Google has quietly rolled out an option that has enabled searchers to download their entire search history and keep it safely.
Recalling the countless inane things you've ever Googled is inconceivable, but unless you are browsing in incognito mode or have tweaked your account settings, Google remembers it all. And that's not all, Google also logs all of users' searches, analyses them, and then uses them to exclusively personalize the search result the users see.
In an attempt to create a way for users to better understand that process, the search giant has created this new way.
The new feature that Google quietly trotted out last January, and surfaced via a Google blog over the weekend, allows users to download their search histories from the site. This includes things they have searched across phones, as well as computers.
These histories are not 100 percent complete, the ChicagoTribune noted. They only include searches users made while singed in on their Google account, which is probably more or less most of the time if a user has Gmail.
Users need to follow the below-listed steps to download all their saved search history:
- Go to Web & App Activity page
- In the top right corner, you'll see the Options icon. You need to click on Download
- A new message pops up that says, "Please read this carefully, it's not the usual yada yada"
- Click on 'Create Archive"
After the download is complete, Google will email you a confirmation link when the archive is ready to download. A copy of your history will be securely saved to the Take out folder in Google Drive when you download past searches. You can download the files to your desktop/laptop in case you want a copy, IndianExpress noted.
This doesn't delete the Search History from Google's archive, though.
To delete search history, follow these steps:
- Go to Web & Activity Page
- Click on Options and then choose search history items you want to delete and click remove
If you wish to delete everything, you need to go with the option 'Remove from the beginning of all time.'
The web-activity search page also has an option that allows users to pause search history, which ensures that whatever a user is searching on Google doesn't automatically go into the archive. It is best to make sure to download search history on a personal computer. Plus, it's important to use a strong password to protect your Google account.
Do you think this new feature will give users an easier way to transfer their data from Google to other services? Let us know what you think in the comments below!