What cookies are and why you might want to remove them
Cookies are small files that websites store on your computer to remember information about you — your login details, what you put in a shopping cart, your preferences. They make browsing faster and more convenient because sites don't have to ask for the same information twice.
You might want to delete them for privacy reasons, to free up storage space, or to troubleshoot a website that isn't working properly. Removing cookies won't break your computer or most websites, though you may have to log back in to accounts you use regularly.
The steps differ depending on which browser you use — Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari. Each one stores and deletes cookies in a slightly different place, but the process takes less than a minute once you know where to look.
Key Takeaways
- Cookies are small files websites store on your computer to remember your preferences and login information.
- Deleting cookies won't harm your computer, but you may need to log back into websites afterward.
- The steps to remove cookies are different in each browser, but all are found in Settings or Preferences.
- You can delete all cookies at once or choose a date range to keep some recent ones.
- Clearing your browser cache at the same time removes temporary files that serve a similar purpose.
How to delete cookies in Google Chrome
Open Chrome and click the three vertical dots in the top right corner. Select Settings from the menu, then click Privacy and security on the left side. Choose Clear browsing data.
A window will pop up. Make sure the Cookies and other site data checkbox is checked. At the top, you can choose a time range — All time will delete every cookie, or you can pick Last hour, Last 24 hours, Last 7 days, Last 4 weeks, or Last 3 months. Click Clear data and you're done.
How to delete cookies in Mozilla Firefox
Open Firefox and click the three horizontal lines (hamburger menu) in the top right. Select Settings, then click Privacy & Security on the left. Under Cookies and Site Data, click the Clear Data button.
A box will appear. Check the Cookies and Site Data checkbox. You can also check Cached Web Content to remove temporary files at the same time. Click Clear to finish. If you want to delete only cookies from a specific time period, use the menu at the top of the Firefox window instead: click History, then Clear Recent History, and choose your time range.
How to delete cookies in Microsoft Edge
Open Edge and click the three dots in the top right corner. Select Settings, then click Privacy, search, and services on the left. Under Clear browsing data, click Choose what to clear.
A window will open. Check the Cookies and other site data box. You can select a time range from the dropdown menu at the top — All time, Last hour, Last 24 hours, Last 7 days, Last 4 weeks, or Last 3 months. Click Clear now to remove the cookies.
How to delete cookies in Safari
Open Safari and click Safari in the menu bar at the top of the screen. Select Settings (or Preferences on older versions), then click the Privacy tab. Click Manage Website Data.
A list of websites and their stored data will appear. You can click on individual sites and click Remove to delete cookies from just those sites, or click Remove All to delete everything at once. Click Done when finished.
The difference between cookies and cache
Cookies store information about you — login details, preferences, shopping cart contents. Cache stores copies of web pages, images, and files so websites load faster the next time you visit. They serve different purposes, but both take up storage space.
When you clear browsing data in any browser, you usually have the option to delete both at the same time. Most people benefit from clearing both together, since cache files can also slow down your browser if they build up over months. The steps above include checkboxes for cache (called Cached Web Content in Firefox or Cached images and files in Chrome) — just check that box along with cookies.
What happens after you delete cookies
You'll notice that websites you visit regularly will ask you to log in again, because the sites no longer have your saved login information. This is normal and expected. You may also see that some sites look slightly different or load a bit slower the first time you visit after deleting cookies, because the browser has to read fresh copies of images and files.
Your browsing history is separate from cookies and is not deleted by these steps unless you specifically choose to clear it. If you want to keep your browsing history private, you can delete that separately using the same Clear browsing data or Clear Recent History menu in your browser.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will deleting cookies break my computer or websites?
No. Deleting cookies won't harm your computer or permanently break any websites. You may need to log back into accounts, and some sites might load slightly slower the first time you visit, but everything will work normally after that.
Can I delete cookies from only certain websites?
Yes. In Safari, you can select individual sites in the Manage Website Data window and click Remove. In Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, you can visit a specific website, open the site data settings, find that site in the list, and delete only its cookies. The exact steps vary by browser, but all browsers let you target specific sites.
How often should I delete cookies?
There's no set schedule. Many people delete cookies monthly or quarterly. If you're concerned about privacy, you can delete them more often. If you prefer the convenience of staying logged in to sites, you can delete them less often or not at all — it won't harm your computer either way.
What's the difference between deleting cookies and using private browsing?
Private browsing (Incognito in Chrome, Private Window in Firefox) prevents your browser from storing cookies and history while you're in that window. Once you close the window, nothing is saved. Deleting cookies removes files that were already stored. Private browsing is useful for one-time visits; deleting cookies is useful for cleaning up after regular browsing.