Clear cookies in Safari settings in three steps
Open Settings on your iPhone, scroll down and tap Safari, then tap "Clear History and Website Data." A menu will appear asking what time range you want to clear — choose "All time" to remove everything, or pick a specific range like "Last hour" or "Last day." Tap the blue "Clear History and Data" button at the bottom. Safari will remove your browsing history, cookies, and cached website files all at once.
This is the fastest way to clear cookies because Safari doesn't have a separate "cookies only" option in the app itself. When you clear history and website data together, you're removing the cookies that websites store on your phone, along with the record of which sites you visited and temporary files those sites saved.
The process takes about five seconds and doesn't require you to open Safari first — everything happens in the Settings app. Your saved passwords and autofill information stay in place unless you specifically choose to remove them in a separate step.
Key Takeaways
- Safari on iPhone doesn't have a "cookies only" option, so you clear cookies by removing history and website data together through Settings.
- Go to Settings > Safari > "Clear History and Website Data" and choose your time range before tapping the confirmation button.
- Clearing this data removes cookies, browsing history, and cached files, but leaves your saved passwords and autofill information untouched.
- If you want Safari to stop storing cookies automatically, turn on "Privacy Preserving Ad Measurement" in the same Safari settings menu.
What happens when you clear cookies on iPhone Safari
When you tap "Clear History and Website Data," Safari removes three things at once: the list of sites you visited, the cookies those sites left on your phone, and temporary files (called cache) that websites stored to load faster next time. You can't pick just one of these — it's all or nothing in the standard clearing process.
Cookies are small text files that websites use to remember you. They track things like whether you're logged in, what's in your shopping cart, or what language you prefer. Clearing them means websites will treat you as a new visitor the next time you visit, so you may have to log back into accounts and your preferences will reset.
Your saved passwords, credit card information, and autofill data are stored separately and won't be deleted when you clear history and website data. If you want to remove those too, you'll need to go to Settings > Safari > "Advanced" > "Website Data" and manually delete them, or use Settings > Passwords and Autofill to manage them individually.
Clearing cookies without clearing your entire browsing history
Safari's standard clearing method removes history and cookies together, but you have one workaround if you want to keep your browsing history: use Private Browsing mode going forward. When you open a new Private Browsing tab in Safari, the app doesn't store cookies, history, or autofill data for that session. Close the tab and nothing is saved.
To switch to Private Browsing, open Safari, tap the tabs icon (two overlapping squares) at the bottom right, then tap "Private" in the lower left corner. You'll see a dark background instead of the usual white, which signals that Private Browsing is on. Any tabs you open in this mode won't leave traces on your phone.
The limitation is that Private Browsing only works for new tabs you open after switching it on. It won't retroactively hide cookies or history from sites you already visited in regular mode. If you need to remove cookies from past sessions without erasing your history, you'll have to use the full "Clear History and Website Data" option and accept that your history goes too.
Stop Safari from storing cookies in the first place
Safari has a setting called "Privacy Preserving Ad Measurement" that limits how much tracking data websites can collect about you. Turn this on in Settings > Safari, and Safari will block many third-party cookies — the ones that follow you across multiple websites to track your behavior for advertisers.
Safari also has "Prevent Cross-Site Tracking" enabled by default, which stops websites from using cookies to follow you from one site to another. This is already on for most users, but you can verify it's active by going to Settings > Safari and looking for that toggle.
These settings don't stop all cookies — websites you visit directly can still store cookies to remember your login or preferences. But they do reduce the amount of tracking that happens in the background. If you want maximum privacy, combine these settings with Private Browsing mode for sessions where you don't want any data stored at all.
When to clear cookies and what to expect afterward
Clear cookies when you've finished using a shared device, before selling or giving away your iPhone, or if a website isn't working properly and you suspect a corrupted cookie is the cause. You might also clear them if you're concerned about tracking or want to start fresh on a site where you've been logged in.
After you clear cookies, expect to be logged out of most websites and apps. The next time you visit a site, it won't remember your preferences — your font size might reset, your language preference might change back to default, or your shopping cart will be empty. You'll need to log back in to accounts, and some sites may load slightly slower the first time because they're rebuilding their cache files.
Clearing cookies won't break anything on your phone or cause data loss beyond what you're intentionally removing. Your photos, messages, and other personal files stay untouched. The only lasting effect is that websites lose the ability to remember you until you visit them again and they create new cookies.
Clearing cookies from specific websites only
If you want to remove cookies from just one or two websites instead of everything, go to Settings > Safari > "Advanced" > "Website Data." You'll see a list of every website that has stored data on your phone. Swipe left on any site name to reveal a red "Delete" button, or tap "Edit" in the upper right to select multiple sites at once before deleting them.
This method is useful if one website is malfunctioning and you suspect its cookie is the problem, or if you want to log out of a specific account without clearing your entire browsing history. You can see exactly which sites have stored data, which gives you more control than the all-or-nothing "Clear History and Website Data" option.
The Website Data list shows both cookies and cached files from each site. When you delete a site from this list, you're removing both, just like the full clear — there's no way to remove only cookies while keeping cached files, or vice versa.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will clearing cookies log me out of everything?
Yes, clearing cookies will log you out of most websites and apps because cookies are how sites remember that you're logged in. You'll need to log back in the next time you visit. Some apps that use their own login system (not browser-based) may stay logged in, but any site you access through Safari will require you to sign in again.
Do I need to clear cookies regularly?
Not necessarily. Clearing cookies occasionally is fine for privacy, but it's not urgent unless you're on a shared device or concerned about tracking. If you use Private Browsing mode regularly and have cross-site tracking turned off, cookies are less of a concern. Clear them when it makes sense for your situation, not on a fixed schedule.
What's the difference between clearing cookies and clearing cache?
Cookies are small files that remember information about you, like login status or preferences. Cache is temporary files that websites store to load faster next time. Safari clears both together when you use "Clear History and Website Data" — you can't remove one without the other through the standard method.
Will clearing cookies affect my saved passwords?
No. Saved passwords are stored separately from cookies and won't be deleted when you clear history and website data. If you want to remove a saved password, go to Settings > Passwords and Autofill, find the site, and swipe left to delete it individually.
Can I undo clearing cookies?
No, once you clear cookies they're gone permanently. Safari doesn't have an undo option for this action. If you accidentally cleared cookies you needed, you'll have to log back into accounts and reset your preferences manually.