YouTube saves the terms you search for, which can make it easy for others to view your activity if they use your phone or account. If you want more privacy, clearing your search history is a smart step.
YouTube is one of the most widely used video platforms in the world. People use it every day to watch music videos, news updates, lifestyle content, tutorials, technology reviews, and more. Since the app stores your recent searches, those queries may remain visible unless you remove them. If you want to keep your activity private, you can delete your YouTube search history directly from your phone.
How to clear YouTube search history on a phone
Follow these simple steps in the YouTube app:
- Open the YouTube app on your phone.
- Tap your profile picture in the top corner of the screen.
- Choose Settings.
- Open the History & privacy section.
- Tap Clear watch history if you also want to erase watched videos.
- Select Clear search history to remove your saved searches.
Once completed, your search terms will no longer appear in the app history.
How to delete YouTube search history on the web
If you use YouTube in a browser, you can clear your history there as well:
- Visit the YouTube website and sign in to your account.
- Click the menu icon near the YouTube logo at the top of the page.
- Select History.
- Choose Search History.
- Your recent searches will appear on the screen.
- Click the X next to a specific search to remove it.
- If you want to erase everything, select Clear All Search History.
Use Incognito Mode for extra privacy
Another way to reduce saved activity is to use YouTube’s Incognito Mode. When this feature is turned on, your searches and watch activity are not linked to your account in the usual way. Still, if you want full control over your privacy, manually clearing history remains the most reliable option.
Why this matters: Deleting search history can help protect your privacy, stop others from seeing your past searches, and keep your recommendations based on current interests instead of old activity.
Related Tags
YouTube Search History, Clear YouTube History, Delete YouTube History on Phone
