According to research, we do approximately a crapload Google searches each day. If we have a Google account, every single Google search we ever did has been recorded inside (don't act surprised). Let's see how to access our Google Search History, download it, and delete it from the Internet.
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How to download my Google search history
First, we need to visit our Web & App Activity page. Even if we are connected to Gmail or another Google Service, this particular page will probably ask us to re-enter our password.
Many of us might not know that his page existed within our Google account, but it does, and it contains everything.
Just scrolling down I can see what I was searching for a particular date, e.g. on July 3rd, complete with the exact time.
This log also records some specific apps we have used on our Android phone, that have to do with Google - including the Cortana beta.
We all know that Google is recording everything, but for me seeing my Google search history with my own eyes was something else altogether.
After we overcome the embarrassment for some of our Google searches - we all have an embarrassing one, or fifty - we can click on the upper right-hand menu and select "Download searches".
Google issues a warning that we should not download the Google search history on a public computer. They also mention the 2-Step verification method to secure our account, which is always a good idea.
The download isn't instantaneous. Google will need a couple of minutes to prepare the archive.
As we are waiting, we can take a look at the upper left-hand menu, where we will find plenty of information gathered through the Google apps and services, available on separate pages.
Once we receive the email - for the example it took about four minutes to arrive - we can access our Google search history as a file on our Google Drive account. We can also download it to our PC.
How to delete Google search history
Well, since we have a copy of your Google search history, which we can print and subsequently burn, it's time to clean up house on our Google account.
You might have noticed earlier that there is a "Delete options" option on the menu.
From there, we can select how much of our Google search history we wish to delete.
If however we don't want to go nuclear and remove huge chunks of our search, we can select specific searches and click on Delete.
Is the information erased for good? For us, yes, we won't find the particular search again on our account. For Google, we might not have any proof, but we are pretty sure that they have the means to access any information, no matter if we deleted it.
How can I avoid having my Google search history recorded?
To avoid having our Google search history recorded, we can go to https://www.google.com/settings/u/0/accounthistory, where we will find everything we share with Google.
Selecting any of the right-hand switches will "pause" the particular monitoring.
But, there is a better solution.
Just open a browser and type: https://duckduckgo.com/
After all, their whole business model is based on privacy, and not doing what Google does.
Are you worried about your Google search history?
Do you think that Google shouldn't keep records of our search history? Or do you believe that by using this data, Google can offer a better service? Leave us a comment.
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