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, your preferences. They make websites load faster and remember who you are when you return. But they also let websites track which pages you visit and what you search for, even after you leave.
Deleting cookies clears out this stored information. You might do this to stop websites from tracking your browsing, to force a website to forget your login so someone else cannot access your account from your computer, or to free up a small amount of disk space. The process takes less than a minute and does not harm your computer.
Windows 10 itself does not store cookies — your web browser does. So you delete cookies from inside whichever browser you use: Microsoft Edge, Chrome, Firefox, or another one. The steps differ slightly depending on which browser, so this guide covers the three most common.
Key Takeaways
- Cookies are stored by your web browser, not by Windows itself, so you delete them from inside your browser's settings.
- Microsoft Edge, Chrome, and Firefox all let you delete cookies in under a minute through their settings menu.
- You can delete all cookies at once or choose a date range — for example, cookies from the last week only.
- Deleting cookies will log you out of most websites, so you may need to sign back in the next time you visit them.
Delete cookies in Microsoft Edge
Open Microsoft Edge and look at the top right corner. Click the three horizontal lines (called a menu button) to open a dropdown menu. Select Settings from that menu.
On the left side of the Settings window, click Privacy, search, and services. Under the section labeled "Clear browsing data," you will see a button that says Choose what to clear. Click it.
A window will pop up with checkboxes for different types of data. Make sure the box next to Cookies and other site data is checked. You can leave the other boxes unchecked if you only want to delete cookies. At the top, you will see a dropdown that says "All time" — you can change this to "Last hour," "Last 24 hours," "Last 7 days," or "Last 4 weeks" if you want to delete only recent cookies. When you are ready, click the Clear now button.
Edge will delete the cookies and close the window. You are done. The next time you visit a website that used cookies to remember you, you will need to sign in again.
Delete cookies in Google Chrome
Open Google Chrome and click the three vertical dots in the top right corner. A menu will drop down. Click Settings.
On the left side, click Privacy and security. Then click Clear browsing data. A window will open with several checkboxes.
Make sure Cookies and other site data is checked. At the top of the window, you will see a dropdown menu that says "All time" — you can change this to delete cookies from only a specific time period if you prefer. When you are ready, click the blue Clear data button.
Chrome will delete the cookies and close the window. You are finished. Like with Edge, you will need to sign back into websites the next time you visit them.
Delete cookies in Mozilla Firefox
Open Mozilla Firefox and click the three horizontal lines in the top right corner. Click Settings from the menu that appears.
On the left side, click Privacy & Security. Scroll down until you see a section called "Cookies and Site Data." Click the button labeled Clear Data.
A small window will pop up. Make sure the box next to Cookies and Site Data is checked. You will see a dropdown at the top — it may say "Everything" or show a time range. If you want to delete all cookies, leave it on "Everything." If you want to delete only recent ones, select a time period. Click the Clear button when you are ready.
Firefox will delete the cookies and close the window. You are done. You will be logged out of websites that used cookies to keep you signed in.
What happens after you delete cookies
Websites will not know you deleted your cookies. They will straightforward treat you as a new visitor the next time you go there. If you were signed into Gmail, Facebook, your bank, or any other account, you will be signed out. The next time you visit, you will need to enter your username and password again.
Some websites may load slightly slower the first time you visit after deleting cookies, because they no longer have your preferences saved. For example, if a news website remembered that you wanted to see articles in dark mode, it will go back to light mode until you change it again. This is temporary — the website will save new cookies as soon as you visit.
Deleting cookies does not delete your browsing history, your saved passwords, or your bookmarks. Those are stored separately. If you want to delete those too, the process is similar but uses different checkboxes in the same "Clear browsing data" or "Clear Data" windows described above.
Automatically delete cookies when you close your browser
If you want your browser to delete all cookies every time you close it, you can set that up. In Microsoft Edge, go to Settings, click Privacy and security, and toggle on "Clear browsing data." In Google Chrome, go to Settings, click Privacy and security, scroll to "Clear cookies and site data," and toggle on "Clear cookies and site data when you quit Chrome." In Mozilla Firefox, go to Settings, click Privacy & Security, and under "Cookies and Site Data," select "Delete cookies and site data when Firefox is closed."
This setting means you will be logged out of every website when you close your browser. It also means websites cannot track you across sessions. The trade-off is that you will need to sign in again every time you open the browser, which many people find inconvenient.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will deleting cookies slow down my computer?
No. Cookies take up very little space — usually just a few megabytes total, even if you have been browsing for years. Deleting them will not noticeably speed up your computer or free up meaningful disk space. The main reason to delete cookies is privacy or to force a website to forget you, not to improve performance.
Do I need to delete cookies regularly?
No. Deleting cookies is optional and depends on your preference. Some people delete them monthly for privacy reasons. Others never delete them and notice no problems. There is no maintenance schedule you need to follow.
If I delete cookies, will websites still work?
Yes. Websites will work normally. You may just need to sign in again and reset your preferences. Cookies are a convenience feature, not something websites need to function.
Can I delete cookies from only one website instead of all of them?
Yes. In most browsers, you can right-click on a website and select an option like "Site settings" or "Manage storage," then delete cookies for just that site. The exact steps vary by browser, but this option is usually available in the same Privacy settings menu where you delete all cookies at once.
What is the difference between deleting cookies and clearing browsing history?
Browsing history is a list of websites you visited. Cookies are files websites store on your computer. Deleting history removes the list of sites you went to. Deleting cookies removes the files those sites stored. You can do either one independently — clearing history does not delete cookies, and deleting cookies does not erase your history.