How to Clear Recently Closed in Google Chrome

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: September 20, 2021 Tested

This wikiHow teaches you how to delete the sites listed under the "Recently Closed" section of Google Chrome for desktop computers and mobile devices. Whenever you simply open and close Google Chrome two times in a row, this clears out the recently closed history for that device. If you are logged into Chrome, you may still see recently closed tabs from other devices on your account, in which case you will need to clear the Recently Closed list from each device individually.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:
Mobile App

1
Open Google Chrome.
2
Reveal all open apps.
- On iPhone or iPad, double-tap the Home button.
- On Android, tap the Overview button (usually located on the bottom-right).
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3
Close Google Chrome. To do so:
- On iPhone or iPad: tap the drag Chrome up, off the top of the screen.
- On Android: drag Chrome left or right off the screen.
4
Open Google Chrome.
5
Tap ⋮ in the upper-right corner.
6
Tap Recent Tabs. The "Recently Closed" section should be empty.
- This will only clear the recently closed tabs associated with this specific device. If you are logged into Google Chrome, you may see recently closed tabs from other connected devices.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:
Desktop

1
Open Google Chrome.
2
Quit Google Chrome. On Windows, click ⋮ in the top-right corner and click Exit, on Mac, click Chrome in the top-left of the menu bar, then click Quit Google Chrome. You can also use keyboard shortcuts:
- On PC: Ctrl+⇧ Shift+Q
- On Mac: ⌘ Command+Q
3
Repeat the process. Open Google Chrome a second time and immediately quit it again a second time.
4
Open Google Chrome.
5
Click ⋮ . It's in the top-right corner of the Chrome browser window.
6
Click History. The recently closed list for your computer will now be cleared.
- This will only clear the recently closed tabs associated with this specific computer. If you are logged into Google Chrome, you may see recently closed tabs from other connected devices.
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Community Q&A

Question

When I click on "History" to clear my history, my "recently closed" sites show underneath it. How do I delete those?

Community Answer

To clear browsing data from your settings, just open Google a bunch of times to get it out of your recently closed tabs. If you worry about your History on your computer, you can also try to use Chrome's "Incognito Mode". It is a separate window that does not save any browsing history. You can access it by hitting Ctrl+Shift+N, or by right-clicking on the Chrome icon and choosing the option "New Incognito Window".
Question

How do I delete "recently closed" tabs from Google Chrome permanently?

Community Answer

Go to your Chrome history or simply just open new tab and press ctrl and H together, then select and close.