How to Access and Delete All Your Google Activity
Whenever we encounter the phrase ‘Google Knows You Better Than You Know Yourself,’ we often share a laugh. But what if we told you that this isn’t a joke? Scary, isn’t it? This is precisely what’s happening. Google has many ways to trace your online activities, including your movie preferences,the places you’ve visited, the products you’re interested in, and much more. To regain control of your data, here’s a guide on how to access and delete all your Google activities.
Table of Contents
How to Access Your Google Activity History
Within Google’s extensive product portfolio, lies a multitude of offerings. In this segment, we will guide you through accessing the complete history of your Google activities from each of these products, or even across their entire lineup. Here’s a step-by-step process:
1.Open theGoogleapp, website, or any of its services on your phone or computer and tap on yourprofile picturein the top right corner.
2.Then, tap theManage your Google Accountbutton.
3.Navigate to theData & Privacytab and then hit theMy Activitybutton. On the next screen, you can view all your activities that are stored in Google.
4.To filter your activity by date or product, just tap on theFilter by date & productbutton. From there, you can select the customdate rangeandproductyou’d like to view your Google activity for. Once you’re done, hitApply.
As you’re able to see from the below screenshot, it’s showing your history for the selected products only.
In case you’re unable to find the Google Activity that you came here for, you can use theSearch Barto search for a specific Google Activity.
Before you delete your Google Activity, it’s a good idea toback up your Googledata. This will ensure that in case of unexpected situations, you can easily get your data back.
1.Open theGoogleapp or website on your device.
2.Next, tap on yourprofile pictureand select theManage your Google Accountoption.
3.Jump toData & privacysection and select theContent saved from Google servicesoption under Apps and services.
4.Now tap on theDownload your dataoption, then select thelist of productsyou want to back up, and finally, tapNext step.
5.Next, choose the file destination, frequency, file format, and file size. Once done, tap theCreate exportbutton.
That’s it. Your backup process will begin.
To download your backup file, follow the below instructions:
1.Once the backup is completed, you’ll receive anemail from Googleand there, you will find thedownload link.
2.Simply tap theDownload your filesbutton, enter yourGmail password, and then tapNext.
3.Select yourbackup fileand hit theDownloadbutton.
This will begin downloading your backup file.
How to Delete Your Google Activity
Now that you’ve backed up your Google Activity, the next step is to understand how to delete it.
1. Individually
One of the easiest ways to delete your Google Activity is by removing items individually.
1.Navigate toGoogle > Profile Picture > Manage your Google Account > Data & Privacy > My Activity.
2.Now all you need to do is tap on theCross (X)Icon next to the activity that you want to delete.
3.If you want to delete activities from a particularGoogle product or service, then you can use theFilteroption.
4.From there, you can choose thedate and product, and it will display theGoogle Activity for that specific product.
2. All Your Google Activity
If you don’t want to delete your Google History one by one, you may opt to delete all at once. Here’s how:
1.In yourMy Activitypage, tap on theDeletebutton and select theAll timeoption.
2.Here, you may either delete the activities forall the Google products or specific ones. Once decided, hitNext.
3.Lastly, tap on theDeletebutton and all your activities will be deleted from your Google account.
3. Time Range
If you wish to delete all of your Google Activity from a specific time frame, follow the guide below:
1.Tap on theDeletebutton and select theCustom Rangeoption.
2.Choose adate rangeand then hitNext.
3.Now decide whether to delete your activity acrossall Google products or only from specific ones. Once you made up your mind, selectNext.
4.Finally, hit theDeletebutton and your Google Activity will be permanently deleted.
4. Auto-Delete
Over a period, your Google account might become cluttered with data once again. If you want to avoid the repeated hassle of manual deletion, you can choose to enable the auto-delete feature. Here’s how to automatically delete your Google Activity:
1.Go to theMy Activitypage, select theWeb & App Activityoption, and thenchoose the auto-deleteoption.
2.Next, select theAuto-delete activity older thanoption and choose theduration. After that, you need to tapNext.
3.Now hit theConfirmbutton. This action will also result in the deletion of activities that are older than the selected duration, which in our case is 3 months.
That’s it. Now all your Google Activity will be auto-deleted.
If you wish to set auto deletion for a specific product, here’s what you need to do:
1.Go to theWeb & App Activitypage and from there, select theproductthat you want to enable the auto-delete activity option on.
2.Select theAuto-deleteoption and then choose theAuto-delete activity older thanoption along with the duration. After that, hitNext.
3.Confirm your decision by tapping on theConfirmbutton and the app will be set to auto-deletion mode.
How to Disable Google Activity Tracking
By having access to your data, Google can provide personalized ads, curatenews based on your interests, offer better video suggestions onYouTube, a timeline of your location history, and more. However, if you don’t care about these aspects and wish to prevent Google from keeping tabs on all your activities, here’s how to disable Google Activity tracking.
2.Now select theWeb & App Activityoption and then tap on theTurn Offbutton.
Then you’re able to choose betweenTurn offorTurn off and delete activityoptions. We would highly recommend you choose theTurn off and delete activityoption so that your old data is not used to show you personalized content or recommendations.
3.On the following screen, tapNextand choose theproductyou want to disable Google Activity for. You can also selectall the products, as we did in our case. After that, hitNext.
4.Now all you need to do is hit theDeletebutton and your Google Activity will beturned off.
Note:In case yourYouTube or Google Maps Activityis not getting deleted or disabled, you can then go to the Location History and YouTube History page and repeat the same steps mentioned above.
What types of information does Google collect about me?
How does Google use my activity data?
Does disabling or deleting my Google Activity prevent Google from collecting my information?
While Google may delete copies of your data and limit the information it collects about you, it remains capable of tracking your activity through other sources, including browser cookies, third-party websites, and interactions with Android devices and apps.
If you’re concerned about your privacy, you can take the necessary steps like using private orincognito mode while browsing, turning off Google activity tracking, andusing a VPN.
- Does Google track my activity when I use Google services in incognito mode?
If you’re not logged into any of the Google services while browsing in incognito/private mode, then definitely none of your activity will be stored in your Google account.
Erase Your Digital Footprints
Google uses your online activity to give you better suggestions and make its services work better for you. However, sharing too much data can be risky for your privacy and security. So, it’s a good idea to delete your Google Activity from time to time to protect your privacy. If you don’t use Google services much, you can also turn off Google Activity to clear your digital footprint.
Before you leave, you can also check out the best privacy settings for youriPhoneandAndroiddevices.
Rahul is your go-to guide for fixing Windows, Steam, Android, Samsung TV, and Google Chrome. An engineering college dropout who followed his passion for tech, he brings 3 years of troubleshooting experience and 2+ years of running his own tech blog to the table. When he’s not solving your tech problems, you’ll find him unwinding with the latest anime or K-drama.
