How to delete the data Google has on you

1 week ago

Think astir everything you do crossed Chrome, Gmail, Google Maps, YouTube, and everything other Google owns, and you get immoderate thought of really overmuch information you’re giving up to nan institution each day. For astir of us, it’s... a lot.

Whether aliases not you deliberation nan information postulation and targeted advertizing is simply a worthwhile waste and acquisition for nan free apps you get successful return, Google does astatine slightest supply a broad online dashboard you tin usage to spot immoderate of what’s being gathered.

You tin usage it to delete everything Google has already collected, extremity it from collecting thing successful nan future, aliases automatically delete your information aft a group play (like 3 months). You tin besides usage these features to clear nan records if you’re readying to delete your Google relationship — though nan process of deleting it should besides swipe each of nan information associated pinch your account.

Here’s really to usage nan options disposable to you.

Find your data

Activity tin beryllium filtered by day and app.

Getting started is beautiful easy: Open your Google relationship page successful a web browser of your choice, signing successful if you request to. From this screen, you tin spot your Google subscriptions, nan devices you’re signed successful to pinch your Google account, and nan passwords you mightiness person saved, among different information.

Right now, we’re willing successful data.

Click Data and privacy connected nan left.
Look for History settings. It is divided up into 3 main categories: Web and apps, location, and YouTube.
Click nan My Activity fastener astatine nan bottommost of that conception to spot a complete database of this data. You’ll spot everything you’ve done that’s been logged successful Google products, starting pinch what’s astir recent.
Select Filter by day & product to limit nan results to definite day ranges aliases definite apps.
To region a select you’ve applied, click nan X adjacent to it astatine nan apical of nan list.
Click connected immoderate introduction successful nan database to spot much specifications astir it if they’re available. You tin unfastened YouTube videos you’ve watched, for example, aliases websites you’ve visited.

Delete your data

You tin manually purge your information astatine immoderate time.

When it comes to information that’s already been collected and logged by Google, you tin erase it successful a fewer different ways.

If you’re looking astatine nan afloat activity list, click Delete (to nan correct of nan filter). You tin swipe records from nan past hour, nan past day, aliases wrong a civilization range. You tin besides click Always to delete everything.
If you’ve filtered nan database by day aliases product, click Delete results: this wipes everything that matches nan filter.
Whether aliases not nan database is filtered, you tin click nan X adjacent to immoderate azygous introduction to delete it.

It’s useful to person this cardinal repository of each your information disposable via 1 web portal, but you tin find immoderate types of information successful different places, too. You tin delete your web activity from wrong Chrome arsenic agelong arsenic you’re signed successful to Google, for example, aliases get astatine your YouTube watch history done nan YouTube website.

Auto-delete and move disconnected information collection

Google will automatically swipe information aft a definite time, if you want.

If you want Google to auto-delete your information aliases extremity collecting information altogether, you request to usage nan 3 categories we mentioned earlier: Web and apps, location, and YouTube.

From nan activity list, click Web & App Activity, Location History, aliases YouTube History. The adjacent options surface you’ll spot is very akin crossed each 3 categories:

Click Turn off to extremity collecting information successful this peculiar category. If you prime this option, you tin take to either Turn off (to support thing collected frankincense far) aliases Turn disconnected and delete activity.
If you take to delete data, you’ll beryllium shown a preview of what’s getting erased earlier you corroborate nan action.
Further down nan page, prime Choose an auto-delete option to person nan information successful this class wiped aft a definite time: 3 months, 18 months, aliases 36 months.

You’ll besides spot immoderate sub-settings connected these screens, too, specified arsenic searches you tally connected YouTube aliases sound and audio activity that mightiness beryllium collected done your interactions pinch Google Assistant.

There are evidently immoderate compromises to deliberation astir here. If you’ve been checking retired a peculiar java shop connected Google Maps, it is adjuvant to person it popular up automatically erstwhile you request to get directions to it. In nan aforesaid way, if you for illustration a mates of YouTube videos, past you astir apt want to spot much videos on nan aforesaid lines alternatively than thing served up randomly.

The auto-delete action offers a bully equilibrium successful this respect because it intends you do get immoderate level of personalization without having each of your activities saved connected Google’s servers for each time.

Incidentally, if you effort to move disconnected immoderate of this information postulation (or move it backmost on), Google will propulsion up an accusation sheet explaining really nan information it gathers helps to personalize services for you crossed aggregate apps. In different words, Google decidedly wants you to let it to cod this data, but successful nan end, it’s your choice.