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, items in your shopping cart, or your preferences. When you visit a website again, it reads these files to recognize you and load your settings faster.
You might want to delete cookies to free up storage space, improve browser speed, clear out old login information, or reduce the amount of data websites collect about your browsing habits. Removing cookies is safe and won't break your computer — the worst that happens is you'll need to log back into websites you use regularly.
Key Takeaways
- Cookies are stored in your browser, not your operating system, so you delete them through your browser's settings menu.
- Most browsers let you delete all cookies at once or choose a date range, and you can usually do this in under one minute.
- You can set your browser to delete cookies automatically when you close it, so you don't have to do this manually each time.
- Deleting cookies will log you out of most websites, so you'll need to sign back in the next time you visit them.
- The steps differ slightly between Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge, but all four browsers follow the same basic path: Settings > Privacy or History > Clear Cookies.
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 that appears. On the left side, click Privacy and security, then click Clear browsing data.
A window will pop up with several options. At the top, make sure the time range is set to what you want — All time will delete every cookie on your computer, while Last hour, Last 24 hours, or Last 7 days will delete only recent ones. Check the box next to Cookies and other site data. You can leave the other boxes unchecked unless you also want to delete your browsing history or cached images. Click Clear data and wait a few seconds for the process to finish.
How to delete cookies in Mozilla Firefox
Open Firefox and click the three horizontal lines (called the hamburger menu) in the top right corner. Select Settings. On the left side, click Privacy & Security. Scroll down to the section labeled Cookies and Site Data.
You'll see a button that says Clear Data. Click it, and a small window will appear. Make sure Cookies and Site Data is checked. You can choose to clear data from Everything or select a specific time range. Click Clear and the process will complete when ready.
How to delete cookies in Safari
Open Safari and click Safari in the menu bar at the very top of your screen. Select Settings (or Preferences on older versions). Click the Privacy tab. On the right side, click the button that says Manage Website Data.
A list of websites will appear with the amount of data each one has stored. You can click individual websites and then click Remove to delete cookies from just those sites, or click Remove All at the bottom right to delete all cookies at once. Click Done when finished.
How to delete cookies in Microsoft Edge
Open Edge and click the three dots in the top right corner. Select Settings. On the left side, click Privacy, search, and services. Under the section labeled Clear browsing data, click Choose what to clear.
A window will open with a time range selector at the top — choose All time to delete everything or pick a specific range. Check the box next to Cookies and other site data. Click Clear now and the deletion will finish in a few seconds.
How to set your browser to delete cookies automatically
If you don't want to manually delete cookies every time, you can tell your browser to do it for you. In Chrome, go to Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies and other site data, then select Delete cookies and site data when you quit Chrome. In Firefox, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data and select Delete cookies and site data when Firefox is closed.
In Safari, click Safari > Settings > Privacy, then check the box next to Remove all website data when quitting Safari. In Edge, go to Settings > Privacy, search, and services and toggle on Clear browsing data under the section that says "Clear browsing data". Once you turn this on, your browser will automatically delete all cookies every time you close it completely.
What happens after you delete cookies
After deletion, you'll notice that websites no longer remember you. The next time you visit a site where you had an account, you'll need to log in again. Shopping sites will no longer show your saved addresses or payment methods. Websites may also load slightly slower the first time you visit them after deletion because they're rebuilding their stored data about your preferences.
This is temporary — within a few visits to your regular websites, new cookies will be created and stored. If you set your browser to delete cookies automatically when you close it, this cycle will repeat every time you restart your browser. None of this causes any damage to your computer or browser.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will deleting cookies slow down my computer?
No. Cookies take up very little storage space — even thousands of them rarely use more than a few megabytes. Deleting them won't noticeably speed up your computer. However, if you're running very low on storage space overall, clearing cookies is one small step you can take as part of a larger cleanup.
Can I delete cookies from just one website instead of all of them?
Yes. In Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, you can go to your browsing history or site data settings and search for a specific website, then delete only that one. In Safari, the Manage Website Data window shows each site individually, so you can select and remove just the ones you want.
If I delete cookies, will websites know I deleted them?
No. Websites cannot tell whether you deleted your cookies or straightforward never visited before. They'll just treat you as a new visitor the next time you arrive, and they'll start collecting data again from that point forward.
Do I need to delete cookies regularly?
Not unless you want to. Cookies don't harm your computer, and most people don't need to delete them more than once or twice a year. If privacy is a concern, deleting them monthly or using your browser's automatic deletion feature is a reasonable choice.
What's the difference between deleting cookies and clearing browsing history?
Browsing history is a list of websites you've visited that your browser keeps for your own reference. Cookies are files websites store on your computer. You can delete one without deleting the other — most browsers let you choose which types of data to clear.