How to Pause Search History and Watch History on YouTube

ByJim Miller

Pausing search and watch history on YouTube is a useful feature that allows you to stop saving the searches you make and videos you watch on the platform. Previously, these options were available directly on YouTube, but they have now been moved to the Google Activity page. If you're having trouble finding them, don't worry! In this article, we will guide you on how to pause and resume search history and watch history on YouTube from the Google Activity page on desktop web, Android, and iPhone.

Pause Search and Watch History on YouTube on Mobile

The YouTube app for Android and iPhone offers multiple ways to access the search and watch history options. Follow these steps to pause the history on your mobile device:

  1. Open the YouTube app on your phone and tap on the “Library” option at the bottom right corner.
  2. On the Library page, tap on “View all” next to History to open the History page.
  3. Tap on the kebab menu (three-dot menu) at the top right corner and select “Manage all history” from the pop-up menu.
  4. If you have multiple Google accounts, choose the account for which you want to pause the search and watch history.
  5. Select the “Saving your YouTube history” option to access the YouTube history settings.
  6. To pause watch history, disable the checkbox next to “Include the YouTube videos you watch” and tap on the “Pause” button in the pop-up.
  7. To pause search history, disable the checkbox next to “Include your searches on YouTube” and tap on the “Pause” button in the pop-up.
  8. If you want to pause both search and watch history, simply click on the “Turn Off” button for the entire YouTube history. Confirm by tapping on the “Pause” button in the pop-up.

That's it! You have successfully paused the search and watch history on YouTube. To resume the history, follow the same steps and enable the checkboxes for the respective options. Tap on the “Turn on” button in the pop-up to confirm.

Pause History and Watch History on YouTube on Desktop

If you prefer to use YouTube on your desktop browser, here's how you can pause the search and watch history:

  1. Open YouTube on your favorite browser and click on the “History” option in the left sidebar. If you don't see the sidebar, click on the hamburger menu at the top left corner to open it.
  2. On the History page, click on the “Manage all history” option on the right side pane.
  3. This will take you to the YouTube History settings on the Google Activity page. Click on the “Saving your YouTube history” option.
  4. To pause watch history, disable the checkbox next to “Include the YouTube videos you watch.”
  5. In the pop-up, click on the “Pause” button to pause the watch history.
  6. To pause search history, disable the checkbox next to “Include your searches on YouTube.”
  7. In the pop-up, click on the “Pause” button to pause the search history.
  8. If you want to pause both search and watch history, click on the “Turn Off” button for the YouTube History option. Confirm by clicking on the “Pause” button in the pop-up.

Congratulations! You have successfully paused the search and watch history on YouTube. To turn it back on, simply navigate to the same page and enable the checkboxes for the respective options. Click on the “Turn on” button in the pop-up to confirm.

Take a Break, YouTube

In addition to the watch history and search history, Google also saves your audio data when you use the voice search on YouTube. However, this data will be automatically paused when you pause the search history on YouTube. Alternatively, YouTube now offers the Incognito mode, which doesn't save your search and watch history. If you're interested, you can learn more about Incognito mode on YouTube and how to use it here.

That's all there is to it! Now you can easily pause and resume your search history and watch history on YouTube. Enjoy a more personalized and private YouTube experience.