How do you delete search suggestions?

What are search suggestions?

Search suggestions are the drop-down list of suggested searches that appear when you start typing a query in the search bar of Google, Bing, YouTube, and other search engines. As you type, the search engine tries to predict what you’re searching for based on popular searches by other users. This is meant to help you quickly find what you’re looking for without having to type out full queries.

The suggestions come from two sources:

• Your own previous searches – If you’re signed into your account, suggestions may include searches you’ve done before
• What others have searched – The search engine looks at what queries are popular among all users in order to predict what you might be typing

So in summary, search suggestions are algorithmic guesses at what you might want to search for based on your own search history and the search patterns of others. The suggestions update dynamically as you enter more characters into the search bar.

Why might you want to delete search suggestions?

There are a few reasons why someone may want to delete these suggested searches:

Privacy concerns

If you’re signed into your account, the search suggestions are based partially on your own previous searches. You may not want certain sensitive searches being tied to your account history. Deleting these searches from your suggestions box increases privacy.

Irrelevant or embarrassing suggestions

The search algorithm isn’t perfect, so sometimes it may display suggestions that are unhelpful or don’t apply to your interests. You can remove these odd suggestions from the line-up.

Additionally, if you share a computer with others, their search history could lead to recommendations that are embarrassing or irrelevant when you’re searching. Deleting those entries clears out the clutter.

Redundant or repetitive results

Especially if you search for the same terms frequently, your suggestions list may become clogged with repetitive options you don’t need to see every time. Removing these can declutter the suggestions dropdown.

Children using your devices

If children use your computer or devices, they may search for terms you don’t want tied to your search profile. Deleting those entries keeps your suggestions tailored to your interests.

How to delete search suggestions in Google

Google provides a few methods to manage your search suggestions:

Delete suggestions in real-time

As you conduct searches on Google, you can delete individual terms from the dropdown suggestions list:

1. Click on the search bar to bring up suggestions
2. Hover over an entry you want to delete
3. Click the “X” that appears to the right of the suggestion to delete it

This removes the term from your immediate search session. However, it may reappear in future sessions if it’s a commonly searched term among all users.

Clear suggestions from your account history

To more permanently remove search suggestions associated specifically with your account activity:

1. Click on your account icon in the top right
2. Go to “Manage your Google Account”
3. Click “Data & Personalization” on the left menu
4. Select “Web & App Activity”
5. Click “Manage Activity”
6. Use the search bar to find the terms you want to remove, then click “Delete” next to each one

This will delete the terms from your account’s search history that’s used to generate suggestions.

Turn search suggestions off

If you want to disable search suggestions entirely:

1. Go to “Settings” by clicking on the top right account icon
2. Click “Search settings”
3. Turn off “Autocomplete searches and URLs”

This will prevent any search suggestions from appearing, giving you a blank search box. However, it applies broadly rather than letting you delete individual terms.

How to delete search suggestions in Bing

Bing also lets you manage search suggestions:

Delete from current session

Similar to Google, you can remove a term from the current set of suggestions:

1. Hover over the suggestion
2. Click the “X” icon

Clear suggestion history

To delete terms from your account-specific suggestion history in Bing:

1. Click on your profile icon
2. Go to Privacy Dashboard
3. Click “Manage search history”
4. Find the terms you want to remove and select “Delete”

This will prevent them from appearing as personalized suggestions tied to your account.

Disable search suggestions

If you want to turn off search suggestions completely:

1. Click on your profile icon
2. Go to Privacy Dashboard
3. Toggle “Show search suggestions” off

Similar to Google, this disables the feature entirely rather than deleting individual terms.

How to delete search suggestions on YouTube

The process is similar on YouTube:

Delete from current session

1. Hover over the suggestion below the search bar
2. Click the “X” icon next to it

Clear from history

To remove terms from your account-specific YouTube search history:

1. Click your account icon
2. Go to “History”
3. Find the searches you want to delete and click “Remove”

Turn off suggestions

You can disable search suggestions altogether by:

1. Going to “Settings”
2. Deselecting “Search suggestions”

Again, this disables the feature completely rather than deleting individual terms.

Other search engines

Most other search engines like Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, and Ecosia have similar options for deleting individual search suggestions or disabling the feature entirely. Look for a delete “X” icon next to suggestions or search settings related to “autocomplete” or “search suggestions.”

Conclusion

In summary, all major search engines give you some ability to delete search suggestions, either individually or by disabling the feature. This can help with privacy concerns, removing redundant or irrelevant suggestions, and managing suggestions when a computer is shared with others. Take advantage of these options to keep your search experience clean and tailored to your needs.