You can delete your browsing data in Google Chrome to remove history, cookies, and other stored information from your computer.
To start, open Chrome and click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner. Then go to Settings and select Privacy and security.
Click Clear browsing data. A window will appear with two tabs: Basic and Advanced.
In the Basic tab, you can choose to delete browsing history, cookies and other site data, and cached images and files. You can also select a time range, such as the last hour, last 24 hours, or all time.
The Advanced tab gives you more options, including deleting saved passwords, autofill form data, site settings, and hosted app data.
Select the items you want to remove, choose the time range, and click Clear data.
You can also use the shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Delete (Windows) or Command + Shift + Delete (Mac) to open the clear browsing data window quickly.
What happens to your info
- Browsing history: Deleting your browsing history deletes the following:
- Web addresses that you've visited are removed from the History page.
- Shortcuts to those pages are removed from the New Tab page.
- Address bar predictions for those websites are no longer shown.
- Cookies and other site data:
- Cookies: Cookies are files created by websites that you visit. They make your online experience easier by saving browsing information.
- Site data: HTML5-enabled storage types including application caches, web storage data, web SQL database data and indexed database data are deleted.
- Handlers: Chrome allows external applications and web services to open certain links. For example, certain links can open a site like Gmail or a program like iTunes. The default action that you set for certain types of link will be deleted.
- Media licences: Licences for HTML5-protected content, like films or music that you've played or downloaded, are deleted.
- Cached images and files: Chrome remembers parts of pages to help them open faster during your next visit. Text and images from pages that you've visited in Chrome are removed.
- Download history: The list of files that you've downloaded using Chrome is deleted, but the actual files aren't removed from your computer.
- Autofill form data: Your autofill entries are deleted, including addresses and credit cards. Cards and addresses saved in your Google Account aren't deleted.
- Site settings: Settings and permissions that you give to websites are deleted. For example, if a site can run JavaScript, use your camera or know your location.
- Hosted app data: Data from hosted Chrome Web Store apps is erased, such as the local storage used by Gmail Offline.
There are other types of data that are related to your behaviour online. These other types of data can be deleted separately:
- Search history and other Google activity: Searches and other activity on Google services, such as Gemini, are saved to your Google Account. Learn how to delete Google activity.
- Extensions: Extensions can store data on your computer or in your Google Account. Learn how to uninstall an extension.
- Passwords and passkeys: You can delete your saved passwords in the Google Password Manager. Learn how to manage passwords in Chrome.
Delete your browsing data
When you sign in to Chrome, you can save data like history or autofill info to your Google Account. If you delete this data while you're signed in, Chrome removes it from your other devices and your Google Account.
- On your computer, open Chrome.
- At the top right, click More
Delete browsing data.
- Choose a time range, like Last hour or All time.
- Select the types of information that you want to remove.
- Click Delete data.
- If you delete cookies while signed in to Chrome, Chrome refreshes the Google cookies that keep you signed in. This happens so that Chrome can continue to work as you expect. To delete Google cookies, sign out of Chrome first.
Tips:
- To sign out of your Google Account on all websites, sign out of Chrome.
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In the address bar, to quickly reach the Delete browsing data dialogue, type 'Delete browsing data' and then tap the action chip. Learn Chrome Actions to quickly complete tasks.
Instead of deleting entire categories of your browsing data, you can pick items to delete:
Related resources
- Check or delete your Chrome browsing history
- Delete, allow and manage cookies in Chrome
- Manage passwords
If you are signed in to Chrome and syncing, deleting data on one device may remove it from other synced devices as well.
In summary, Chrome allows you to clear different types of browsing data through its settings, giving you control over your privacy and stored information.
