How to Clear Chrome Browser History and Cookies on Computer, by Kevin Stratvert on YouTube. 3 min 4 s.
- Video length
- 3 min 4 s
- Time to do it
- 5 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Open Google Chrome on your computer and click the three-dot menu in the top right corner.
Hover over History in the menu, then click History again, or press Ctrl+H on Windows or Cmd+Y on Mac.
On the History page, click Clear browsing data on the left side. A dialog box opens.
Pick a time range from the drop-down, such as Last hour, Last 24 hours, All time or a custom range.
Tick the boxes for Browsing history and Cookies and other site data. Add Cached images and files if you also want to free up space.
Click Clear data at the bottom of the dialog. Chrome deletes the selected items right away.
To remove a single site instead, open the History page, tick the box next to that entry and click Delete.
Check that you are still signed in to sites you need, and sign back in where you were logged out.
Tips and common mistakes
Clearing cookies signs you out of most websites, so keep a note of any passwords you rely on.
Use the Ctrl+Shift+Delete shortcut on Windows or Cmd+Shift+Delete on Mac to open the clear data dialog faster.
Choose All time only when you want a full wipe, since it removes everything Chrome has stored.
Clearing cache can make the next page loads slightly slower while Chrome rebuilds the files.
Questions
Does clearing history delete my saved passwords?
No. Passwords saved in Chrome stay unless you tick the separate Passwords box or remove them in Settings. Clearing cookies only signs you out of sites.
Can I get my deleted history back?
Usually not. Chrome does not keep a restore option for cleared history. If your Google account syncs history, check myactivity.google.com before clearing anything.
Will this clear history on my phone too?
Only if your devices sync through the same Google account and you clear data on each device. Clearing on the computer does not wipe the phone's local history.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
