Clear your Samsung phone history in three places: browser, search, and app cache

Samsung phones store history in separate locations depending on what you're clearing. Your web browser keeps a record of sites you've visited. Google Search remembers your searches if you're signed into a Google account. Individual apps like YouTube, Maps, and Gmail maintain their own activity logs. You'll need to clear each one separately — deleting browser history won't touch your Google Search history or app data.

The steps differ slightly depending on whether you use Samsung Internet (the built-in browser) or Chrome, and whether you want to clear everything or just the last few hours. This guide covers the most common routes on Samsung phones running Android 12 and newer.

Key Takeaways

  • Browser history, search history, and app activity are stored separately, so clearing one does not erase the others.
  • Samsung Internet and Chrome both let you clear history from their settings menu, and you can choose a time range (last hour, last day, all time) before you delete.
  • Google Search history is managed through your Google account settings, not through your phone's browser.
  • Clearing app cache removes temporary files but does not delete your account data or saved passwords within that app.
  • You can set Samsung Internet and Chrome to clear history automatically when you close the app.

Clear history in Samsung Internet (the built-in browser)

Open Samsung Internet and tap the three-line menu icon in the bottom right corner. Scroll down and tap Settings, then tap Privacy. You'll see Delete browsing data near the top of the screen.

Tap Delete browsing data. A popup will appear with checkboxes for Browsing history, Cookies and site data, and Cached images and files. Check the boxes for what you want to remove. At the top of the popup, tap the dropdown that says All time if you want to choose a narrower range — you can select Last hour, Last 24 hours, Last 7 days, Last 4 weeks, or All time.

Tap Delete at the bottom. The data will be removed when ready. If you want this to happen automatically every time you close the app, go back to Settings > Privacy and toggle on Delete browsing data on exit.

Clear history in Chrome on your Samsung phone

Open Chrome and tap the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner. Tap History, then tap Clear browsing data at the top of the screen.

A popup will show checkboxes for Cookies and site data, Cached images and files, and Browsing history. Check the boxes for what you want to delete. At the top, use the dropdown to choose your time range: Last hour, Last 24 hours, Last 7 days, Last 4 weeks, or All time.

Tap Clear data. To make Chrome clear your history automatically when you close it, go to the three-dot menu, tap Settings, tap Privacy and security, and toggle on Clear browsing data. Then check the box next to Clear browsing data on exit.

Clear your Google Search history

Your Google Search history is tied to your Google account, not your phone's browser. Clearing your browser history will not remove it. To delete your searches, open any browser and go to myactivity.google.com, or open the Google app, tap your profile picture in the top right, and tap Manage your Google Account.

Tap the Data & Privacy tab. Scroll down to My Activity and tap it. You'll see a list of your recent searches and activity. To delete everything, tap the three-dot menu at the top left and select Delete all. To delete specific searches, tap the three-dot menu next to each item and select Delete.

You can also set Google to delete your activity automatically. On the same Data & Privacy page, find Web & App Activity and tap it. Tap Auto-delete and choose whether you want Google to delete activity older than 3 months, 18 months, or 36 months. Google will then remove older activity on its own schedule.

Clear app cache and data on your Samsung phone

Apps like YouTube, Gmail, and Maps store temporary files (cache) and sometimes activity logs. Clearing cache frees up phone storage and removes temporary data, but it does not delete your account information or saved passwords.

Go to Settings and tap Apps. Find the app you want to clear — for example, YouTube — and tap it. Tap Storage. You'll see two buttons: Clear cache and Clear data. Tap Clear cache to remove temporary files. If you tap Clear data, the app will forget your login information and settings, and you'll have to sign back in the next time you open it.

To clear cache for multiple apps at once, go to Settings > Apps, tap the three-dot menu, and select Show system if you want to include system apps. Then tap Storage at the bottom and select Clear cache. This removes temporary files from all apps without deleting your account data.

Set up automatic history clearing on your Samsung phone

Both Samsung Internet and Chrome can clear your browsing history automatically when you close them. In Samsung Internet, go to Settings > Privacy and toggle on Delete browsing data on exit. In Chrome, go to Settings > Privacy and security, toggle on Clear browsing data, and check Clear browsing data on exit.

This setting clears your browser history, cookies, and cached files each time you fully close the app. It does not affect your Google Search history or app activity — you still need to manage those separately through Google's settings or individual app settings.

What gets deleted and what stays behind

Clearing browser history removes the list of websites you've visited, cookies (small files that store login information and preferences), and cached images and files (temporary copies of web pages). It does not delete your saved passwords, autofill information, or bookmarks unless you specifically check those boxes.

Clearing Google Search history removes your searches from your Google account, but it does not clear your browser history. Clearing app cache removes temporary files the app created, but your account login, messages, photos, and other data stored within the app remain. If you want to completely remove an app's data, you must tap Clear data instead of Clear cache, which will sign you out and reset the app to its default state.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will clearing my history delete my saved passwords?

No. Clearing browser history removes the list of sites you visited, but not your saved passwords. If you want to delete saved passwords, go to Settings > Apps > Chrome (or Samsung Internet) > Storage > Clear data. This will sign you out of all sites and remove all saved information, including passwords.

Can I clear history from just the last hour instead of everything?

Yes. When you open the delete history menu in either Samsung Internet or Chrome, a dropdown at the top lets you choose Last hour, Last 24 hours, Last 7 days, Last 4 weeks, or All time. Select the time range you want before you tap delete.

Does clearing my browser history also clear my YouTube watch history?

No. YouTube watch history is stored in your Google account, not in your browser. Clearing browser history will not affect it. To delete YouTube watch history, open YouTube, tap your profile picture, go to History, and tap the trash icon next to videos you want to remove, or tap Clear all watch history at the top.

What's the difference between clearing cache and clearing data?

Clearing cache removes temporary files the app created to run faster, freeing up storage space. Clearing data removes everything: temporary files, your login information, saved settings, and messages within the app. You'll have to sign back in after clearing data. Use Clear cache for routine cleanup; use Clear data only when you want to reset an app completely.

If I set my browser to clear history on exit, will it delete my bookmarks?

No. The "clear on exit" setting removes browsing history, cookies, and cached files, but not bookmarks or saved passwords. Your bookmarks will stay in place the next time you open the browser.