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A step-by-step guide to erasing everything you search for on Facebook

Updated Dec 24th, 2014 11:26AM EST
How To Erase Facebook Search History

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Let’s be honest for a moment: there are times when you would prefer that the people in your life don’t see the things you’ve searched for on Facebook. Maybe it’s that ex-boyfriend or girlfriend you can’t help but Facebook-stalk, or perhaps it’s that One Direction fan page you refuse to follow but can’t stop checking. Whatever the case, we’re not here to judge. Instead, we’re here to protect you from prying eyes by showing you how to erase your Facebook search history in a few easy steps.

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Facebook saves your search history for two main reasons. First, the company uses that information in building a profile of you that helps it serve advertising that is better targeted to your interests. After all, the more accurate the user profiles Facebook builds, the more it can charge advertisers by convincing them that its ad platform is more effective than platforms offered by its rivals.

Also, saving your search history lets Facebook make future searches for the same content easier.

Search history can certainly be helpful, but that convenience doesn’t outweigh the possible negative implications for many users. So Business Insider put together a guide that will help you erase your Facebook search history in a few easy steps.

There really isn’t much to it. All you have to do is choose “Activity Log” from the settings dropdown on your profile page, open the search history page and then delete whatever you want. You can clear specific items one at a time, or you can delete your entire search history in a couple of clicks.

For the full guide with illustrations, follow the link below in our source section.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.