I downloaded everything Google has on me. It was a lot — years of searches, every place I’d been, videos I’d watched, and an advertising profile that knew me better than some friends do. The good news: once you can see it, you can take most of it back.
Here’s how to see exactly what Google stores about you, and how to shut off the parts you don’t want.
How to See What Google Has
Two tools show you everything. Google Takeout (takeout.google.com) exports a full copy of your data — email, photos, location, the lot. And My Activity (myactivity.google.com) shows your searches, YouTube history, and voice commands, item by item. Start there; it’s eye-opening.
What’s Actually in the File
- Search and browsing history tied to your account.
- Location Timeline — a map of nearly everywhere you’ve carried your phone.
- YouTube watch and search history.
- An ad profile — the interests and traits Google uses to target ads at you.
How to Take It Back
You don’t have to leave Google to rein it in. In your account’s Data & privacy settings:
- Turn on auto-delete for Web & App Activity (set it to 3 months).
- Turn off Location History if you don’t need the timeline.
- Turn off ad personalization so your profile stops feeding targeted ads.
- Delete old activity you’d rather not keep, in bulk.
While you’re tightening things up, your computer leaks data too — lock down the hidden Windows 11 privacy settings and audit the browser extensions that quietly harvest your activity.
Case Study: 8 Years of Location History, Deleted
A client in Charlotte’s Dilworth area was unsettled to find Google had mapped eight years of her movements. We walked through her Data & privacy settings together, turned off Location History, set auto-delete to three months, and switched off ad personalization. Same Google account, a fraction of the footprint.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I download my Google data? Go to Google Takeout (takeout.google.com), pick what to export, and Google emails you a download link.
Can I stop Google tracking me without deleting my account? Yes. Turn on auto-delete, turn off Location History, and switch off ad personalization in Data & privacy.
Does turning off ad personalization remove ads? No — you’ll see the same number of ads, just less targeted to your profile.
When to Call IT Carolina
If you want your accounts and devices set up for privacy the right way — without giving up the tools you use — we can do it in a single session. We help homeowners and small businesses across Charlotte, NC take back control of their data. See our home and home-office IT support, or give us a call.
John Jones
Senior IT Specialist, IT Carolina
John has 12 years of hands-on experience diagnosing and resolving computer, printer, and network issues for homeowners and small businesses across Charlotte, NC. He has helped hundreds of clients recover from Windows update failures, driver conflicts, and hardware problems — often resolving in a single remote or on-site session.