What Clearing Cookies Does on a Samsung Phone
Clearing cookies removes small files that websites store on your Samsung phone to remember your login information, preferences, and browsing history. When you clear cookies, websites will no longer recognize you automatically — you'll need to log in again the next time you visit them. This also removes cached data, which are temporary files websites save to load faster on your next visit.
Most Samsung phones let you clear cookies through the browser settings, whether you use Samsung Internet (the built-in browser) or Google Chrome. The steps differ slightly between the two, but both take less than a minute. You can clear all cookies at once or set your phone to clear them automatically every time you close the browser.
Key Takeaways
- Samsung Internet and Chrome have separate cookie storage, so you may need to clear cookies in both browsers if you use them both.
- Clearing cookies will log you out of websites and remove saved passwords unless you specifically protect them during the clearing process.
- You can clear cookies manually through Settings or set your browser to clear them automatically when you close it.
- Clearing cookies does not delete your browsing history, bookmarks, or autofill information unless you select those options too.
Clear Cookies in Samsung Internet
Open Samsung Internet and tap the three horizontal lines (menu icon) in the bottom right corner. Scroll down and tap Settings, then tap Privacy.
Tap Delete browsing data. A popup will appear with several checkboxes. Make sure Cookies and site data is checked — this is the main option you need. You can also check Cached images and files to remove temporary website files. Leave other options unchecked unless you want to delete your entire browsing history or autofill data.
Tap Delete at the bottom of the popup. The cookies will clear when ready. You'll see a confirmation message, and you're done.
Clear Cookies in Chrome on Samsung
Open Chrome and tap the three vertical dots (menu icon) in the top right corner. Tap Settings, then tap Privacy and security.
Tap Clear browsing data. A popup will open with a time range dropdown at the top — it's usually set to All time, which clears everything. If you want to clear only recent cookies, tap the dropdown and choose Last hour, Last 24 hours, Last 7 days, Last 4 weeks, or All time.
Check the box next to Cookies and site data. You can also check Cached images and files to free up storage space. Tap Clear data at the bottom. Chrome will clear the cookies when ready.
Set Your Browser to Clear Cookies Automatically
If you want cookies cleared every time you close your browser, you can turn on automatic clearing. In Samsung Internet, go to Settings > Privacy and toggle on Delete browsing data on exit. The browser will then clear cookies, cached data, and other browsing information each time you close it completely.
In Chrome, go to Settings > Privacy and security and toggle on Delete cookies and site data when you quit Chrome. This setting clears cookies only when you fully close the app, not when you switch to another app.
Automatic clearing is useful if you share your phone or want to keep your browsing private, but remember that you'll be logged out of websites each time you reopen the browser.
What Happens After You Clear Cookies
Websites will no longer remember you, so you'll need to log in again to email, social media, banking apps, and other accounts. Saved passwords are usually protected during cookie clearing — you can uncheck the password option if you want to keep them. Your browsing history, bookmarks, and autofill suggestions remain unless you specifically delete those too.
Some websites may load slightly slower the first time you visit after clearing cookies because they have to rebuild their cached files. This slowdown is temporary and usually unnoticeable.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Don't assume clearing cookies in one browser clears them in the other. If you use both Samsung Internet and Chrome, you need to clear cookies in each one separately — they don't share the same storage.
Be careful not to uncheck Cookies and site data by accident. If you only want to clear cached files and not cookies, you can uncheck cookies and leave only Cached images and files checked, but most people want both cleared together.
If you clear cookies and then when ready try to log back into a website, make sure the page fully reloads. Sometimes a cached page loads first, and you may think the login didn't work when it actually did.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will clearing cookies delete my passwords?
No, unless you specifically check the box for passwords during the clearing process. Passwords are usually stored separately from cookies. If you want to keep your passwords but clear cookies, leave the password option unchecked.
Can I clear cookies from just one website instead of all of them?
Samsung Internet and Chrome don't offer a built-in way to clear cookies from a single website at once. You can only clear all cookies or none. If you need to clear cookies from one site, you can clear all cookies and then log back in to the sites you use regularly.
What's the difference between clearing cookies and clearing browsing history?
Cookies are small data files websites store about you. Browsing history is the list of websites you've visited. Clearing cookies logs you out of websites; clearing history removes the record that you visited them. You can clear one without the other.
Do I need to clear cookies regularly?
It depends on your needs. If you share your phone, clear cookies regularly for privacy. If you're the only user, clearing cookies occasionally is fine. Automatic clearing on exit is a good middle ground if you want privacy without manual work.
Why do some websites ask me to clear cookies when they're not working?
Corrupted or outdated cookies can sometimes cause websites to load incorrectly or prevent you from logging in. Clearing cookies forces the website to create fresh ones, which often fixes the problem. This is a standard troubleshooting step for website issues.