Browser history questions, answered
Checked 3 November 2026. We make historoo, so weigh what we say about it accordingly.
Short answers to the things people most often ask about browser history: why it can’t find something, how long it lasts, and what else can help.
Why can’t I find a page in my Chrome history?
Chrome’s history only searches the titles and addresses of the pages you visited, not what was on them. If you remember a photo, a video or a line of text but not the page’s title, a search won’t match it. Other common reasons: the visit was more than about 3 months ago, so Chrome has deleted it; it was in an incognito window, which isn’t saved; it was on another device and sync is off; or a cleaner or “clear browsing data” removed it.
Try a few different words from the likely title, scroll to the day you saw it, and check Tabs from other devices. Our guide How to find a website you visited but can’t remember walks through seven ways.
How long does Chrome keep my browsing history?
About 3 months (90 days). After that Chrome deletes it, and there’s no setting to keep more. To keep it longer you need something that saves a copy, like Google My Activity, an extension, or exporting it yourself. How to keep your Chrome history for longer than 3 months compares the options.
Can I search my browser history for a picture or video I saw?
Not with the browser’s own history, because it never saved the pictures. You need a tool that saves them while you browse. historoo is a Chrome extension that does this: it keeps the pictures, videos and headlines that were on your screen, works out what each picture shows on your own computer, and lets you search by what you remember, like “red car” or “cat on a chair”. It can also find a video from words spoken in it, if you had captions on. It only works from when you install it.
What’s the best Chrome extension for browser history?
It depends on what you need. To manage, clean up or export Chrome’s existing history, Better History is a good free choice. To keep Chrome’s history past 3 months with charts, History Trends Unlimited. To find things by what they showed, like a picture or a video, historoo. If you only remember the site or the title, Chrome’s own history (Ctrl+H) is enough. The best ways to search your Chrome history compares them, and says plainly which one is ours.
Is there a private alternative to Chrome history that doesn’t upload my browsing?
Yes. historoo keeps your history on your own computer and never sends it to us. Free needs no account. Pro can sync between your computers through your own Google Drive, encrypted on your computer first with a passphrase only you know, so we can’t read it. It never saves incognito windows or sign-in pages, and skips banking and health sites it knows about unless you turn them on. The privacy policy has the details.
Can ChatGPT, Claude or another AI search my browsing history?
Not on its own: AI chat apps can’t see your browser. With historoo Pro you can connect an AI app that supports MCP, such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor or VS Code, to the history historoo saved. It runs on your computer and historoo’s server is never part of it. You can also download your history as a file to give to any AI chat. See historoo for AI apps.
Can I see how much time I spend on websites in Chrome?
Chrome doesn’t show it. historoo shows your screen time by site and by day, and an optional weekly recap, all worked out on your computer from what it saved. Chrome extensions for screen time and tidy tabs compares it with other time trackers.
What is historoo?
historoo is a Chrome extension for better browser history. It remembers what you actually saw online, not just page titles, so you can find that picture, video or page you half remember, see where your time goes, and close tabs knowing you can get them back. Everything stays on your computer. It’s on the Chrome Web Store.
Is historoo free?
Yes. Free keeps the last 7 days, with no account. Pro keeps everything for as long as you choose, syncs between your computers, reads the words in screenshots and connects to AI apps. Pro is free during the beta.
Which browsers does historoo work in?
Chrome, on Windows, macOS, Linux and ChromeOS. Edge and Firefox are coming soon.
Can historoo find things from before I installed it?
Partly. It can bring in Chrome’s existing history, which is page titles and addresses only. Pictures, videos and headlines are saved from when you install it.
Try historoo
Free, with no account. Your history stays on your computer.