How to delete TikTok search history

TikTok logo with white delete tiktok search history text underneathTikTok/Dexerto

Clearing your TikTok search history can be crucial if you’ve got a new rabbit hole that you want to start going down, or if you’ve accidentally ended up on the wrong part of the app.

With the way TikTok is set up, as soon as you start watching a particular type of video for a while, you’re going to get recommended similar ones. 

Of course, you can filter things out by following different creators and topics on your Following section, but the For You Page is still going to be a collection of recommended clips that the platform thinks you’re interested in. 

Article continues after ad

In some cases, you might not fancy what the app is showing you and you’ll want to look up something else instead. That’s where the search comes in. Though, you may also want to delete that from time to time, just to keep things fresh. 

TikTok app on a phoneUnsplash: Collabstr

How to clear your TikTok search history

Of course, you can turn off watch history altogether, but if you just want to delete the last week or so of searches then doing so is easy.

Article continues after ad

You have two options for it, though. You can choose to ‘clear all’ and delete everything you’ve searched for in a recent window, or you can just delete selected searches and keep some others. 

To clear everything, you just have to open up your search history and click ‘clear all’ at the very bottom. Though, to just remove selected searches, just press the little ‘x’ next to the term you’ve searched for. 

  1. Open up the TikTok app
  2. Click the magnifying glass/search bar at the top of the screen
  3. Press the ‘x’ next to a specific term to remove it
  4. Click the ‘see more’ option at the bottom to show all your searches
  5. Select ‘clear all’ if you want to completely clear out your search history
  6. Click the ‘confirm’ option once you’re sure you want to remove it
Screenshot of TikTok search history with focus on clear all optionScreenshot via TikTok
Hit the ‘clear all’ option on your TikTok search history to delete everything!

Once you have cleared out your search history, your For You Page might get a bit of an overhaul right away and recommend more general videos – though, some of those previously watched clips might slip back in.

Article continues after ad

It’ll take a few watches on different types of clips to completely rework your FYP, but that’s up to you.

If you want to learn more about how to use TikTok, check out our other guides including how to find contacts on TikTok and how to use TikTok Stories.