Where your browser stores cookies and how to delete them

Cookies are small files your browser saves when you visit websites. They store login information, preferences, and tracking data. To clear them, you open your browser's settings, find the privacy or history section, and delete cookies from a specific date range or all time. The exact steps depend on which browser you use — Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge all have slightly different menus, but the process takes less than a minute.

When you clear cookies, you'll be logged out of most websites. You'll also lose saved preferences like language settings or items in shopping carts. Some websites may load more slowly the next time you visit because they can't use stored data to remember your settings. This is temporary — the sites will rebuild that data as you use them again.

Key Takeaways

  • Clearing cookies logs you out of websites and removes tracking data, but does not delete your account or browsing history unless you also clear those separately.
  • Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge all have a "Clear browsing data" or "Clear history" option in settings that lets you choose what to delete and from what time period.
  • You can clear cookies for all websites at once or delete cookies from a single site through your browser's site settings menu.
  • Clearing cookies regularly does not speed up your browser or free up much storage, but it does reduce the data websites can use to track you across the internet.

How to clear cookies in Chrome

Open Chrome and click the three vertical dots in the top right corner. Select "Settings," then click "Privacy and security" on the left side. Choose "Clear browsing data." A window will pop up with options for what to delete — make sure "Cookies and other site data" is checked. At the top, select the time range: "All time" clears everything, or you can choose "Last hour," "Last 24 hours," "Last 7 days," "Last 4 weeks," or "Last 3 months."

Click "Clear data" and Chrome will remove the cookies. You can also clear cookies for a single website by clicking the lock icon next to the website address in the address bar, then clicking "Cookies and site permissions," finding the cookie you want to delete, and clicking the trash icon next to it.

How to clear cookies in Firefox

Open Firefox and click the three horizontal lines in the top right corner. Select "Settings," then click "Privacy & Security" on the left. Under "Cookies and Site Data," click "Clear Data." A window appears with two checkboxes — make sure "Cookies and Site Data" is checked. The "Cached Web Content" checkbox is separate and controls temporary files, not cookies. Click "Clear" to remove the cookies.

Firefox also lets you set cookies to clear automatically when you close the browser. In the same "Privacy & Security" section, find "Cookies and Site Data" and check the box that says "Delete cookies and site data when Firefox is closed." After that, Firefox will clear all cookies every time you shut down the browser.

How to clear cookies in Safari

Open Safari and click "Safari" in the menu bar at the top of the screen. Select "Settings," then click the "Privacy" tab. Click "Manage Website Data" to see all stored cookies and site data. You can select individual websites and click "Remove" to delete their cookies, or click "Remove All" to clear everything at once.

Safari does not have a single "clear all cookies" button in the main settings like other browsers do. If you want to clear cookies automatically, go back to the Privacy tab and check "Remove all website data when quitting Safari." This will delete all cookies each time you close the browser.

How to clear 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 appear — make sure "Cookies and other site data" is checked. Select your time range at the top: "All time," "Last hour," "Last 24 hours," "Last 7 days," "Last 4 weeks," or "Last 3 months."

Click "Clear now" to delete the cookies. You can also set Edge to clear cookies automatically by turning on "Clear browsing data" at the top of the same page and selecting "Every time you close the browser." Edge will then delete all cookies when you shut it down.

The difference between clearing cookies, cache, and history

Cookies, cache, and history are three separate things, and clearing one does not clear the others. Cookies are small data files websites store about you. Cache is temporary copies of images, videos, and web pages your browser saves to load websites faster. History is the list of websites you have visited, which appears in your browser's history menu.

When you clear browsing data, most browsers let you choose which of these three to delete. If you only want to clear cookies, uncheck the boxes for "Cache" and "History" before clicking clear. If you want to delete everything, check all three boxes. Clearing your history does not delete cookies or cache, and clearing cookies does not erase the websites you visited — your browser still remembers you went there.

When to clear cookies and what it actually does

Clearing cookies removes data that websites use to recognize you and track your activity across the internet. Advertisers use cookies to follow you from site to site and show you targeted ads based on what you have looked at. Clearing cookies breaks some of that tracking, though it does not stop all of it — websites can also track you through your IP address, device fingerprinting, and login accounts.

Clearing cookies does not speed up your browser or free up meaningful storage space. Cookies are tiny files, usually measured in kilobytes. Clearing them will not noticeably improve performance. However, clearing cookies regularly does reduce the amount of tracking data stored on your computer, which some people prefer for privacy reasons. If you want ongoing privacy without manually clearing cookies each time, you can use your browser's private or incognito mode, which does not save cookies after you close the window.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will clearing cookies delete my passwords?

No. Passwords are stored separately from cookies. When you clear cookies, you will be logged out of websites, but your saved passwords remain in your browser's password manager. You can log back in using those saved passwords. If you want to delete saved passwords, you must go to your browser's password settings separately.

Can I clear cookies from just one website?

Yes. In Chrome, click the lock icon next to the website address and select "Cookies and site permissions," then delete the cookie. In Firefox, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Manage Data, find the website, and click "Remove." In Safari, go to Privacy > Manage Website Data, select the site, and click "Remove." In Edge, there is no single-site option in the main menu, but you can use the address bar lock icon like Chrome.

What happens if I clear cookies while logged into a website?

You will be logged out immediately or the next time you refresh the page. The website will no longer recognize you because the cookie that proved your login is gone. You can log back in using your username and password, and the website will create a new cookie.

Do I need to clear cookies regularly?

Not for performance reasons — clearing cookies does not speed up your browser. If you want to reduce tracking, clearing cookies monthly or quarterly helps, but it is not necessary. Using private or incognito mode for browsing prevents cookies from being saved in the first place, which is more effective than clearing them after the fact.

Will clearing cookies affect my saved credit card information?

No. Credit card information saved in your browser is stored separately from cookies. Clearing cookies will not delete saved payment methods. If you want to remove saved credit cards, you must go to your browser's payment settings and delete them manually.