How to Delete Google and Meta Data That's Been Collected About You

delete Google and Facebook data collected about you

Google and Meta have built detailed profiles of your behavior, interests, location history, and search activity over years. Most people have never reviewed this data. Here’s where to find it and how to delete or limit it.

Your Google Account: The Scope of Data Collection

Go to myactivity.google.com. You’ll see a detailed timeline of every search, every YouTube video watched, every website visited (if Chrome sync is on), every location logged, every Google Assistant query, and every app interaction. For most Google users, this goes back many years and is remarkably comprehensive. Take a moment to understand what’s actually there before deciding what to do about it.

Delete Google Search and Browsing Activity

At myactivity.google.com, tap Delete > Delete All Time > Delete. This removes all stored activity history. Set auto-deletion going forward: tap Auto-Delete and set it to every 3 months. For future privacy, go to myaccount.google.com > Data & Privacy > Web & App Activity and turn it off — Google stops recording new activity when this is off.

Delete Google Location History

Google Timeline (maps.google.com/timeline) shows everywhere you’ve been with GPS precision, often going back years. This is some of the most sensitive data Google holds. Go to Timeline > Settings (gear icon) > Delete All Location History. Also go to myaccount.google.com > Data & Privacy > Location History and turn it off. Set auto-deletion of any new location data to 3 months.

Download and Delete Your Google Data

Google Takeout (takeout.google.com) allows you to download a complete archive of everything Google holds — emails, photos, documents, location history, search activity, YouTube data, and more. Download it, review it, then delete the categories you no longer want Google to retain. You can delete specific Google products’ data while keeping others.

Facebook/Meta: Your Activity Off Facebook

Meta tracks your activity on websites across the internet that have Facebook buttons, pixels, or login integrations — even if you never click them. Go to Facebook Settings > Your Facebook Information > Off-Facebook Activity. Here you see every website and app that has reported your activity to Facebook. Tap Clear History to disconnect this data from your account and tap Manage Future Activity to turn off future tracking.

Delete Your Facebook Ad Interest Profile

Facebook Settings > Ads > Ad Interests. You’ll see the interest categories Meta has assigned you based on your behavior. Remove any that you don’t want used for targeting. Also go to Ads > Ad Settings and change data from partners and contact information to No, which limits some forms of behavioral targeting.

Instagram Data Download and Deletion

Instagram Settings > Account > Download Data to receive a full archive. To delete your Instagram data, you can delete your account entirely (Settings > Account > Delete Account) or request specific data deletion at the Meta privacy portal (privacycenter.facebook.com). The Meta Privacy Center now provides a single interface to manage data deletion requests across all Meta platforms.