Every browser stores information about the browsing history, cookies, and files cache to improve user experience. You can browse in incognito mode in Google Chrome if you’re unwilling to store any of these data.
But what about the data that’s already collected in the browser? Do not worry about it!
Google Chrome and every other browser have a built-in option to delete and clear the data that has been recorded. You can remove browsing history, the site cookies, and the file caches from the browser anytime you need.
The cache computer and cookies are stored within the browser storage space, and browsing history is recorded. It is also synced with your Google signed-in account.
Clear Browsing History
Every page you visit and every keyword you search in the Chrome browser is stored and recorded in the browser storage.
Chrome offers the ability to delete the browsing history and provides the drop-down option to choose the time range to clear the history. Here are the steps to clear the browsing history:
- Launch Google Chrome on your computer.
- Click on the More
menu for options.
- Select Settings from the list.
- Scroll down to the Privacy and Security section, and select the Clear browsing data option.
- Choose the time range to clear only the history and enable the check box against Browsing history.
- Hit the
command button.
This will completely delete the browsing history and remove any browsing traces from the Chrome browser. The history will also be deleted from the Google account.
Clear Cache and Cookies Data
The browser cache is vital in fast loading frequently visited sites. Whereas the cookies help in staying signed in on the browser. However, these files and cookies can accumulate and grow huge over time. Hence, it’s recommended to clear cache and cookies intermittently.
Here are the steps to clear the cache and browser cookies:
- Open the Chrome app on your Computer.
- Click on the More
menu for options.
- Select Settings from the list.
- Scroll down to the Privacy and Security section, and select the Clear browsing data option.
- To clear the clear cookies and cache, choose the time range.
- Enable the check box against Cookies, other site data, and Cached images and files.
- Hit on the
command button.
This will clear the cache storage and delete site cookies from the Chrome browser. After clearing the cache and cookies, you might experience slow website loading as the cached assets are deleted.
There are also a few other site data stored in the Google Chrome browser, like password and sign-in data, form auto-fill data, download history, etc., which you can choose from the Advanced tab in the Clear browsing data window and hit the Clear data command button.
Reset the Chrome Browser
If you want to completely reset Chrome and remove the entire Chrome data from the computer browser, you can choose to reset Chrome. But use this option cautiously since the data, once deleted, is never recovered. Here are the steps to reset:
- Launch Google Chrome on your computer.
- Click on the More
menu for options.
- Select Settings from the list.
- Scroll down and click to open the Advanced Settings section.
- Again scroll down to the end until the Reset settings section.
- Select Restore settings to their original defaults option.
- Hit on the Reset settings command button.
It will altogether remove all the cache, cookies, and information that we have been storing in the Chrome browser.
You will also be logged out of the Google account. But your synced data like bookmarks, history, address auto-fill, and saved passwords will not be cleared and will reappear when you sign in again. The reset chrome should be used carefully.
Bottom Line
Google Chrome offers options to manage data and privacy. You can always clear the browser’s browsing history, cache storage, and cookies using the in-built options.
If Chrome is synced with other devices, removing history from the Chrome computer browser will also erase the data from Android or any other device.
Similarly, we can also clear the browsing data from Chrome Android. There is no in-built option to reset the settings in Chrome Android. However, you can clear the storage and cache from the App settings in Android.
How often do you clear the data from your Chrome browser? Did it help to resolve any problems after clearing data?
Lastly, if you've any thoughts or feedback on How to Clear Browsing data and Reset Chrome Computer, then feel free to drop in below comment box. You can also report the outdated information.