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Google Chrome has changed the face of technology in recent years. Its unique features allow users to create a Google account and have their browsing data follow them wherever they log into their account, whether on a different computer, a smart phone or a tablet. However, the downside is that Google stores all your browsing history. If you desire more privacy, the following steps enumerate how to clear Google history on computer.
How to Clear Google History on Computer
Step 1: Navigate to Google.com and sign in to your account.
Step 2: Click the More icon in top, right corner, which looks like three vertical dots.
Step 3: Click on Settings.
Step 4: Scroll to the very end and click the Advanced settings link.
Step 5: Click Clear browsing data under the Privacy section.
Step 6: Use the first drop down menu to choose how far back you want to clear Google history. The options are: (a) the beginning of time, (b) the past day, (c) the past week and (d) the last four weeks
Step 7: Click each box next to the item that you want to delete. Options include: Download history, Browsing history, Cached images and files, Autofill form data, Hosted app data, Passwords and Media licenses.
Step 8: Click Clear browsing data.
Understanding Options to Clear Google History on the Computer
The options available can be confusing when it comes to clearing your Google History, as you don’t want to clear important information by accident. Following is an explanation of each option:
Browsing History – Clears the record of any web pages you have visited, along with their IP addresses.
Download History – Clears the list of any files you’ve downloaded using Chrome; however, it won’t actually delete the files from your computer.
Cookies and Other Site and Plugin Data – Clears files and plugins that websites have stored on your computer.
Cached Images and Files – Clears parts of web sites that are saved on your computer to help that page load faster on your next visit.
Passwords – Clears records of all your passwords.
Autofill Form Data – Clears all form autofill entries, such as your name, email address, credit card info, etc.
Hosted App Data – Clears any data stored by Chrome apps.
Media Licenses – Clears data stored by protected content such as purchased movies and music.
Deleting Specific Items From Your Browsing History
Step 1: Click the More icon at the top right corner.
Step 2: Click the History option.
Step 3: Click History again in the column that pops up.
Step 4: Click the box next to each item you want to delete.
Step 5: Click Remove selected items at the top.
Step 6: Click the Remove option in the confirmation dialog box that pops up.
Note that you can also clear the entire Google history on this page by choosing the Clear browsing data option at the top.
Google provides great value by saving information so you can find previously visited websites, avoid retyping frequently used passwords, and easily finding downloaded files. However, when you don’t want Google to keep record of this information, it fortunately provides an easy way to remove unwanted data.
