TakeoutReader

Google Takeout Search History

Your Google search history is exported through Google Takeout as part of My Activity. Select My Activity at takeout.google.com, keep Search ticked, switch the format to JSON, and the archive arrives with My Activity/Search/MyActivity.json: every query you typed while signed in, with the date and time.


The My Activity page at myactivity.google.com lets you scroll and delete, but it shows your searches a day at a time. The export gives you all of them at once. This page covers how to export it, what is in the file, how far back it goes, and how to read it without code.

How to export your Google search history

  1. Go to takeout.google.com and sign in.
  2. Click Deselect all, then tick My Activity.
  3. Click All activity data included. Keep Search selected, and add Image Search or others if you want them.
  4. Click Multiple formats and set Activity records to JSON. The default is HTML.
  5. Choose ZIP, click Create export, and wait for the email.

An activity-only export is text, so it is small and usually ready within minutes. See how long Google Takeout takes for the full table, or the Google Takeout instructions for every setting.

What is inside MyActivity.json

The file is one long list of records. Each record has a header (the product, such as "Search"), a title, a titleUrl, a time in ISO 8601 format and a products list. Two kinds of record share the file:


  • "Searched for …". A query you typed or spoke, with a link back to the results page.
  • "Visited …". A result you clicked from those searches.

That is why the file is larger than your number of searches: it records what you looked for and what you opened. The HTML version holds the same records as a pre-rendered page, readable in a browser but hard to count or sort. For a general walkthrough of the raw format, see Google Takeout JSON files.

Sample data · your real report will look like this

Ad ProfileGoogle PhotosLocation HistorySearch ActivityYouTube HistoryChrome HistoryAndroid ActivityGmail

Search Activity

Free preview
Total searches recorded58,724
Most active periodsJanuary 2023, October 2022, March 2024
What this means: Google keeps a record of your searches. The full report includes all data categories and detailed insights.

Ad Profile

Every other section is a record of something you did. This one is what Google concluded about you from it.

Age range35-44
GenderMale
LanguageEnglish
Parental statusParent of toddlers
Marital statusMarried
Household incomeTop 21-30%
EducationBachelor's degree
Home ownershipHomeowner
Employer size251-500 employees
Interest segments147
Advertisers holding your details68
Ads recorded9,314
Ad personalizationOn

Google Photos

Photos in your library31,408
Videos1,962
Covering2016 to 2025
Busiest year2023
Countries photographed in11
Faces Google put a name to47

Location History

Total location records42,856
Countries detected14

YouTube Activity

Videos watched18,329

Chrome Browsing

Pages visited89,412

Android Activity

Activity records124,592

Gmail

Emails in archive24,891

What your search history looks like once it is readable

Sample data from a fictional account. Open your own Google Takeout ZIP to see your real totals. Free preview before you pay.

Read your search historyFree preview first. $9 one-time. No subscription.

How far back does Google search history go?

As far back as Google still holds it, which depends on your account. Search history is stored under Web & App Activity, and its auto-delete setting decides how much survives:


  • Accounts created since June 2020. Auto-delete is on by default and removes activity after 18 months.
  • Older accounts. Auto-delete stayed off unless you turned it on, so the history can reach back to when the account was created.
  • Your own setting. Whatever you chose (3, 18 or 36 months, or never) overrides the default.

Defaults checked October 2026. Takeout exports what is still stored. It cannot recover searches that auto-delete or a manual deletion already removed. To see what is stored about you across every product, read what does Google know about me.

What TakeoutReader shows from your search history

Drop the ZIP onto TakeoutReader and the Search section of the report gives you:


  • Total search activity. Every record in your Search activity files, queries and clicked results together.
  • Your most active months. The five months with the most activity, read from the JSON timestamps.
  • Top search types. The products your searches went through, such as Search or Image Search.

Months and search types are read from JSON. With the HTML format the reader can only estimate a total, so set Activity records to JSON before you export.

Have your search export? Read it now.

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Search history, Chrome history and My Activity

Three things get called "search history" and they are not the same:


  • Google search history. Your queries on Google, saved to your account. This page.
  • Chrome history. Every page you opened in the browser, in your account only if Chrome sync is on. See Google Takeout Chrome history.
  • YouTube search history. Searches on YouTube, exported with your YouTube history.

Clearing your Chrome history does not touch your Google search history, and the reverse is also true. The Google activity hub links every category together.

Keep the file private

A complete search history is one of the most personal files you can own: health worries, money questions, places, names. Do not upload it to a site that processes it on its server. TakeoutReader reads the ZIP in your browser, so it never leaves your device. For storing and deleting the export afterwards, see is Google Takeout safe.

Frequently asked questions

How do I download my Google search history?

Go to takeout.google.com, click Deselect all, then tick My Activity. Open All activity data included and keep Search selected. Open Multiple formats and set Activity records to JSON. Choose ZIP and click Create export. Google emails a download link when the archive is ready.

Where is my search history in the Takeout ZIP?

Under Takeout/My Activity/Search/. The file is MyActivity.json if you picked JSON, or MyActivity.html with the default format. Other products, such as Image Search or Maps, each get their own folder with their own MyActivity file.

Can I see my Google search history all the way back?

Only as far back as Google still holds it. Search history is part of Web & App Activity. For accounts created since June 2020, auto-delete removes it after 18 months by default. Older accounts, or accounts that switched auto-delete off, can go back to when the account was created. Defaults checked October 2026.

Is my Google search history the same as my Chrome history?

No. Search history is what you typed into Google Search, saved to your Google account under Web & App Activity. Chrome history is every page you visited in the browser, and it only reaches your account if Chrome sync is on. Clearing one does not clear the other.

Why does the file contain pages I visited, not just searches?

Google records both the query and the result you clicked. Records starting with "Searched for" are queries; records starting with "Visited" are the pages you opened from the results. Both belong to your Search activity, which is why the file is larger than your number of searches.

Does the export include searches made while signed out?

No. Only searches made while signed in, with Web & App Activity turned on, are saved to your account. Searches in a private window or while signed out are not in the export.

Turn your search history into a readable report

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