Why you might want to clear cookies and cache

Cookies and cache are files your browser stores on your computer. Cookies remember your login information, shopping cart contents, and website preferences. Cache stores images, scripts, and other page elements so websites load faster the next time you visit. Both are useful, but they can also slow down your browser, take up disk space, or contain information you want to remove.

Clearing them is straightforward and takes less than a minute. The steps differ slightly depending on which browser you use — Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge — but the concept is the same in all of them.

Key Takeaways

  • Cookies store login information and preferences; cache stores images and page files to speed up loading.
  • You can clear both from your browser's settings menu without affecting your installed extensions or bookmarks.
  • Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge all have a "Clear browsing data" or similar option accessible through keyboard shortcut or the menu.
  • You can choose to clear data from the last hour, day, week, or all time depending on how much you want to remove.
  • Clearing cache may cause websites to load slightly slower the first time you visit them after clearing.

How to clear cookies and cache in Chrome

Open Chrome and press Ctrl+Shift+Delete on Windows or Command+Shift+Delete on Mac. This opens the "Clear browsing data" window directly. If the keyboard shortcut does not work, click the three-line menu in the top right corner, select Settings, then choose Privacy and security from the left sidebar, and click "Clear browsing data."

A window will appear with checkboxes for different data types. Make sure Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files are both checked. At the top, you will see a dropdown menu that says "All time" — you can change this to "Last hour," "Last 24 hours," "Last 7 days," or "Last 4 weeks" if you only want to clear recent data. Click the blue "Clear data" button at the bottom right.

Chrome will clear the selected data and close the window. You may need to log back into websites you visit frequently, since their login cookies have been removed.

How to clear cookies and cache in Firefox

Open Firefox and press Ctrl+Shift+Delete on Windows or Command+Shift+Delete on Mac. This opens the History panel directly. If that does not work, click the three-line menu in the top right, select Settings, then choose Privacy & Security from the left sidebar, and scroll down to the "Cookies and Site Data" section.

In the History panel, you will see options for what to clear. Check both Cookies and Cache. Use the dropdown at the top to choose the time range — "Everything," "Last Hour," "Last 24 Hours," "Last 7 Days," or "Last 4 Weeks." Click the red "Clear Now" button to remove the selected data.

If you are using the Settings method instead, scroll to "Cookies and Site Data" and click "Clear Data." A smaller window appears with two checkboxes: one for cookies and site data, and one for cached web content. Check both and click "Clear."

How to clear cookies and cache in Safari

Open Safari and click the Safari menu at the top of the screen (not the three-line menu — the actual word "Safari"). Select Clear History from the dropdown. A window will appear asking how far back you want to clear: "The last hour," "Today," "Today and yesterday," or "All history." Choose your preferred time range and click "Clear History."

This clears your browsing history, cookies, and cache all at once. Safari does not separate them into individual checkboxes the way Chrome and Firefox do. If you want more control over what gets deleted, go to Safari menu, then Preferences, click the Privacy tab, and click "Manage Website Data" to see a list of all stored cookies and cached data. You can select specific websites and click "Remove" to delete only their data.

How to clear cookies and cache in Edge

Open Microsoft Edge and press Ctrl+Shift+Delete on Windows. This opens the "Clear browsing data" window. If the shortcut does not work, click the three-dot menu in the top right corner, select Settings, then choose Privacy, search, and services from the left sidebar. Under "Clear browsing data," click "Choose what to clear."

A window appears with checkboxes for different data types. Make sure Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files are both checked. At the top, select your time range from the dropdown — "All time," "Last hour," "Last 24 hours," "Last 7 days," or "Last 4 weeks." Click the blue "Clear now" button.

Edge will remove the selected data immediately. Like Chrome, you may need to log back into websites after clearing cookies.

What happens after you clear cookies and cache

After clearing, websites you visit will load slightly slower the first time because your browser no longer has cached images and files. The second and subsequent visits will be at normal speed as the cache rebuilds. You will be logged out of most websites, so you will need to enter your username and password again the next time you visit them.

Your bookmarks, browsing history (unless you specifically cleared it), and installed extensions are not affected by clearing cookies and cache. Your saved passwords remain unless you specifically clear those too — most browsers have a separate option for password data.

Clearing cookies and cache on a schedule

If you want to clear cookies and cache automatically every time you close your browser, you can set that up in your browser settings. In Chrome, go to Settings, then Privacy and security, and look for "Clear cookies and site data when you quit Chrome" — toggle it on. In Firefox, go to Settings, Privacy & Security, and under "Cookies and Site Data," check "Delete cookies and site data when Firefox is closed."

Safari clears cache automatically by default, but you can adjust this in Preferences under the Privacy tab. Edge has a similar option under Settings, Privacy, search, and services — look for "Clear browsing data" and toggle on "Choose what to clear every time you close the browser."

Frequently Asked Questions

Will clearing cookies and cache delete my saved passwords?

No. Passwords are stored separately from cookies and cache. When you clear browsing data, your browser will ask if you want to include passwords — you have to check that box separately. If you do not check it, your saved passwords remain.

Can I clear cookies for just one website instead of all of them?

Yes. In Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, you can right-click on any website and select "Delete cookies for this site" or similar. In Safari, go to Preferences, Privacy, click "Manage Website Data," find the website in the list, and click "Remove." This deletes only that site's data without touching anything else.

What is the difference between clearing cache and clearing cookies?

Cache stores images, videos, and code that make websites load faster. Cookies store login information, preferences, and tracking data. Clearing cache frees up disk space and can fix loading problems. Clearing cookies logs you out of websites and removes stored preferences, but does not affect page speed much.

Why do I keep getting logged out after clearing cookies?

Websites use cookies to remember that you are logged in. When you clear cookies, that login information is deleted, so the website no longer knows who you are. You will need to log in again. This is normal and expected behavior.

Does clearing cache make my browser faster?

Clearing cache frees up disk space, which can help if your hard drive is nearly full. It may also fix problems if corrupted cached files are causing a website to display incorrectly. However, clearing cache does not make your browser faster overall — in fact, websites may load slightly slower the first time you visit them after clearing because the cache has to rebuild.