What cookies are and why you might want to delete them
Cookies are small files that websites store on your computer to remember information about you — your login details, what you put in a shopping cart, sites you've visited. Most of the time they're harmless and make browsing faster. But they also let advertisers track where you go online, and they take up storage space on your device.
Deleting all cookies clears this history and stops most tracking. Your passwords won't be saved anymore until you log in again, and websites won't remember your preferences. If you share a computer with other people, clearing cookies also removes their browsing traces from your browser.
The steps differ depending on whether you use Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge. Each browser stores and deletes cookies in a different place, but the process takes less than a minute on any of them.
Key Takeaways
- Cookies are files websites store on your device to remember you; deleting them stops most ad tracking and frees up storage.
- Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge all have a "Clear browsing data" or "Clear history" option that removes cookies in one step.
- You can delete all cookies at once or set your browser to delete them automatically every time you close it.
- After you delete cookies, you'll need to log back into websites and they won't remember your saved preferences until you visit them again.
Delete all cookies in Chrome
Open Chrome and look at the top right corner. Click the three vertical dots (called the menu button). A dropdown list appears. Click "Settings" near the bottom of that list.
On the left side of the Settings page, click "Privacy and security." Then click "Clear browsing data." A window pops up. Make sure the time range at the top says "All time" — this deletes cookies from your entire browsing history. Check the box next to "Cookies and other site data." You can leave the other boxes checked or unchecked depending on what else you want to remove. Click the blue "Clear data" button.
Chrome will delete all cookies in a few seconds. You'll see a message confirming it's done. The next time you visit a website, it won't remember you until you log in again.
Delete all cookies in Firefox
Open Firefox and click the three horizontal lines (the menu button) in the top right corner. Click "Settings." On the left side, click "Privacy & Security."
Scroll down until you see "Cookies and Site Data." Click the button that says "Clear Data." A window appears. Make sure "Cookies and Site Data" is checked. Click "Clear." Firefox removes all cookies when ready. If you want to delete cookies automatically every time you close Firefox, check the box that says "Delete cookies and site data when Firefox is closed" — it's in the same section, just above the Clear Data button.
Delete all cookies in Safari
Open Safari. At the top of your screen, click "Safari" in the menu bar (not inside the browser window, but at the very top of your Mac). A dropdown menu appears. Click "Settings" or "Preferences" depending on your macOS version.
Click the "Privacy" tab. You'll see a button that says "Manage Website Data." Click it. A list of websites appears. Click "Remove All" at the bottom right. Safari asks you to confirm — click "Remove Now." All cookies are deleted.
If you want Safari to delete cookies automatically, go back to the Privacy tab and look for the option "Cookies and website data." Change it to "Never allow" or "Allow from websites I visit" depending on how strict you want to be.
Delete all cookies in Edge
Open Microsoft Edge and click the three dots in the top right corner. Click "Settings." On the left side, click "Privacy, search, and services."
Under "Clear browsing data," click "Choose what to clear." A window opens. At the top, make sure the time range says "All time." Check the box next to "Cookies and other site data." Click the blue "Clear now" button. Edge deletes all cookies within seconds.
To delete cookies automatically every time you close Edge, stay in the Privacy settings and turn on the toggle next to "Clear browsing data every time you close the browser." Then click "Choose what to clear every time you close the browser" and check "Cookies and other site data."
Set your browser to delete cookies automatically
Every major browser lets you delete cookies without doing it manually each time. The easiest way is to turn on a setting that clears cookies whenever you close the browser. This means you start fresh every session, but you'll have to log into websites again each time you open your browser.
A middle ground is to delete cookies on a schedule — weekly or monthly — instead of every time you close the browser. Most browsers don't offer this built-in, but you can use your computer's task scheduler (on Windows) or Automator (on Mac) to run the delete command on a timer. For most people, though, either "delete on close" or "delete manually once a month" works fine.
If you want to keep cookies from specific websites you trust, most browsers let you add those sites to an exception list before you delete. In Chrome, go to Settings > Privacy and security > Site settings > Cookies and data, then add websites to "Sites that can always use cookies." The same option exists in Firefox, Safari, and Edge under slightly different names.
What happens after you delete cookies
Once you delete all cookies, websites won't recognize you the next time you visit. You'll need to log in again to email, social media, banking sites, and anywhere else you have an account. Websites won't remember what you put in shopping carts or what language you set as your preference.
Ads will stop following you across the internet for a while, though advertisers use other tracking methods beyond cookies. Your browser will also run slightly faster because it's not storing as much data, though the difference is usually small unless you've been browsing for months without clearing.
If you share your computer with someone else, deleting cookies removes their login information too. Make sure they know before you do it, or they may get frustrated when they have to log back in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will deleting cookies delete my passwords?
No. Passwords are stored separately from cookies in your browser's password manager. If you want to delete saved passwords, you have to do that in a different section of your browser settings. Deleting cookies only removes the tracking files, not your login credentials.
Can I delete cookies from just one website?
Yes. In Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, you can right-click on any website and choose "Delete cookies for this site" or similar. In Safari, go to Privacy > Manage Website Data, find the site in the list, and click "Remove." This is useful if one site is misbehaving but you want to keep cookies from other sites.
Do I need to delete cookies if I use private browsing mode?
No. Private or incognito mode doesn't save cookies at all — they're deleted automatically when you close the window. If you always browse in private mode, you don't need to manually delete cookies.
Will websites work if I delete all their cookies?
Yes. Websites will work fine without cookies, but they won't remember you. You may have to log in again, reset your language preference, or re-add items to a shopping cart. Some older websites that rely heavily on cookies might look or behave oddly, but this is rare.
How often should I delete cookies?
It depends on your privacy concerns and how much you browse. If you're worried about tracking, deleting cookies weekly or monthly is reasonable. If you share a computer, deleting them before you hand it off to someone else is a good habit. For most people, once a month is enough.