TIPS: Prune Your Very Detailed Search History

It's easy to take the common Google search for granted. But if you take just a moment to really think about it, you might appreciate it for what it truly is: crazy superhero magic!

Just by typing a few words, a single person can achieve near-instantaneous access to all of the world's collected information. Want to know the capital of Moldova? (It's Chisinau.) Who played the mean judge in Ghostbusters II? (Character actor Harris Yulin.) How long does it take Neptune to orbit the Sun? (164.79 Earth years!) Bam, boom, POW!

As long as you have a connected device, you have the power to know just about everything—that's some Professor X stuff right there.

There are, of course, other capable search engines out there; some tailored to serve very niche audiences. But aside from fictional characters on the CW, is anyone out there really "Binging" anything?

While Google has grown to include numerous other pursuits, search remains the company's core product (and its most profitable, as well). With a decade-and-a-half of refinement behind it, Google search has evolved into a complex and beautifully versatile technology. (And one that alwaysworks. Have you seen Google.com go down? That's no easy accomplishment for the world's most popular website.)

While you probably use it just about every day, there may still be a lot you don't know about the old dependable Google search.

Prune Your Very Detailed Search History

If you click on over to google.com/history, you'll find a fascinating and (somewhat unsettlingly) comprehensive record of your Googling history.

This page provides lots of data about your personal search history. For example, I was able to learn that I have performed 34,868 Google searches (or, at least that's how many I've conducted when logged in with my Gmail account), I tend to Google the most on Thursdays and at around noon, and my top query has been my own name (because I'm totes narcissistic apparently!).

Google uses these past search results to tailor future search results (and to better target ads, of course). For example, if you often look up rap lyrics, a search for Boyz n the Hood might return results based on the 1987 Eazy-E song rather than the 1991 movie of the same name.

You have the ability to delete particular past queries by just checking the box next to the search and clicking the "Delete" button at the top. This pruning can fine-tune your future search results and keep annoying ads away.

If the whole thing creeps you out, you can turn off the tracking of your search history by clicking on the three dots in the top-right corner > choose "settings" > toggle "Your searches & browsing history" to off. Also, note some of the language in the disclaimer: Please note that even when this setting is paused, Google may temporarily store searches in order to improve the quality of the active search session. Remember, you can search or browse in incognito mode whenever you want to be more anonymous.Pausing your Web & App Activity doesn't delete any of your previous activity...

Should you choose to turn this off, keep in mind that you will lose much of the personalization that makes Google such a helpful tool. We all must make these decisions regarding our personal balance of convenience vs. privacy. No judgment here.