Remove Past Searches from Google Chrome’s Omnibar – How to

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One time I searched for Orange Juice in Chrome's Omnibar. Now, every time I start typing Orange, I get the search suggestion:

How do I get Chrome to stop offering me this search suggestion? If I need to edit some config file, I can do that.

Please don't post answers if you haven't ensured they work first. (This is intended to prevent people from answering "Press Shift-Delete.")

Clarification: I'd prefer a solution in which I can selectively delete entries, not just by time segment. I also prefer a solution that does not involve cancelling any Chrome functionality.

Best Answer

The term Orange Juice is stored in the C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default folder for Windows 7, and in /Users/{username}/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Default for Mac OS X, inside a SQLite database file named History (no file extension), in a table called keyword_search_terms. If you're looking to change URL predictions, the table is called 'urls'.

You need to make sure Chrome is not running, so open this page in another browser.

Next, download a SQLite database browser such as SQLite Browser (recommended for OS X), or the Firefox addon SQLite Manager.

With the Firefox addon, you can click on Explorer's address bar and paste %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default to quickly get to that folder.

SQLite browser doesn't show you the hidden files & folders you need on mac. You can choose "Go To Folder..." and paste the path to have the folder opened, or you can go to Finder and have all hidden files/folders shown. Follow these steps to show them. Then go to /Users/YourMacUsername/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome. Drag the 'Default' Folder to the sidebar as a shortcut. Then, in SQLite browser, click the open folder icon in the top left, and then the default folder in the finder sidebar. Select the file named 'History' with no file extension. Then find and go to 'Browse Data'.

Next, open up the keyword_search_terms table, and in the lower_term column, find Orange Juice delete the row and save changes. For URL predictions, open up the urls table and remove entries.

If you want to do this in one command, SQLite can run SQLite SQL scripts, too. Something like DELETE FROM keyword_search_terms WHERE lower_term = 'orange juice'.

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