Maintaining privacy when browsing the Internet is a very important factor. Our personal data may be compromised if we do not take certain basic measures. This is the case of email, for example. Whenever we store an email and access it, a record remains in the search history. For example when we search for an attachment that we have received. In this article we are going to explain how to delete search history from Gmail and Outlook.
Why delete email search history
The main reason to delete search history in Gmail or Outlook is privacy. With the passage of time we store many emails of all kinds. Some may contain important attachments or have personal data that may also affect third parties.
At a certain point, we may be interested in deleting that history and not showing us the searches we have carried out. For example, if it is a business email account and that we share with other users, we may prefer that this record be deleted periodically.
The email provider itself can use that history to show us results based on what we have previously searched for. It is information that they can collect and that, once again, can affect privacy.
But another reason may be to simply have an account cleanup. In this way, the entire record of the searches carried out will be deleted. We can do this periodically or when we are really interested. It is a process that, as we will see, is simple on both platforms.
Steps to delete search history in Outlook
First of all we are going to talk about what to do to delete the search history stored in Outlook . It is undoubtedly a platform widely used both by private users and also at the business level. This option is available without having to do anything complicated.
We have to enter the Outlook web and log in with our data. Once we are inside, we must go to the Settings section, which appears in the upper right. Later we enter See all Outlook settings .
When we are inside we must go to the General section, which appears on the left. We click on Privacy and data and the section that interests us will open.
As we see in the image above, different options appear and one of them is Delete history . But we can also export it, if we are interested in having it downloaded. This will allow us to save it and access it at any time.
If we decide to delete it, the search history stored in Outlook will be automatically deleted. From that moment on, it will start recording the searches we do again, so we would have to delete it periodically if we want it to be clean.
How to clear your Gmail search history
The same that we have seen in Outlook we can do it in Google’s email service. Let’s see the steps to clear Gmail search history . Once again, the objective is to improve privacy and avoid having data that can be used by the service itself, even if it is for some usability improvements.
In this case we can use the Gmail mobile application. We have to go to the menu at the top left, enter Settings, General Settings and click on the three points that will appear at the top right to display a menu, as we see in the image below.
One of those options is Clear Search History . We just have to click and continue the process. It is simple and fast. We can do this from both Android and iOS devices. From then on, the search history will be emptied in Gmail.
In short, clearing your search history in Outlook and Gmail is very simple. We simply have to follow the steps we have mentioned. It is one more measure to improve privacy and prevent our data from being used by the service or by a third party.
Tips to improve email privacy
We have talked in this article about something very specific such as deleting the search history in both Gmail and Outlook. Now we are going to show some recommendations with which we can improve the general privacy of the account and avoid problems.
Do not expose the address
The first thing is common sense : it is important not to make the email address public. For example, we talk about not putting a comment in a public forum or article on a website and leaving the e-mail for anyone, including bots, can register the address without us knowing.
This could mean that they could include us in Spam campaigns and even be victims of Phishing attacks once they know certain personal data. Therefore, it is essential to protect the address and that it is not available to everyone.
Use only official apps
Of course, another important point to keep in mind is to only use programs that are official . We must at all times install secure applications and from reliable sites, whether from Gmail, Outlook or any other e-mail service that we are using on our devices.
This will prevent us from installing software that has been modified by third parties and that contains viruses or any other threat. We will avoid complications that pose a risk to privacy.
Have security programs
We must also take into account the importance of installing a good antivirus . For example we talk about Windows Defender, Avast, Bitdefender or any other option we have. This will also protect the programs that we have installed, such as the one to start the mail.
But also, in case we download a malicious file inadvertently, an antivirus can block it. In this way, we will prevent a virus from sneaking in that affects the performance of the computer or even steals passwords.
Have everything updated
On the other hand, it is essential to have the latest versions installed . This applies to the operating system and also to any program that we have installed, which could be Gmail or Outlook, for example.
On many occasions vulnerabilities arise that we must correct. Those flaws could be the entry point for an attacker. They could send you an e-mail with an attachment that, when downloaded, starts a process in the system that takes advantage of an uncorrected bug.
Ultimately, clearing your Gmail and Outlook search history can help improve privacy. We have also seen some essential tips to avoid problems that can compromise us in our day to day life.