Delete Everything Google Knows About You (The A to Z Guide)
Google runs hundreds of services and almost every one of them writes something to your account. This is the full list of where that data lives, how to look at it, and how to shut it off.
Read this first
Turning a setting off only stops new data from being saved. It does not remove what is already stored.
Deleting is a separate step and almost every guide online skips it. It is Part 3 below. If you only do the toggles, years of history stay exactly where it is.
Part 1: See what they already have
Start here. The settings mean a lot more once you have seen the file.
Your activity log. myactivity.google.com is every search, every app you opened, every video you watched, with timestamps. Scroll to the bottom to see how far back it goes.
Your ad profile. myadcenter.google.com is the profile advertisers buy against. It lists the age range, relationship status, income bracket and interests that were guessed about you.
Your voice recordings. myactivity.google.com/product/assistant holds real audio clips if voice activity was ever switched on. They play right in the browser.
Everything, in one export. takeout.google.com exports the lot. Press Select all and you will see it covers 61 separate products. The finished archive is often tens of gigabytes.
Which products hold data on you. myaccount.google.com/dashboard is the service by service breakdown.
Part 2: The master switch page
Almost every toggle lives on one page. Open it and work down the list.
Web and App Activity. The big one. It records searches, app usage, and location alongside them. When you turn it off, also uncheck the two subsettings, because they are separate boxes and they do not switch off with the parent:
- Include Chrome history and activity from sites, apps and devices that use Google services
- Include voice and audio activity
YouTube History. Records what you watch and what you search on YouTube. Uncheck its three subsettings too: the videos you watch, your searches, and YouTube voice and audio activity.
Personalized Recommendations in Search services. Uses your account data to shape what Search shows you.
Play Personalization. The same idea for the Play Store.
Personalized ads. Opens My Ad Center. Switch ad personalization off there.
Partner ad settings. A separate control on the same panel, covering ads on non Google sites and apps that partner with Google. Most people miss this one because it sits under the ads section instead of with the activity toggles.
https://myactivity.google.com/activitycontrolsPart 3: Delete what is already stored
Switching off stops the recording. This step clears the tape.
On each activity control, open Manage activity, then Delete, then All time. Do it for Web and App Activity, for YouTube History, and for voice and audio activity.
Then set an auto delete window so it never builds back up. Every control has a Choose an auto delete option link. Pick 3 months, which is the shortest Google offers.
Two more places worth clearing while you are in there:
Purchases and orders. myactivity.google.com/purchases pulls receipts out of Gmail into a shopping history you never asked for.
Results about you. myactivity.google.com/results-about-you finds your phone number, home address and email inside Google Search results and lets you request removal. This one is not about ads. It is about strangers finding you.
Part 4: The settings that live somewhere else
This is where most guides stop, and where the real exposure is.
Location. Location History is now called Timeline and it moved onto your phone. Open the Google Maps app, tap your profile picture, then Your Timeline. Turn it off there and delete the history. Important detail: switching GPS off does not stop location tracking, because it falls back to WiFi networks and cell towers.
Apps that can read your account. myaccount.google.com/connections lists every third party app you ever signed into with Google, and exactly what each one can see. Apps you forgot about years ago still have access. Remove anything you do not actively use.
Devices signed into your account. myaccount.google.com/device-activity shows every device with a live session. Sign out anything you do not recognise or no longer own.
Third party cookies in Chrome. Open Chrome settings, then Privacy and security, then Third party cookies, and choose Block. These are still on by default, so nothing changes unless you change it yourself.
Chrome ad topics. In the same Privacy and security menu, open the ad privacy section and turn off what is listed there.
Gmail smart features. In Gmail, go to Settings, then See all settings, then General, and turn off smart features and personalization. This is the setting that reads message content to power suggestions.
Your advertising ID on the phone. On Android: Settings, then Privacy, then Ads, then delete the advertising ID. On iPhone: Settings, then Privacy and Security, then Tracking, then turn off Allow Apps to Request to Track.
Google Photos face grouping. In Google Photos settings, turn off face grouping if you do not want your photos clustered into named people.
The ten minute checklist
| Where | What to do |
|---|---|
| Activity controls | Web and App Activity off, both subsettings unchecked |
| Activity controls | YouTube History off, all three subsettings unchecked |
| Activity controls | Search and Play personalization off |
| My Ad Center | Ad personalization off |
| Activity controls, ads section | Partner ad settings off |
| Each control | Manage activity, Delete, All time |
| Each control | Auto delete set to 3 months |
| Google Maps app | Timeline off and deleted |
| Account connections | Remove unused app access |
| Device activity | Sign out unknown devices |
| Chrome settings | Block third party cookies |
| Phone settings | Delete or reset the advertising ID |
| Results about you | Request removal of personal info |
One last thing
Run the security checkup when you are finished. It flags weak recovery options and old sessions and it takes about a minute.
Everything in this guide is your own account and your own data. Nothing here needs anyone's permission but yours.
If you want to go further than Google, see exactly what the internet already knows about you and then scrub yourself off it.
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Frequently asked questions
No, and this is the part almost everyone gets wrong. Turning a control off only stops new activity from being saved. What is already stored stays until you delete it. On each control open Manage activity, then Delete, then All time. Part 3 of this guide covers it.
Yes. Search, Gmail, Maps and YouTube all keep working. What changes is that recommendations and ads get less personal, and YouTube stops remembering where you left off in a video. Nothing breaks and nothing is deleted from Gmail, Drive or Photos.
No. Location falls back to WiFi networks and cell towers, so switching GPS off on its own changes very little. You need to turn Timeline off inside the Google Maps app and delete the history there. Part 4 covers it.
No. Every page in this guide is an official Google settings page for your own account, and the export tool is Google's own. You are using controls Google built for you. Nothing here touches anyone else's account.
It depends how long the account has existed and how many services you use, but selecting all 61 products regularly produces tens of gigabytes. Google emails you a download link when the archive is ready, which can take hours or days.