How to Recover Deleted Chrome History [PC & Phone]
Google Chrome is one of the most popular web browsers on computers, mobile phones, and tablets. It records the browsing history of the device. Sometimes you may have undergone a horrible experience accidentally deleting your browser history on Google Chrome while accessing your PC or phone. It hurts when you have not done it intentionally, and it makes you lose access to an interesting page or window you just opened. Consequently, you also lose access to direct websites and videos on YouTube that you watch often, or even the passwords, bookmarks, and settings you saved in Google chrome are gone, too, with deleted Chrome history.
You don't have to create chaos as we are here to share some valuable methods to recover deleted Chrome history and make a spotlight on much other interesting information.
- Quick Navigation
- Part 1. How to Recover Deleted Chrome History on PC?
- Part 2. How to Recover Deleted Chrome History on Android & iPhone
- Part 3. FAQ
How to Recover Deleted Chrome History on PC?
Your browsing history includes data like cache, cookies, or History, wherein even if you opt to delete it, you are unable to erase all of it. The OS or the hardware stores erased or lost data in the form of folders and files. There are great ways to retrieve deleted Chrome history if you accidentally lost it. Check these practical ways below:
- Quick Navigation
- Method 1. Check your Google Account Activity
- Method 2. Use a Data Recovery Software
- Method 3. Use the "Restore Previous Versions" Option
- Method 4. Use Windows DNS Cache
- Method 5. Use Cookies
- Method 6. Use Log Files
Now let us get an insight into all these methods one by one and in detail below to recover deleted Chrome history.
Method 1. Check your Google Account Activity for Deleted Chrome History
If you are thinking about finding deleted History on Google, then apart from the interface for History, Google account activity can help you in this reference. With this option, you can search and scan through previously visited websites. You can also search for all the activities that are about Google services.
Limitation: You need to have a Google account to process this solution.
Step-by-Step guide:
- First, start by opening Google Chrome, then visit myactivity.google.com/myactivity. If it asks you for a sign-in, go ahead with the process.
- Now, by scrolling down, you can review your History of activities. Alternatively, to bring your search to a halt, you can also make use of the search box.
Method 2. Use a Data Recovery Software to Find Deleted History on Google
iBeesoft Data Recovery Software can be your best choice if you don't know how to find deleted History on Google. Whether it is its remarkable performance, ease of use, or engaging user interface, it helps you with an easy way to recover deleted Chrome history. The software also supports data recovery from external drive lending its hand to cater to multiple data recovery scenarios. With this software, you get a fix for all your problems related to data loss in a single click.
Step-by-Step guide:
- Complete downloading and installation of iBeesoft data recovery software on your PC.
- Now, move your mouse cursor on the option for 'Select Folder' and then proceed with clicking on the button for the 'Browse' option. If you import bookmarks into other partitions, you need to select the corresponding location. The location of Chrome history is usually:"C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default". please select this location.
- Once the scan is complete, please select the "History" file in the above folder and click the "Recover" button.
- Copy this file to "C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default" and reopen Chrome to view history.
Method 3. Use the "Restore Previous Versions" Option to Recover Deleted Chrome History
If you want to see deleted History on Google, restoring to previous versions can help you out.
Limitation: You should have created a prior data backup by using file history. Once you have configured it, it helps you make backups periodically and allows you to restore your PC to previous versions.
Step-by-Step guide:
- Open Windows Explorer, then fetch C:\Users\<USERNAME>\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default.
- Right-click on the Google folder, then go for the selection of Properties.
- Now go ahead to the tab of Previous Versions. You will be able to see the display of all the versions backed up for the Google folder.
- From the list, you can go ahead with choosing a version that has a date before you deleted Chrome history, then tap on Restore.
Once you get over the steps, fetch the section for History, and you'll be able to find Chrome's deleted History.
Method 4. Use Windows DNS Cache to Find Deleted History on Google
If you want to find deleted History on Google, then DNS or Domain Name System can help you. It holds the responsibility of not only seeing but storing addresses of websites that occur in correlation to their respective IP addresses. DNS also enables you to remember every website's IP address for connecting. The DNS Cache is also accountable for storing information about recently visited sites, so it gets easier the next time you revisit them.
Limitation: You may not find this method reliable for retrieving deleted Chrome history as it holds data of websites from all the apps connected to the internet and does not consider Chrome alone. Additionally, you may find that the cache data is not there or wiped out each time you restart your PC.
Step-by-Step guide:
- Start by pressing the R + Win Key from your PC keyboard, then go ahead by typing cmd and pressing Enter key.
- Go ahead by typing ipconfig/displaydns and pressing Enter.
- Read through the results to find the website of your choice.
Method 5. Use Cookies to Recover Chrome History
With cookies, you get to know which sites you visited recently or in the past. Cookies are text files that are tiny in size that point toward the browsing history. Unfortunately, these cookies sometimes become potentially risky but help you revisit the sites with a snap of a finger.
Limitation: Usually, cookies are specific to a website and can store information related to the particular website. So it's possible not to find the search history in a cookie.
Step-by-Step guide:
- Start by going to the Google Menu, then tap on the Setting.
- Now, by scrolling down, reach the Advanced option.
- Tap on Content Setting given under options for Privacy and Security.
It will enable the display of cookies for you, wherein you will get your hands on every information you are looking for.
Method 6. Recover Deleted Chrome History from Log Files
If you are thinking of finding deleted History on Google, then Log files may help you in this regard. For this, you have to use the index.dat file, which is a hidden file for the database on your PC and contains data of websites you've visited. So, once the index.dat file is available, you are enabled to list every webpage or URL you've browsed.
Limitation: Sometimes, it is hard to find index.dat log files.
Step-by-Step guide:
- You have to proceed with changing the settings of File Explorer to show the hidden folders and files available on your PC.
- Now, search for a file for index.dat.
- Once you're up with this, you'll be able to track down each URL and any website you've interacted with.
How to Recover Deleted Chrome History on Android & iPhone
Sometimes you may lose browsing history on Google Chrome by accident or while working on your Android or iPhone device. But you can recover deleted Chrome history with the following solutions.
Method 1. Recover deleted Chrome History with Sync
If you have lost or deleted Chrome history while working on your smartphone, you can use this method for recovery. You must have a Google account and Google Sync on the device. The sync helps in syncing Chrome's browsing history on your device.
Limitation: This method works if you have a Google account made on a prior basis. If you do not have a Google account, you will be unable to recover deleted Chrome history. Instead, your smartphone must also have sync enabled on a prior basis.
Step-by-Step guide:
- Open Google Chrome and go ahead by opening a webpage and typing https://www.google.com/settings/.
- As soon as you see your Google account, sign in with the same. You'll notice that Google has kept a record of everything regarding your browsing history.
- Now, move down by scrolling and reach to Chrome bookmarks. Herein you will see the browsing history that your smartphone has accessed. It will include things like apps and bookmarks, etc.
- You can restore any deleted history and get it in bookmark form.
Method 2. Recover deleted Chrome History Using Google Account Activity
If you want to get a recovery of your deleted Chrome History stored on your device, you may find a log for all your online activities on your Google account. It contains the visited websites and the terms you have searched for online. It is best to use this method if sync does not work for you.
Limitation: You must have already signed up for your Google account to work out this method efficiently. However, if you do not have a Google account, you will be unable to use it to recover your Chrome history.
Step-by-Step guide:
- On your smartphone, locate Settings and click on Google.
- Now tap on the option of Manage your Google Account.
- Herein, you can access all the settings related to your Google account. Go ahead by switching to the tab for Data and Personalization.
- You must reach the Activity and timeline by scrolling down. Then you have to click on the My activity option.
- You can use this method for iPhone and Android to open Chrome. Then you can proceed by navigating directly to My Activity. As soon as the My Activity dashboard opens, you will see your online activities lined up.
- You will be able to see a list of your search history as soon as you start scrolling down. The search history is available per date and time, and by tapping on any one, you can see further details.
- If you have any activity with actions from other apps of Google, there is a filter option for narrowing down your search. With the help of date and activity type, you can find Google chrome activity easily.
Conclusion
Quite several times, you may look for re-accessing the History of your Google Chrome pages to find crucial information. If you've accidentally deleted or lost these files unknowingly, you may lose hope of getting them back. But with the ways mentioned above, you can get since deleted Chrome history.
If you want to recover deleted Chrome history on your PC, check your Google Account Activity or use the "Restore Previous Versions" Option. Alternatively, you can use Windows DNS Cache, cookies, or Log Files. However, these methods have some limitations so you can use a powerful data recovery software by iBeesoft. It lets you get your deleted chrome history back in simple steps by utilizing its easy-to-use interface.
Furthermore, suppose you are looking for how to see deleted History on Google on Android and iOs devices. In that case, you can recover deleted Chrome history with sync and by using Google Account activity.
FAQ
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Due to different configuration files or installation locations, it will save the Chrome history file to different places. You can check it as follows.
- Open the Google Chrome browser.
- Type "chrome://version/" and Enter.
- Find "Profile Path" on the page that opens
- Copy the path (like C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default) behind and open it in Windows Explorer.
- In the opened folder, find a file named History.
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It's Chrome's profile, so we cannot view it directly. But, you can copy it to the Profile Path so that Chrome can recognize it automatically.
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The best option for checking deleted Google history on Google Chrome is reaching out to Google Account activity. Go with the My activity option and sign in to your Google account. Once you get your browsing data enlisted, see if Activity for Web and app turns on.
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Yes, you can make use of these ways to find deleted Google Chrome history:
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If you click the Del key to delete it, you can find it in the recycle bin. If you permanently deleted it with the Shift + Del key, you can use the following method to retrieve it.
- Install and run iBeesoft free data recovery software
- Select the lost History folder to start scanning
- Select the target file and click the "Recover" to save it to a location
- Copy it to the Google Chrome Profile Path
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Follow the steps:
- On your PC, go ahead by opening Chrome.
- From the top right portion, tap on More.
- Tap on History.
- Now, from the left, tap on Clear browsing data.
- In the drop-down menu, select the amount of History you wish to delete.
- Tick all the boxes you want to clear for browsing history.
- Tap on the option of Clear data.