What cookies are and why you might want to clear them
Cookies are small files that websites store on your phone to remember information about you — your login details, what you put in a shopping cart, sites you've visited. They make browsing faster and more convenient, but they also mean websites can track where you go and what you do.
Clearing cookies regularly is useful if you share your phone with someone else, if you want to remove login information before selling or giving away the device, or if a website is behaving strangely and you want to start fresh. You can clear all cookies at once or delete them for a single website.
The steps differ depending on whether you use an iPhone or Android phone, and which browser you use — Safari, Chrome, Firefox, or another app. This guide covers the most common combinations.
Key Takeaways
- On iPhone, open Settings, scroll to Safari, tap "Clear History and Website Data", and choose how far back to delete.
- On Android with Chrome, open the app, tap the three-dot menu, go to Settings, then Privacy, and select "Clear browsing data".
- You can clear cookies for all websites at once or delete them for just one site by tapping or holding on the website name in your history.
- Clearing cookies will log you out of most websites, so have your passwords ready before you start.
- Cookies are different from your browsing history — clearing one does not automatically clear the other, though most phones let you do both at once.
Clearing cookies on an iPhone
On iPhone, cookies are managed through the Settings app, not through Safari itself. Open Settings and scroll down until you see Safari — it is usually near the bottom of the list. Tap Safari to open its settings.
Look for the option that says "Clear History and Website Data". Tap it. A popup will appear asking how far back you want to delete — "the last hour", "today", "today and yesterday", or "all time". Choose "all time" if you want to remove all cookies. If you only want to clear recent activity, pick a shorter timeframe.
Tap "Clear History and Data" to confirm. Your cookies are now gone. You will be logged out of most websites the next time you open Safari, so you may need to sign back in.
Clearing cookies on Android with Chrome
On Android phones using Chrome, open the Chrome app. In the top right corner, you will see three vertical dots (sometimes called a menu button). Tap those dots.
Scroll down and tap "Settings". Then tap "Privacy and security". You will see an option called "Clear browsing data" — tap it. A window will pop up with checkboxes for different types of data: cookies, browsing history, cached images, and more. Make sure the box next to "Cookies and site data" is checked.
At the top of that same window, you will see a dropdown menu that says "All time" or shows a time range. Tap it and choose "All time" to delete all cookies, or pick a shorter period if you prefer. Then tap "Clear data" at the bottom. Chrome will delete your cookies and you will be logged out of websites.
Clearing cookies for just one website
If you only want to remove cookies for a single website instead of all of them, you can do that on both iPhone and Android.
On iPhone, open Safari and tap the Bookmarks icon (it looks like an open book) at the bottom of the screen. Tap "History" at the top. Find the website you want to clear cookies for, press and hold on it, and tap "Delete". This removes that site from your history and clears its cookies.
On Android with Chrome, open Chrome and tap the three-dot menu. Go to "Settings", then "Privacy and security", then "Site settings". Tap "Cookies and site data". You will see a list of websites that have stored cookies on your phone. Find the one you want to clear, tap it, and tap "Clear and reset".
What happens after you clear cookies
Once you clear cookies, websites will no longer remember you. The next time you visit a site where you were logged in, you will need to enter your username and password again. Some websites may load more slowly the first time you visit them after clearing cookies, because they have to read information they previously stored locally.
Websites may also ask you again about notifications, location access, or other permissions you had already granted. This is normal — clearing cookies resets those preferences.
Your browsing history is separate from cookies. Clearing cookies does not delete your history, and clearing history does not always delete cookies. If you want to remove both, most phones let you check both boxes when you clear data, so you can do it in one step.
Clearing cookies on other browsers
If you use Firefox, Edge, or another browser instead of Safari or Chrome, the steps are similar but not identical. In Firefox on Android, tap the three-line menu, go to "Settings", then "Delete browsing data", and check "Cookies". In Edge, tap the three-dot menu, go to "Settings", then "Privacy", and tap "Clear browsing data".
The principle is the same across all browsers: find the settings menu, look for an option to clear browsing data or history, make sure cookies are selected, and confirm. If you cannot find the option, search the browser's help section for "clear cookies" — most browsers have a support page that walks through the exact steps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will clearing cookies delete my passwords?
No. Cookies and saved passwords are stored separately. Clearing cookies will log you out of websites, but your saved passwords remain on your phone. You can log back in using those saved passwords. If you want to delete saved passwords too, that is a separate step in your phone's settings.
Do I need to clear cookies regularly?
Not necessarily. Clearing cookies is useful before you sell or give away your phone, or if you share it with others. For personal use on a phone only you use, clearing cookies occasionally is fine — there is no harm in leaving them, though some people prefer to clear them monthly for privacy.
What is the difference between clearing cookies and clearing browsing history?
Browsing history is the list of websites you have visited. Cookies are files websites store on your phone. You can clear one without clearing the other, though most phones let you do both at the same time. Clearing history removes the list of sites you visited; clearing cookies removes the data those sites stored.
Will clearing cookies log me out of everything?
Yes, clearing all cookies will log you out of most websites and apps that use cookies to keep you signed in. You will need to sign back in. If you only want to stay logged into certain sites, clear cookies for individual websites instead of clearing all of them at once.
Can I clear cookies without clearing my browsing history?
Yes. When you open the clear data menu on your phone, you will see checkboxes for different types of data. Uncheck "Browsing history" and leave "Cookies" checked, then tap clear. This removes cookies but keeps your history intact.