{"id":91177,"date":"2017-09-06T09:54:12","date_gmt":"2017-09-06T09:54:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=91177"},"modified":"2025-07-01T23:47:46","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T06:47:46","slug":"how-to-get-rid-of-everything-google-knows-about-you-in-7-steps-2017-version","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/how-to-get-rid-of-everything-google-knows-about-you-in-7-steps-2017-version\/","title":{"rendered":"How to get rid of EVERYTHING Google knows about you in 7 steps (2017 version)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Google knows more about you than you think and <\/span>you\u2019re not aware of it<\/b>. It knows what you search for, your interests (which it then gives to advertisers), what places you visit in the real world…<\/span><\/p>\n

Think I\u2019m exaggerating? Let\u2019s make a bet:<\/span> check out these seven links, <\/b>which\u00a0will help you find out what Google is keeping on you. If your mind isn\u2019t blown or you decide not to remove at least some of your info, then I\u2019ll tip my invisible hat to you. <\/span><\/p>\n

Warning 1<\/b>: to visit all these links, you should be logged into your Google account.<\/span><\/p>\n

Warning 2: <\/b>this article was originally published on May 17, 2016. I updated it on March 24, 2017 when I realized some services had changed. Therefore, some instructions had become obsolete. <\/span><\/p>\n

1. This is the first info you MUST remove<\/b><\/h3>\n

Google stores every search you ever make. All of them. Not one is left out. The page where your activity is reported in Google is called \u201cMy Activity.\u201d It\u2019s a very, very hidden section. <\/span>Here you\u2019ve got the link. <\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

As you can see, this page reports all the content you\u2019ve visited thanks to Google. You\u2019ve got three options for deleting what you don\u2019t care about. The first option is using the search. This is perfect if you\u2019re worried that <\/span>Google knows you\u2019ve visited a certain page.<\/b><\/p>\n

The second option is the most obvious one. <\/span>If you only want to delete searches from one day,<\/b> it\u2019s as easy as going to \u201cToday\u201d and then \u201cDelete\u201d (it will appear above). <\/span><\/p>\n

When you click \u201cDelete,\u201d a warning will appear, something like <\/span>\u201cNo, don\u2019t do it! You don\u2019t want to delete this information.\u201d <\/b>In reality, it\u2019s exactly the\u00a0opposite: Google doesn\u2019t want you to delete this information. Nothing will happen to you. You\u2019re not going to crash the internet, nor will your Google account be deleted.<\/span><\/p>\n

Want to delete alllll your searches since the beginning of time? Then you\u2019ll want the third option. Click on \u201cDelete by topic or product\u201d on the list on the left. Click on <\/span>\u201cDelete by date\u201d and select \u201cAll time.\u201d <\/b>If you\u2019re sure about this option, click on \u201cDelete.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ta-dah! Done! \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

But there\u2019s still another type of search remaining: <\/span>Youtube.<\/b><\/p>\n

2. Delete all your Youtube activity<\/b><\/h3>\n

Google also keeps a record of all your Youtube searches. <\/span>Here\u2019s the link<\/b><\/a> to access it. The option to delete your search history stands out. <\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, don\u2019t forget to visit <\/span>this link<\/b><\/a> to delete the record of all videos you\u2019ve watched on Youtube.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. How to delete everything advertisers have on you<\/b><\/h3>\n

Did you know you can control the ads that appear when you use Google or its products? Again, the link is super hidden: <\/span>click here to access the control panel for Google ads<\/b><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

As you can see, Google knows that I like manga and anime, <\/span>video games and classical music\u2026 <\/b>though I don\u2019t know where my supposed interest in moving comes from.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you want Google to stop sending your info to advertisers, simply disable the option <\/span>\u201cAds Personalization\u201d to \u201cNo.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

Again, Google will notify you that you don\u2019t want to do this because then you\u2019ll stop seeing ads related to your interests. <\/span>Don\u2019t listen: you know what you want, not Google or even me. <\/b>Make the decision that best suits you. <\/span><\/p>\n

4. Google knows where you\u2019ve been<\/b><\/h3>\n

If you use an Android device, Google keeps a record of the places you\u2019ve visited with your device through a feature called Routes. You can access it <\/span>at this link<\/b>.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

If you want to delete the places you\u2019ve been to, <\/span>it\u2019s as easy as clicking on the trash icon. <\/b>Again, a warning will appear asking whether you\u2019re sure of your decision or not.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. These apps are monitoring you<\/b><\/h3>\n

The Activity page on Google also offers a list of all the apps that access all or some of your data. Want to know who is \u201cmonitoring\u201d you, to what extent and how to adjust what they know\u00a0about you? <\/span>Here you\u2019ve got the link.<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

6. Want to find out everything Google keeps on you?<\/b><\/h3>\n

This exercise will teach you to be aware of all private info that you\u2019re giving Google without realizing it. <\/span>At this link<\/b><\/a>, Google lets you explore all data you\u2019ve uploaded to their services: favorites, emails, contacts, Google Drive files\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

First you\u2019ll select the service you want to include in this massive data export:<\/span><\/p>\n

And then the type of file output. <\/span><\/p>\n

I haven\u2019t tried this feature myself but the <\/span>Business Insider<\/span><\/a> website did an experiment and one of their editors discovered that, for example, Google saved <\/span>a photo taken of his puppy in 2013:<\/b><\/p>\n

This info isn\u2019t available to just anybody,<\/span> so turn off your paranoia<\/b> (though it\u2019s normal to feel uneasy, I felt the same way). This tool is good for recovering everything Google and its products are keeping on you and, as I\u2019ve said before, for helping you become more aware. <\/span><\/p>\n

7. Create your monthly privacy report<\/b><\/h3>\n

You can set up your Google account so that every month you get an email report about all the info that you\u2019re storing on its services. For example, how many contacts are saved on your Gmail or how many videos you\u2019ve uploaded to Youtube. <\/span>Go to this link<\/b><\/a>.<\/b><\/p>\n

You only have to enable the first and only option that appears above the list and Google will send you a reminder every month. <\/span>You\u2019ll know everything you\u2019re storing on Google and act accordingly. <\/b><\/p>\n

Extra: Link cheat sheet<\/b><\/h3>\n

Since I\u2019ve offered several useful links, here\u2019s the list so you never forget to visit them from time to time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Your Google search history<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Your Youtube search history<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

All the videos you\u2019ve watched on Youtube<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

What advertisers know about you<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

The history of places you\u2019ve visited in the mysterious real world<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Apps monitoring you<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Create a massive export of your Google data<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Google\u2019s monthly privacy report<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

RELATED ARTICLES<\/b><\/p>\n

3 dirty tricks that antiviruses use against you and will hate you for discovering<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

How to download all data Facebook has on you in only 3 steps<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

How to find and block companies spying on you via Facebook<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Did you find useful info in this article and think it can help your friends? <\/span>Share this article on Facebook!<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

How to have infinite Gmail addresses with only…<\/a> by softonic-en<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n

Sources used: <\/span>ABC<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Cloud Fender<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Business Insider<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Google knows more about you than you think and you\u2019re not aware of it. It knows what you search for, your interests (which it then gives to advertisers), what places you visit in the real world… Think I\u2019m exaggerating? Let\u2019s make a bet: check out these seven links, which\u00a0will help you find out what Google … Continue reading “How to get rid of EVERYTHING Google knows about you in 7 steps (2017 version)”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2057,"featured_media":91280,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":1},"categories":[2441],"tags":[2556],"usertag":[],"vertical":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-91177","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to","tag-app-subdomain-redirectioneverything"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t