What cookies are and why you might want to delete them
Cookies are small files that websites store on your computer to remember information about you — your login details, shopping cart contents, or browsing preferences. When you visit a website again, it reads that cookie to recognize you without making you log in a second time.
You might want to delete cookies to free up storage space, stop websites from tracking your activity across the internet, or remove login information if you share your computer with others. Clearing cookies also sometimes fixes problems where a website loads incorrectly or won't let you log in.
The process differs slightly depending on which browser you use — Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge — but the steps are straightforward and take less than a minute.
Key Takeaways
- Cookies are small files websites store on your computer to remember your preferences and login information.
- You can delete all cookies at once or set your browser to delete them automatically when you close it.
- Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge all have a "Clear browsing data" or similar menu where you can select cookies and choose a time range.
- Clearing cookies will log you out of most websites, so you will need to log back in the next time you visit them.
- You can also delete cookies from a single website without clearing all of them if you want to keep login information elsewhere.
How to clear 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. Make sure the Cookies and other site data checkbox is checked. At the top of the window, use the dropdown menu to choose what time period you want to clear — All time will delete every cookie on your computer, while Last hour, Last 24 hours, or Last 7 days will delete only recent ones.
Click the blue Clear data button. Chrome will delete the cookies you selected and show a confirmation message.
How to clear cookies in Mozilla Firefox
Open Firefox and click the three horizontal lines (called a hamburger menu) in the top right corner. Select Settings.
Click Privacy & Security on the left side. Under the Cookies and Site Data section, click the Clear Data button. A window will appear with two checkboxes — make sure Cookies and Site Data is checked. You can also check Cached Web Content if you want to free up more space. Click Clear to delete them.
If you want to delete cookies from only a specific time period, click the menu icon again, go to History, and select Clear Recent History. Choose your time range from the dropdown, make sure Cookies is checked, and click Clear Now.
How to clear cookies in Safari
Open Safari and click Safari in the menu bar at the top of your screen. Select Settings (or Preferences on older versions).
Click the Privacy tab. Click the Manage Website Data button. A list of websites will appear with the cookies they have stored. You can click on individual websites and click Remove to delete their cookies one at a time, or click Remove All to delete every cookie at once.
If you want to clear cookies from a specific time period, go to History in the menu bar and select Clear History. Choose the time range you want from the dropdown menu and click Clear History.
How to clear cookies in Microsoft Edge
Open Edge and click the three dots in the top right corner. Select Settings.
Click Privacy, search, and services on the left side. Under Clear browsing data, click Choose what to clear. A window will pop up. Check the box next to Cookies and other site data. Use the dropdown at the top to select your time range — All time, Last hour, Last 24 hours, Last 7 days, Last 4 weeks, or Last 3 months.
Click the blue Clear now button. Edge will delete the cookies and show a confirmation.
Set your browser to delete cookies automatically
Instead of manually clearing cookies, you can tell your browser to delete them every time you close it. In Chrome, go to Settings, click Privacy and security, and toggle on Clear cookies and site data when you quit Chrome. In Firefox, go to Settings, click Privacy & Security, and under Cookies and Site Data, check the box that says Delete cookies and site data when Firefox is closed.
In Safari, go to Settings, click the Privacy tab, and check Remove all website data when quitting Safari. In Edge, go to Settings, click Privacy, search, and services, and toggle on Clear browsing data under the Clear browsing data section, then choose what data types to clear.
With this setting on, you will be logged out of websites when you close your browser, but your computer will not accumulate old cookies over time.
Delete cookies from a single website
If you want to keep cookies from most websites but remove them from just one, you can delete individual site data. In Chrome, visit the website, click the lock icon next to the web address, click Cookies and site permissions, find the cookie you want to delete, and click the trash icon next to it.
In Firefox, go to Settings, click Privacy & Security, click Manage Data under Cookies and Site Data, search for the website name, select it, and click Remove Selected. In Safari, go to Settings, click Privacy, click Manage Website Data, search for the website, select it, and click Remove. In Edge, go to Settings, click Privacy, search, and services, click Manage cookies and site permissions, find the website, and click the trash icon.
What happens after you clear cookies
After you delete cookies, you will be logged out of most websites. The next time you visit a site where you had an account, you will need to enter your username and password again. Websites may also lose your saved preferences — for example, a news site might forget that you prefer dark mode, or an online store might clear your shopping cart.
Clearing cookies does not delete your browsing history, passwords, or autofill information unless you specifically select those options when clearing data. It also does not affect files you have downloaded or bookmarks you have saved.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will clearing cookies delete my passwords?
No. Passwords are stored separately from cookies. When you clear cookies, your saved passwords stay on your computer. However, you will be logged out of websites, so you will need to enter your password again the next time you visit them.
Should I clear cookies regularly?
It depends on your preference. Clearing cookies occasionally can improve privacy and free up a small amount of storage space, but modern browsers manage cookies efficiently. If you share your computer with others, clearing cookies before you stop using it is a good idea to remove your login information.
What is the difference between clearing cookies and clearing browsing history?
Cookies are files websites store to remember you. Browsing history is a list of websites you have visited. Clearing one does not clear the other — you can delete cookies while keeping your history, or delete your history while keeping cookies. Most browsers let you choose which data to clear.
Can I delete cookies without clearing other data?
Yes. When you open the clear data window in any browser, you will see checkboxes for different types of data — cookies, history, cached images, autofill information, and more. You can uncheck everything except cookies to delete only cookies.
Why does a website ask me to accept cookies when I visit it?
Websites ask for permission to store cookies because of privacy laws in many countries that require them to get your consent. You can usually click "Accept" to allow cookies or "Reject" to refuse them, though rejecting may limit some website features.