How to Clear YouTube Watch History

Lee Stanton September 19, 2021

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Deleting your viewing history is a good way to reset recommendations or clear temporary internet files from your device. Regardless of your needs to clear your YouTube watch history, it’s a straight forward process that everyone should know.

There are several methods to clearing your YouTube History, depending on which platform you are doing so, and we’ll be detailing them here.

How to Clear YouTube History on a PC

A desktop computer is one of the most popular platforms to watch YouTube on. If you want to delete your viewing history on a PC, whether it’s a Windows, Chrome OS, or Mac operating system, follow the instructions below:

Removing Videos Individually

Click the Main Menu on the upper left corner of the YouTube page to reveal the directory. This is the three lines icon just beside the YouTube logo.
On the menu to the left, under Library, click on History.
Scroll through the list of videos to find the one that you want to remove from your history.
Click on the X icon on the upper right side of the video.
Repeat the process for each video that you want to delete from your records.
Navigate away from this page once you’re done.

Clear All Videos in Your Search History

As per the above instructions, click on the Main Menu to show all available directory selections.
Again, click on History.
On the menu on the right, click on Watch History.
Under the toggles to the right, click on Clear All Watch History.
A message will appear asking you to confirm your selection. Click on Clear Watch History in the lower right of the popup window.
You can now navigate away from this page.

Automatically Deleting YouTube Viewing History

Proceed to the Google Account that is linked to your YouTube account that you want to manage.
Click on Data & personalization from the menu on the left, or click the Manage your data & personalization link from the Privacy & Personalization tab under your profile icon.
Scroll down until you see the Activity controls tab and click on YouTube History.
From the selections, click on Auto-delete.
A popup window will appear that will allow you to change your auto-delete preferences. The available range is the deletion of history older than three months, eighteen months, or three years. Click on whichever option suits you best to toggle it on or off.
Once you’ve made your choice, click on Next.
A window will pop up confirming that your preference has been saved, click on Got it.
You can now navigate away from this page.

Deleting Search History Individually

On the YouTube homepage, click on the Main Menu in the upper left corner by clicking the three lines icon.
On the menu to the left, click on History under the Library tab.
On the toggles to the right, click on Search history.
Scroll through the list to find the search terms that you wish to delete. Click on the X icon to the right of each to delete them from the records.
Once you’re done, navigate away from this page.

Deleting All Search History

Proceed to the History page by clicking on the three lines icon on the upper left corner of the Home page, and then clicking on History from the Main Menu.
On the toggles to the right, click on Search history.
Below the toggles, click on Clear All Search History.
On the popup window that appears, click on Clear Search History.
You can now navigate away from this window.

Please note that clearing either viewing or search history will affect the recommendations that YouTube gives you. This is effectively a reset of your viewing and search preferences. You may still see familiar videos, but this will either be because of your location or your other Google applications that are connected to the YouTube account you use.

How to Clear YouTube History on Android

If you’re using a web browser to watch videos on YouTube, then you can clear the history using a browser by following the instructions as given for a PC. On the other hand, if you’re using a mobile YouTube app, you can clear your history by following these instructions:

Deleting View History Individually

From the Home Screen of the YouTube mobile app, tap on the Library Icon on the lower right.
From the menu, tap on History.
Scroll through the videos to find the ones that you want to remove from your record. If you’ve selected a video to delete, tap on the three dots icon to the right of the video.
From the menu that appears, tap on Remove from Watch history.
Once you’ve finished deleting all the videos that you want to, navigate away from this screen by tapping on Home on the lower left, or using the back button on your device.

Deleting All View History

Tap on the Library icon on the bottom right corner of the YouTube Mobile App.
Tap on History from the menu.
Tap on the three dots icon on the upper right corner of the History screen.
From the menu that appears, tap on History controls.
On the next menu that appears, tap on Clear watch history.
A popup window will appear to confirm the deletion of your watch history. Tap on Clear Watch History.
Once you’re done, you can navigate away from this screen by tapping on the Home icon on the lower left or using the back buttons on your device.

Clearing Search History

Unlike the PC or browser version, there is no way to individually delete searches on the mobile app. To delete all searches you have made, follow these steps:

Tap on the Library icon on the lower right corner of the YouTube app home screen.
Tap on History from the directory menu.
Tap on the three dots icon on the upper right corner of the History screen.
Tap on History controls from the dropdown menu.
Tap on Clear search history from the list.
On the window that appears, tap on Clear Search History.
Navigate away from this screen by either tapping on Home on the bottom left corner, or using the back buttons on your Android device.

Auto-Delete View History

The auto-delete function can also be accessed via the YouTube mobile app, though it will redirect you to a web version of your Google account. To do this:

Tap on the Library icon on the lower right corner of the home screen.
Tap on History from the list.
Tap on the three dots on the upper right corner of the History screen.
Tap on History controls.
On the menu, tap on Manage all activity.
You will be redirected to your current active YouTube account’s Google page. Tap on Auto-delete from the list.
Choose from the given options: three months, eighteen months, or three years. Once you’ve chosen an option, tap on Next.
Then, tap on Confirm.
You can now navigate away from this screen.

Unlike the PC or browser version, there is no way to individually delete searches on the mobile app. To delete all searches you have made, follow these steps:

Tap on the Library icon on the lower right corner of the YouTube app home screen.
Tap on History from the directory menu.
Tap on the three dots icon on the upper right corner of the History screen.
Again, tap on History controls from the dropdown menu.
Then, tap on Clear search history from the list.
On the window that appears, tap on Clear Search History.
Navigate away from this screen by either tapping on Home on the bottom left corner, or using the back buttons on your Android device.

Auto-Delete View History

The auto-delete function can also be accessed via the YouTube mobile app, though it will redirect you to a web version of your Google account. To do this:

Tap on the Library icon on the lower right corner of the home screen.
Tap on History from the list.
Tap on the three dots on the upper right corner of the History screen.
Tap on History controls.
On the menu, tap on Manage all activity.
You will be redirected to your current active YouTube account’s Google page. Tap on Auto-delete from the list.
Choose from the given options: three months, eighteen months, or three years. Once you’ve chosen an option, tap on Next.
Tap on Got it.
You can now navigate away from this screen.

Note that you will have to log in to your YouTube account to make full use of the tools to manage view and search history. Deleting either view history or search history on the mobile app will delete it from your entire YouTube account. The auto-delete function will also be enabled for all devices connected to your Google account.

How to Clear YouTube History on an iPad

The YouTube mobile app isn’t platform-dependent, and thus functions similarly whether it’s used on the Android or on iOS. The ways to delete both the view and search history are the same on an Android device as it is on an iPad. You can either open YouTube on a web browser and proceed as instructed on the PC version, or follow the instructions as given above for Android devices.

How to Clear YouTube History on an iPhone

There is no difference between the YouTube mobile version for iPhone and iPad. Follow the same instructions as given above if you want to delete either the search or view history or enable the auto-delete function of your account.

How to Clear YouTube History on a TV

If you’re using a Smart TV to watch YouTube, you can clear your watch and search history by accessing the option from the settings menu. To do this, follow these instructions:

Clearing Watch History

On the home screen of the YouTube app, use your remote to open the settings menu. This will be the gear icon on the bottom of the menu to the left of the screen.
On the Settings menu to the left, scroll down until you get to the History & Data tab.
When you get to Clear Watch History, choose it to highlight the Clear Watch History button on the main screen. Press OK or Enter on your remote.
A confirmation message will appear on your screen. Highlight Clear Watch History with your remote then click on OK or Enter.
Your Watch History should now be erased.

Clearing Search History

Open the Settings menu by choosing the gear icon on the bottom left of your home screen.
Scroll down until you find the History & Data tab on the left, choose Clear Search History.
Use your remote to highlight the Clear Search History button on the main screen.
Press OK or Enter on your remote.
On the confirmation window, highlight Clear Search History, then press OK or Enter.
Your Search History should now be cleared.

How to Clear YouTube History on Roku

The commands to clear view and search history on Roku are similar to that when using a Smart TV. The only difference is that instead of a menu where you enter the Settings, you have icons for each option. The instructions are as follows:

With your YouTube app for Roku open, click on the left arrow on your Roku remote to open the settings menu.
Press the down arrow until you get to Settings.
Click on OK.
Click the right arrow until you get to either the Clear Watch History or Clear Search History icon.
Click on OK for your selection.
After the confirmation message, your view or search history should be deleted.

Additional FAQ

Here are some of the more common questions that pop up when clearing YouTube history is discussed.

Can I just delete a single search or video view from my history?

Yes. As detailed in the instructions above, YouTube allows users to clear single videos or searches from their history. Just follow our steps above for the platform that you’re using.

Is it possible to auto-delete history on YouTube?

Yes. Technically, the option to auto-delete view history can be accessed through your Google account settings, and not directly from YouTube. The steps to do so are also given in the instructions above.

A Useful Tool

YouTube saves your search history for a number of reasons. For one, it allows the algorithm to give you better recommendations according to your viewing habits. It also helps users to easily see which videos they’ve already watched and return to them quickly if necessary.

YouTube certainly provides its users with useful tools to manage their accounts and further enhance their viewing experience. Do you know of other ways to clear your YouTube History? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.