- Option 6: Again, in “Manage all histories,” there is an “Auto-delete” button to delete three months, 18 months, or 36 months videos automatically above selection.
- Option 7: To temporarily pause your search history, go to the “Manage all histories” page and click “Saving Your YouTube History,” then toggle the On/Off button to “Off.” Alternatively, on the “History” page, click “Pause Watch History” and select “Pause.” This action prevents your watch and search history from being saved until you re-enable it.
On A Mobile Device
The steps for deleting YouTube search and watch histories on Android and iOS apps are identical. Those steps are shown below:
Step 1: Tap to open the “YouTube App” on your mobile device.
Step 2: Click on your “Account Icon” on the right side of the bottom.
Step 3: If you’re using multiple Google accounts on your phone, there is a “Switch Account” option on the top of the left to select the account from which you want to delete your YouTube search and watch histories.
Step 4: You can “Delete History” by selecting all or some specific videos. There are several options to do that, and you can choose which is more convenient.
- Clear All Search And Watch History
Option 1: Select “View all” from History, and click on the three-dot button on the top of the right side; there, choose “Clear all watch history,” and your all-watched history will be cleared.
Option 2: Follow the same steps 1 and 2 in the above-mentioned option 1 or go to “Settings” on the top of the right side. And then select “Manage all history.” Here, choose the “Delete” button, and you will get three options. Among them, choose “Delete all time,” and by confirming it, all your searched and watched history will be deleted permanently.
Or, follow the following steps
Option 3: Again, you can access “Manage all history” by going to your Google Account settings, which you can find by clicking “Google Account.” Then, select either “Data and privacy” or “Privacy & Personalisation.” Within these settings, locate “YouTube History” under “History settings” and click on it to access “Manage history” in “Activity Control.” Then, follow the steps mentioned in option 2 to delete all searched history.
- Delete Specific Search And Watch History
Option 1: Select “View all” from History, and find the specific video that you want to delete from the search history by scrolling the histories or by typing the video title. Then, click the right side’s three-dot button and select “Remove from watch History.
Option 2: Go to “Settings” on the top of the right side, and then click “Manage all history.” Here, you can delete search history in several ways:
- Calendar Icon: Use the calendar icon to set a specific date, allowing you to clear histories older than that date.
- Search Icon: To delete specific videos, type their titles in the search bar by selecting the search icon. Delete individual or multiple videos based on their titles.
- Delete button: Click the “Delete” button, then choose “Delete today” to remove videos from the current day. Alternatively, select “Delete custom range” to delete search histories within a specific time frame by specifying start and end dates.
- Auto-delete: Turn on “Auto-delete” and choose one of three options to automatically clear search histories older than three months, 18 months, or 36 months.
- Saving history: To temporarily stop your search history, go to “Saving your YouTube history,” and toggle the On/Off button to the “Off” position. This prevents your search and watch history from being saved until you re-enable.
Option 3: Again, to access “Manage all history,” go to your Google Account settings by clicking “Google Account.” Then, select “Data and privacy” or “Privacy & Personalisation.” Under “History settings,” find “YouTube History” and click it to access “Manage history” in “Activity Control.” Then, follow the steps from option 2 of “Delete Specific Search And Watch History” to delete the search histories.
- Turn on Incognito
When you use Incognito Mode for browsing, your search history remains private and isn’t saved. This Incognito button is available beside the “Google Account.”
On A Smart TV, Game Console, or Media Streaming Box
Step 1: Access the left-hand Menu, and then go to Settings.
Step 2: Look for the option to “Clear search history” and select it.
Step 3: Finally, press the “Clear search history” button to erase your search history.
Important Recommendation
Here are some crucial points to keep in mind before deleting any search history:
- You must be signed in to a YouTube Account to use specific search history features or delete search history.
- Deleting your YouTube search history is a permanent action; the data cannot be recovered once deleted.
- The steps may vary depending on the device, operating system, and YouTube app version.
- Deleting search entries affects your video recommendations; they will no longer influence your suggestions.
- Clearing your search history means previous searches won’t appear as suggestions in the search box.
- Pausing your search history prevents new searches from being saved.
- If you removed videos from your watch history while offline, it may take a few hours for these changes to sync with your account.
How long YouTube search history is right?
Determining the ideal duration for retaining your YouTube History is entirely up to you. Here are some considerations:
Reasons for Keeping YouTube History for Shorter Periods
Continuity: You prefer to seamlessly pick up where you left off in your viewing journey based on recent videos, channels, and creators you’ve engaged with.
Data Efficiency: You aim to limit the data used for personalization, which may result in receiving recommendations for videos you’ve recently watched.
Reasons for Keeping YouTube History for Longer Periods
Long-Term Reference: You want the ability to resume your viewing experience for an extended period, relying on videos, channels, and creators you discovered a while back.
Enhanced Personalization: You seek a broader dataset for personalizing your YouTube experience and recommendations, allowing for a more comprehensive and tailored content selection.
Ultimately, the decision depends on your preferences and how you value the balance between personalization and privacy in your YouTube usage. You have the flexibility to choose the duration that aligns best with your viewing habits and privacy concerns.
Conclusion
In this comprehensive guide, we’ve explored deleting YouTube search history across various devices. We’ve given clear steps for deleting your search history, whether on a computer, mobile device, or smart TV.
It’s crucial to remember that while YouTube history improves your experience, privacy matters too. Finding the right balance between personalization and protecting your data is essential.
Moreover, Deleting YouTube search history empowers users to curate their online experiences effectively. By following the guidelines, individuals can enjoy the benefits of a tailored YouTube journey while respecting their privacy preferences.
