# Learn How to Erase X.com (Twitter) Saved Searches > Clearing saved searches and search history on web and mobile, and the ad settings that keep a record regardless. - Source: https://tweetsweep.com/blog/learn-how-to-erase-x-com-twitter-saved-searches - Published: 2023-10-25 - Updated: 2026-08-16 - Reading time: 5 min --- ## Recent searches So as an example, X has historical knowledge of everything you ever search and it shows that below the search bar when you next go to tap on it. Tap on the working search box, and most recent list pops up right away. They all have an X next to them, and a Clear all option — they also have the ability to be cleared one-by-one. The same controls that appear on the web are at the bottom of the search box. Unlike stuff in your account that is synced — this data saved on the device, so if you clean it up on one phone it doesn't get cleaned up on a tablet or another browser. It takes roughly ten seconds for the whole process. The visible list: that is the only piece of information someone sees as they pick up your unlocked phone. The search shows terms you searched a few minutes or days ago, whichever can indicate interests, locations or people that you do not want to be public. Clearing recent searches alone only removes this local suggestion data. This action does not erase the search from X's internal records or your timeline recommendations. Clearing the list from a device has to be done manually on each one if you want it removed from everywhere. ## Saved searches Saved searches are basically a search you have intentionally pinned for reuse again and again. Go to the search bar, click on overflow menu at top right of the search screen and tap Saved searches. This list includes every term or query you have ever saved. Open the three-dot menu next to a saved search and choose Remove You can also press Edit on the top right to multi-select entries and delete them all at once. They are saved to your account so deleting them from one device deletes them everywhere, and importantly saves search go across devices. After running the query to create a new search, use the same overflow menu and select Save search. This can be helpful for regular advanced searching you do, like tracking a word or accounts. Saved searches display in the search bar dropdown above your recent searches, meaning anyone who taps the bar sees them right away. If you only keep the ones that you actually use, you reduce clutter and what a peek reveals. ## Clear all option A Clear all button can be found on the search screen above the list of recent searches. On mobile, this is a raw text link right above the first recent entry. This is reflected in the web version as a button or link in a similar position. Tapping it clears all your recent search terms in one easy tap, much quicker than tapping each X. The action happens straight away with no confirmation dialog, so make sure you want to tap it. That means you can only remove it from the device on which you are using it. Clearing all recent searches does not affect saved searches. You have to do it on Saved searches screen, where you promote an individual search and in terms of actions remove or edit. With complete search bar being your goal, you will have to remove both the lists. So begin with Clear all for recents, then going to Saved searches and delete the unwanted ones. The entirety of the cleanup process takes less than a minute. ## What clearing does not remove Deleting the visible search list does not erase X's internal memory of what you have searched for. X also keeps the history of your search serverside and uses that information to be able to provide more personalized recommendations, trending topics and ads. The suggestion data from the search bar is a local cache, not the complete log. You can also use the following methods to limit how X uses your search history — if you go to Setting and privacy, then Privacy and safety. In Data sharing and personalisation, check the options under inferred interests and personalisation. Disabling access to these limits X ability to use your activity to recommend content but will not delete the actual data stored. Same goes for ad targeting. Open ads preferences to turn off interest-based ads specifically and to limit how X uses your search history to show you advertisements. These settings limit the degree to which X personalizes, but they do not delete the data. To delete your search history completely and have X erase all tracks of it, you can submit a data deletion request from X's privacy tools. Such a request can take weeks and may not be fulfilled in full. For the majority of users, emptying the visible list and updating privacy settings is the most practical way forward. ## Privacy beyond the search bar Your search history is only visible to your account. No other user has access to those searches you have performed recently or saved. The privacy threat is if someone has your unlocked phone or logged into your device. The list tells you terms you have searched previously, which can even be sufficient to compromise sensitive interests or plans. Clearing the list gets rid of that risk in a matter of seconds. Except for larger privacy exposure of your public writes which anyone can read, find and share without asking you. Your posts form the part that strangers read. Because every one of your tweets from all time, is available to anyone who visits your profile or discover any of your content through search. Edited for Update — All went smoothly: if you were tidying up purely to respect the privacy of your little nuggets, clearing searches is a simple minute-long task but getting rid of your posting history is priority number one. TweetSweep breaks that history down in a calendar format, allowing you to delete spans of time instead of individual posts. You can create a start and end date, go through the preview and within a single action delete everything in that window. ## Using TweetSweep with search cleanup First clear your Saved and Recent Searches as shown above. Then go to TweetSweep and sign in with your X account. The tool gives you a scrollable calendar with your entire posting history. Choose the date range within which you want to delete posts by clicking on that. You can select everything from single month or year, or select a custom range for partial cleanup. The preview also tells you specifically what tweets will be deleted before you confirm, so you don't lose anything that you'd like to keep. If you are automating tweet deletions, TweetSweep automatically respects X's deletion rate limits so it can run in the background without timing out. It will take quite some time (a few hours), depending on the number of posts in your account, to perform a complete clean-up. When the deletion process is done, your profile only shows the tweets you decided to keep. The X account of your sorry — and relatedly: with the cleanup of those search bar experts, you now have all the most important pieces of a private account on X in that there are no public posts that you did not artfully leave up and neither any form of visible search history.