Where to find and clear your search history on Samsung tablets
The steps to clear search history on a Samsung tablet depend on which app you're clearing from — your web browser, Google Search, or Samsung's own search tool. Most Samsung tablets come with either Samsung Internet (the built-in browser) or Google Chrome pre-installed, and each one stores and clears history differently. The fastest route is usually your browser's settings menu, which you can reach in under a minute.
If you use Samsung Internet, open the app, tap the three-line menu icon in the bottom right corner, select Settings, then tap Privacy. From there, choose Delete browsing data and check the boxes for the data types you want to remove — history, cookies, cached images, and files. Tap Delete at the bottom. If you use Chrome instead, open the app, tap the three-dot menu in the top right, select Settings, then Privacy and security, then Clear browsing data. Choose your time range (Last hour, Last 24 hours, Last 7 days, Last 4 weeks, or All time) and tap Clear data.
Key Takeaways
- Samsung Internet and Chrome both clear history through their settings menus, but the exact steps and menu names differ between the two apps.
- You can choose to clear only history, or also remove cookies, cached images, and other browsing data at the same time.
- Clearing history does not sign you out of your accounts or remove saved passwords unless you specifically check that box.
- Google Search and Samsung's own search tool store separate search history that requires different steps to clear.
Clearing history in Samsung Internet step by step
Open the Samsung Internet app on your tablet. Look for the three horizontal lines (called a hamburger menu) in the bottom right corner of the screen and tap it. A menu will slide up from the bottom showing options like Bookmarks, History, and Settings.
Tap Settings near the bottom of that menu. The settings page will open. Scroll down until you see Privacy and tap it. You'll see several options including Delete browsing data — this is what you need. Tap Delete browsing data.
A dialog box will appear with checkboxes for different types of data. By default, Browsing history is usually already checked. You can also check Cookies and site data if you want to remove login information for websites, or Cached images and files to free up storage space. Leave Passwords unchecked unless you specifically want to forget saved passwords. Tap the blue Delete button at the bottom. The history will clear when ready.
Clearing history in Chrome step by step
Open the Chrome app on your tablet. In the top right corner, you'll see three vertical dots stacked on top of each other. Tap that menu icon. A dropdown list will appear with options like New tab, New incognito tab, Bookmarks, History, and Settings.
Tap Settings. The settings page will open. Look for Privacy and security near the top of the list and tap it. You'll see an option called Clear browsing data — tap that. A popup window will appear with a time range selector at the top. By default it shows All time, but you can change it to Last hour, Last 24 hours, Last 7 days, or Last 4 weeks if you only want to clear recent history.
Below the time range, checkboxes appear for Cookies and site data, Cached images and files, and other data types. Browsing history is checked by default. Make sure only the boxes you want are checked, then tap the blue Clear data button. The history will clear right away.
Clearing Google Search history on your tablet
If you use Google Search (the search bar that appears on your home screen or in the Google app), that search history is stored separately from your browser history. To clear it, open the Google app on your tablet — it's usually a colorful "G" icon. Tap your profile picture or initial in the top right corner, then tap Manage your Google Account.
Tap the Data & privacy tab at the top. Scroll down to a section called My Activity and tap it. You'll see a list of your recent searches and web activity. To delete all of it, tap the three-dot menu icon in the top left, select Delete activity by, choose All time, and tap Delete. To delete only certain searches, tap on individual items and tap the trash icon.
Clearing Samsung search history
Samsung tablets also have their own search tool built into the home screen or app drawer. If you've used Samsung's search feature, that history is stored separately. To clear it, open the Settings app on your tablet. Scroll down and tap Apps, then look for an app called Samsung Search or Bixby (Samsung's voice assistant also stores search history). Tap it, then tap Storage, and tap Clear cache or Clear data. This will remove the search history for that app.
If you don't see a separate Samsung Search app, the search feature may be built into your home screen. In that case, long-press the search bar at the top of your home screen, tap the settings icon (usually a gear), and look for an option to clear history or search data. The exact menu name varies by tablet model and Android version.
What gets cleared and what doesn't
When you clear browsing history, you remove the list of websites you've visited. However, clearing history does not automatically sign you out of your accounts — you'll still be logged into Gmail, social media, and other services unless you specifically check the box for Cookies and site data when clearing. Saved passwords also stay in place unless you check that box too.
Clearing cached images and files removes temporary copies of web pages and images stored on your tablet to make websites load faster. This frees up storage space but means websites will load slightly slower the next time you visit them. Clearing cookies removes login information and preferences websites have stored about you, so you may need to log back in to accounts or re-enter preferences like language or location.
Common mistakes to avoid
The most common mistake is clearing history in the wrong app. If you use Chrome but clear history in Samsung Internet, your Chrome history will still be there. Check which browser you actually use before clearing. Another mistake is accidentally checking the Passwords box when you only meant to clear history — this will delete all your saved passwords, and you'll have to re-enter them manually on every website.
Some people also forget that Google Search history and browser history are separate. Clearing your browser history does not clear your Google Search history, and vice versa. If you want to clear everything, you need to do both. Finally, be aware that clearing history is permanent — once deleted, you cannot recover it, so make sure you're not deleting history you actually need to reference.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will clearing my history sign me out of my accounts?
No, clearing history alone will not sign you out. You stay logged in because your login information is stored in cookies. If you want to sign out, you need to check the Cookies and site data box when clearing. This will sign you out of most websites, but you'll need to log back in manually.
Can I clear history from only the last few hours instead of everything?
Yes. In Chrome, tap the time range dropdown at the top of the clear browsing data dialog and choose Last hour, Last 24 hours, Last 7 days, or Last 4 weeks. In Samsung Internet, you can only clear all history at once — there's no time range option.
Does clearing cache free up storage space on my tablet?
Yes. Cached images and files can take up several hundred megabytes over time. Checking the Cached images and files box when clearing history will remove these temporary files and free up space. This won't affect your accounts or saved information.
What's the difference between clearing history and clearing cache?
History is the list of websites you've visited. Cache is temporary copies of images, videos, and code from those websites stored on your tablet to make them load faster next time. You can clear one without the other, though most people clear both at the same time.
How do I stop my tablet from saving search history in the first place?
In Chrome, open Settings, tap Privacy and security, and toggle off Web & App Activity. In Samsung Internet, open Settings, tap Privacy, and toggle off Collect usage data. For Google Search, open the Google app, tap your profile picture, go to Data & privacy, and turn off Web & App Activity.