Google Privacy Checkup: A Plain Guide With Trade-offs

To do a Google Privacy Checkup, sign in to your own Google Account, open Privacy Checkup and work through what Google saves about you, what ads can use, and what other people can see. Google's help describes the checkup as a way to review and choose the settings that suit you, because privacy needs differ. This guide walks the same ground in plain English and is honest about the trade-offs: almost every privacy setting trades some convenience or personalisation for less data kept. Google renames and moves these controls often, so where an exact path matters we describe it loosely and link the official help page.

This is the privacy side: what is saved and who sees it. The security side, meaning signed-in devices, 2-Step Verification, passkeys and recovery options, is in Google Account Security Checkup: a step-by-step guide, so we do not repeat it here. If your account has already been taken over, go to the Gmail recovery guide instead: Gmail hacked: what to do in the first hour.

Do this now: the 20-minute pass

1. Start from your account, not an email. Open your Google Account yourself and find Privacy Checkup. An email that urges you to "review your privacy" and carries its own button is a common phishing shape.
2. Open My Activity and look at what is being saved: searches, sites and apps, YouTube, and so on.
3. Decide what to keep saving. For each history setting, choose between keep, auto-delete after a period, or turn off.
4. Pick an auto-delete period if you want older activity to clear itself.
5. Check Timeline (location history) and decide if you want it on.
6. Open My Ad Center and decide on personalised ads.
7. Open About me and check who can see your name, photo, email, birthday and phone number.
8. Review Gemini Apps activity if you use it.
9. Know your exit options: download your data with Takeout, delete single items, or delete everything.

You can rehearse these choices in the Google Privacy Checkup Lab, a scenario with fictional people where nothing real is at stake.

1. My Activity: what Google saves to your account

Google's help says that activity such as searches, websites visited and videos watched can appear in My Activity, and that items may include details such as location, device and apps. It also says activity is saved only when you are signed in to your Google Account. In My Activity you can see saved activity, delete single items or everything, and turn off saving for a setting.

The settings are grouped, for example Web & App Activity and YouTube History. Google notes that settings for Search services have been updated gradually and that Web & App Activity still controls history and personalised recommendations if what you see does not match its help page. That is a reminder to trust the labels on your screen and the official page over any guide, including this one.

The trade-off: saved activity is what lets Google personalise results and recommendations. Turning a setting off, or deleting history, usually means less personalised results and suggestions, and no "pick up where you left off" in some services. For many people that is a fair price. For others it is annoying. Both are reasonable choices.

2. Auto-delete: a middle path

If you do not want to choose between "keep everything forever" and "turn it all off", auto-delete is the middle path. Google's help says you can have activity deleted automatically after it has been in your account for a set time, and the periods offered in its help pages are 3, 18 or 36 months, or not to auto-delete. You choose it under the history setting you want to manage, then confirm.

Two details from Google's pages are worth knowing. First, deleting is staged: Google says it first removes the activity from view, so it is no longer used to personalise your experience, and then begins deleting it from storage systems. Second, Google says it may keep some data longer for business or legal reasons, and that location information and IP addresses saved in Web & App Activity are deleted after 30 days. Also, deleting from My Activity does not clear your browser history; in Chrome you clear that separately.

The trade-off: a shorter period means less history on file but also less to personalise from. Only you can decide what suits you; Google lists 3, 18 and 36 months as the choices.

3. YouTube history

Google's YouTube help says you can view history from My Activity, remove one video, delete a time range, pause watch history, or set auto-delete. Deleted history is not used for future recommendations, and videos watched while history is paused do not appear in your history. Pausing also lets you choose whether to include searches and voice activity.

The trade-off: YouTube says that if you have little or no recent history, some personalised features such as homepage recommendations may be removed. If you share a TV or tablet with a family member, pausing history is a simple way to stop one person's viewing from shaping another's suggestions.

4. Timeline and location

Google Maps Help says Timeline is off by default and only turns on if you opt in. When it is on, it saves visits and routes on each signed-in device and, in Google's words, the data comes directly from your device. If you turn on backup, Maps saves an encrypted copy to Google's servers so you can move it to another device. Timeline is kept according to your auto-delete settings or until you delete it. You can turn off or delete all of it from My Activity, but deleting only parts needs the Google Maps app on a mobile device.

Google also warns that deleting Timeline does not clear every location trace: other location data may remain if Web & App Activity or Search history is on, and data may stay on other signed-in devices until you delete everything.

The trade-off: Timeline powers "where was I last Tuesday" and commute hints. Leave it off if you never use those. Your phone's own location permission per app is a separate setting and worth reviewing in your phone's privacy settings.

5. Ads: My Ad Center

Google's My Ad Center help says that on Google services, personalised ads can draw on your My Ad Center choices, account info such as age and gender, and saved activity such as searches and videos watched. On partner sites and apps they can use info you gave that site and your interactions with it. When you turn personalised ads off, Google says ads become non-personalised and rely on context such as the page topic, time of day or your current location, and your saved topic and brand preferences are deleted.

Google also lists what this does not do. It does not stop ads altogether, and it does not change ads from other ad networks or from sites running their own ad platforms, such as some social media apps. Signed out, the choices apply only to the browser or device you are using. On Android you can reset or delete your advertising ID, though Google notes apps may use other identifiers.

The trade-off: you will still see ads, they just match your interests less. Some people prefer relevant ads; others prefer less profiling. Pick on purpose rather than by default.

6. About me: what other people can see

In your Google Account, Personal info has a "Choose what others see" section with an About me page. Google's help says that for each type of info you can choose who sees it, with options including Only you, Anyone, People you interact with, Your organization and Family. It lists your name, nickname, profile picture, cover photo and Google Account email as info that may be shown to people you contact or share with, and says your name and picture appear in most Google services. Birthday and personal contact info such as a phone number can be shown or hidden. Some items, like your name and date of birth, can be edited but not removed.

There is also a profile discovery setting that controls what people who have your phone number or email, but have not interacted with you, can see. You can show a full or shortened name, or hide your photo. Google's page does not state the default for each item, so open About me and read what yours says today. Google Maps and Search profiles can use their own name and photo.

The trade-off: a visible name and photo help friends, family and colleagues recognise you in shared documents and calendars. A shortened name and no photo reduce what strangers learn, at the cost of looking less familiar.

7. Gemini and assistant activity

Google's Gemini Apps help says Keep Activity is on by default for users aged 18 and over, and that activity older than 18 months is auto-deleted by default, with choices of 3, 18 or 36 months, or no auto-delete. You can turn Keep Activity off, or turn it off and delete activity at the same time. Letting Google use your audio and Gemini Live recordings to improve services is off by default and needs Keep Activity on.

Two details people miss. Google says that with Keep Activity off, and for temporary chats, conversations may still be kept for 72 hours to provide the service and process feedback. And a subset of chats can be reviewed by human reviewers, including trained service providers, after being disconnected from your account, and reviewed chats can be kept for up to three years. Google's advice is not to enter confidential information you would not want a reviewer to see, and not to put login or payment details into chats. Work or school accounts are controlled by an administrator. Other Google assistants have their own controls; check each product's help page.

The trade-off: history lets you return to earlier chats and helps personalise answers. Turning it off or using temporary chats means less continuity. Either way, treat a chat box like a postcard, not a vault.

8. Chrome and Android basics

Keep expectations realistic. Google's Chrome help says Incognito limits what is saved on your device and ends the session when you close every Incognito window, but it does not make you invisible: websites, Google and networks such as an employer's or school's can still see activity. Bookmarks and downloads from an Incognito session are kept. Chrome also lets you delete browsing data separately from My Activity. On Android, review app permissions, location access and the advertising ID in your phone's settings; the exact menus vary by phone and version, so use your device's help page. Our iPhone privacy settings checklist covers the same ideas on Apple's side.

9. Download or delete your data

Google Takeout lets you download a copy of data such as photos, emails, documents and contacts. Google's help says products you use are preselected, you can deselect any, and delivery can be an email link or a transfer to Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive or Box. Archives come as zip or tgz files, most are ready the same day but some take longer, the email link expires after about 7 days, and you may need to re-enter your password. Google is explicit that downloading does not delete your data from its servers; deleting is a separate step. Scheduled exports can repeat every two months for a year. Work or school administrators can block downloads.

Deleting your whole Google Account is also possible, but Google warns that after deleting it you might not be able to get it back. Download first, and consider removing individual services or app access instead of the whole account.

How to tell your settings now match your choices

• You can say, for each history setting, whether it is on, off or on auto-delete, and why.
• My Activity no longer holds things you did not mean to keep.
• Your About me page shows only what you are happy for strangers to see.
• You know whether personalised ads and Timeline are on, and chose that on purpose.
• You know where your Takeout archive is and who can open it.

Prevent it next time: a checklist

• Run Privacy Checkup every few months and after any new phone or service.
• Set an auto-delete period rather than keeping everything forever by default.
• Use a separate profile or Incognito for sensitive searches on a shared device, knowing its limits.
• Keep passwords and card numbers out of assistant chats.
• Pair this with the security side: devices, 2-Step Verification, passkeys and recovery info, in the security checkup guide.
• Delete a Takeout archive when you no longer need it.

If you want to see how much of your information is findable beyond Google, try the digital footprint check.

Frequently asked questions

How do I do a Google Privacy Checkup?

Sign in to your own Google Account and open Privacy Checkup. Google's help describes it as a guided way to review and choose the privacy settings that suit you, because "one size doesn't fit all". Start from your account, not from a link in an email.

Does Google delete my history automatically?

Only if you choose it, for most activity settings. Google's help lists auto-delete periods of 3, 18 or 36 months, or not deleting automatically. For Gemini Apps activity, Google says activity older than 18 months is auto-deleted by default.

Will turning off Web & App Activity make Google stop knowing anything about me?

No. Turning off saving to your account stops that activity being stored in My Activity. It does not delete what is already saved, and Google says some data, such as security and legal records, may be kept for limited reasons. Incognito or signing out are other ways to limit what is tied to your account.

What happens if I turn off personalized ads?

Google says ads on its services become non-personalized, based on context such as the topic of the page, time of day or your current location. Your saved topic and brand preferences in My Ad Center are deleted. It does not reduce the number of ads, and it does not affect ads from other ad networks or sites with their own ad platforms.

Can I download my Google data before deleting it?

Yes. Google Takeout lets you pick products and get a zip or tgz archive. Google says downloading does not delete your data from its servers, the download link expires after about 7 days, and you may need to re-enter your password.

Is Incognito mode the same as a privacy checkup?

No. Google's Chrome help says Incognito limits what is saved on your device and that sites, Google and networks such as an employer or school can still see your activity. It is a different tool for a different job.

Sources

• Google Account Help: Take a Privacy Checkup
• Google Account Help: Find, control and delete the info in your Google Account
• Google Account Help: Delete your activity
• Google Account Help: Web & App Activity
• YouTube Help: Manage your YouTube watch history
• Google Maps Help: Manage your Google Maps Timeline
• My Ad Center Help: How personalized ads work
• Google Account Help: Control what others see about you across Google services
• Gemini Apps Help: Manage and delete your activity in Gemini Apps
• Gemini Apps Help: Your privacy and Gemini Apps
• Google Chrome Help: Browse in private (Incognito)
• Google Account Help: How to download your Google data

This is general guidance. Google's menus and wording change; follow the official pages above for the current steps.