Can I delete Google search history?

Q I found the recent Computeractive article on the browsing history very helpful indeed.

I am still trying to resolve deleting some of the unwanted items now accumulating in Google search box, which appears to keep every enquiry regardless of its importance for future needs for that one-off search.

Can items be deleted at all on Google?
Rev Tom Chapman

A There are several possible answers to this question.

First off, if you have Google Toolbar installed in your web browser, then the history it stores can be cleared by first clicking the down-pointing arrow to the right of the search box and then clicking the Clear History link at the foot of the History list.

Alternatively, this History feature can be permanently disabled. To do this, first click the spanner icon on the Google Toolbar then select the Search tab. Now click to remove the tick from the ‘Store search history on my computer’ box and click Save.

If, on the other hand, you are not using Google Toolbar, there are a couple of other ways to stop Google keeping tabs on your search history.

If you have a Google Account log in as normal then click the My Account link at the top right of the page. Now click Edit (next to the ‘My products’ heading) followed by the Delete Web History link and then follow the prompts to confirm your desire to opt out.

Even if you don’t have a Google Account (or otherwise aren’t logged in), Google still logs searches by using a cookie stored on your computer. To stop this behaviour, visit www.google.com as normal and perform a search for anything (it really doesn’t matter what).

Now click Web History in the top-right corner of the page. To stop Google storing all future search terms in a cookie, click the ‘Disable customizations based on search activity’ link.

Finally, if you would prefer to keep this facility but merely wipe the slate clean from time to time, then clearing your browser’s cookies will do suffice.

To do this in Internet Explorer, for example, select Internet Options from the Tools menu then click the Delete button in the Browsing history section within the General tab. Make sure the Cookies box is ticked (along with any other history categories you wish to eradicate) then click the Delete button.