Summary: In this blog, we’ll share the native method to clear your Google History, and a secure method to erase it permanently on Mac.
Contents
Google Chrome is the second most popular web browser after Apple Safari on Mac. Chrome browser is used for its browsing speed and security. It is easy-to-use and provides numerous benefits for you.
Google Chrome stores browsing data on your Mac storage drive. The data includes the websites you?ve visited in the past, a list of files that you downloaded, cookies that store information about your past visits to websites, caches that store copies of images and other elements to load webpages quickly, and your log-in data for different websites.
Google Chrome stores a lot of your personal information that can get compromised. So, you need to clear your non-essential Google history time and again.
Benefits of clearing Google history
- Clears browsing history
- Clears download history
- Clears cookies and site data
- Clears cached images and files
- Clears passwords & other sign-in data
- Clears auto-fill form data
The next section describes the native method to clear Google history on macOS.
Clear Google History in Chrome on Mac
Steps to clear Google history in Chrome are as follows:
1. Launch Google Chrome web browser on your Mac.
2. From Menu Bar, go to Chrome > Clear Browsing Data. The Clear browsing data dialog window opens.
3. Click the Advanced tab, then click the drop-down list to specify a Time range. Select Google history that you want to clear, then click Clear data.
Browsing data from the specified time range is cleared from Google Chrome in a flash. But this method is a temporary respite from data leak prevention.
Cleared Google history is still vulnerable
Google Chrome doesn?t erase the cleared history permanently from your Mac. Instead, Chrome simply removes the reference of the history that is stored on the Mac drive. The cleared Google history data remains unharmed in the drive in a stranded condition. And, any cyber thief can use a Mac data recovery software to recover the cleared Google history from the Mac drive.
The next section describes the secure method to erase Google history permanently on Mac.
Secure Erase Internet Activity in Chrome on Mac
You can use a third-party file erasure tool to erase all your Google Chrome activities securely. Stellar File Eraser for Mac is one of the best and most trustworthy software that uses advanced erasure algorithms to overwrite the Google history file present on your Mac hard drive, which no data recovery software can recover.
Steps to erase Google History on Mac securely:
1. Install Stellar File Eraser software on your Mac.
2. Launch the software. In ?Select What To Erase? screen, toggle on Traces, then click Next.
3. Select Internet Activity > Google Chrome > Erase.
4. On the Confirm Erasure dialog box, click the Confirm Erase button. The software will carry out the erasure process.
Apart from securely erasing Traces that includes Internet Activity, the software erases Files & Folders and Unused Spaces permanently on iMac, MacBook, or Mac mini, as well as an external SSD or Hard Drive.
Conclusion
Google history, though useful in augmenting your browsing experience, is not safe from unwanted exposure. Any unauthorized user can view your sensitive information by using Google Chrome history. So, you are susceptible to personal data leakage and misuse. By clearing Google history using the built-in method in Chrome, you can temporarily protect yourself from data misuse. But be aware that any Mac data recovery software can easily recover your data.
In such a situation, only a secure file erasure software such as Stellar File Eraser for Mac can help protect your data from larceny and safeguard your privacy. Use the File Eraser software to wipe all Internet activities in Google on Mac with a click of a button. Also, schedule the software to perform the erasure task automatically at regular intervals. Besides, the software is fully compatible with the latest macOS Big Sur 11 and earlier macOS versions.
