Sarah Tew/CNET
Did you just search something embarrassing on Google? However cringeworthy your recent searches may have been, Google has a quick and easy way to delete those last search queries. (You can check out how to stop Google from tracking you and how to automatically delete your location and activity history, too.)
The feature, which the search giant unveiled at its Google I/O developers conference last year, is among a handful of options designed to protect user privacy.
While Google didn’t get into the nitty-gritty of the various reasons why someone might want to expunge the record of their search history, the company did demonstrate how to do it, along with hiding select pictures from Google Photos.
You can watch how to do it in the video below, or scroll down for instructions on how to delete your recent search history.
How to quick-delete your Google search history from the last 15 minutes
Step 1: Tap on your profile picture to access your menu.
Step 2: Click Delete last 15 minutes.
That’s it! When you’ve done that, Google will erase all your search history from the previous quarter of an hour.
For more, check out how to control what information your apps can access in Android 12 and six hidden Google Maps tricks.