Do you want to find a web page or website that you visited some time ago, but can't remember where it was? You might have found it on your phone back then, but you're having trouble finding it on your PC. Luckily, Google keeps track of all the websites and links you've opened.
You can use the history feature to find any web page you have explored and revisit it as if you had never lost it in cyberspace or in your brain. Here's how to use Google's search history feature.
Note: You can access your Google Account history anytime and from any device, as long as your Gmail profile is synced across all your devices. Google keeps a detailed history of web searches and products, images viewed, videos watched, apps used, and blog posts you read.
Viewing your search history
You can access your Google account history from any device with a browser, such as a Windows PC, Mac, mobile phone or tablet. The process is very simple as you only need your username and password. Here's what to do:
- Open your browser and load the Google homepage. Click on the "Login" button located in the upper right corner (if you are not currently logged in) and enter your credentials.
- Click on your profile icon in the upper right corner and select the “Manage your Google account. »
- Select the “Data and personalization” tongue.
- Scroll down to the "Activity & Timeline" section, then click " My activity. »
- Scroll down the page to use the general search bar or « Filter by date and product” (Android, Maps, YouTube, etc.), or simply scroll down and browse by date and time.
When you use the different view options above, you get a list that includes websites, apps, and/or updates for all devices linked to your Google account. The search bar lets you find specific activities, apps, or websites. Filtered options include sorting by date, date range, and applications.
The activity page used above remembers everything you've done through your Google Account since the last time you cleared history, if applicable.
Manually delete your Google account history
You can delete your entire history or just specific activities. You can delete one item at a time by clicking on the three dots next to each activity. You can also delete them in bulk by specifying how far you want to delete the activities.
Here is what you need to do:
- Open your browser and write "My activity" in the search bar to access the activity page.
- Google My Activity should appear as the first result. If not, find it and click on it.
- Once there, select "Activity Controls" on the left side.
- You will see that Google account activities are divided into several groups. You can delete each feature separately. These include web searches and history, locations, device information, voice and audio activity, and YouTube history. If you click the little switch next to an option, Google won't remember your future actions.
You can also delete items per hour. On the left side of the "Web & Apps Activity" window, you will see several options. Click "Delete activity by" to select how far you want to delete your activity.
It can be a specific date or you can choose one of the predefined options and delete everything by week, month or until you create your account. You can also select the type of data to delete.
Automatic deletion
However, you can also choose to delete your history automatically. At the top of the same page, you will see an option that says “Choose to automatically delete”. This lets you turn on the auto-delete feature, so you don't have to delete items yourself.
Review your actions at any time
The Google account history feature can be useful if you can't remember the name of a website you want to visit again or want to check if you've updated your devices. Google saves everything for you, and you can quickly return to any link at any time. You can also delete your activity history to clear your locations, device updates, and other stuff.
Do you prefer to keep a history of your Google Account actions? What tracking options do you use? Let us know what you think of this feature in the comments section below.
