What cookies are and why you might want to clear 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. When you clear cookies, you delete those stored files, which means websites will no longer recognize you the next time you visit. This is useful if you're trying to remove traces of your browsing activity or if a website is behaving strangely because old cookie data is corrupted.
If you arrived here from a guide about data brokers, clearing cookies won't remove your information from data broker databases — those are separate companies that collect data about you from public records and other sources. But clearing cookies does stop websites from tracking your activity going forward, which is one part of limiting what information about you gets collected in the first place.
Key Takeaways
- Open Chrome, click the three vertical dots in the top right corner, select Settings, then Privacy and Security, then Clear Browsing Data.
- Make sure "Cookies and other site data" is checked, set the time range to "All time" if you want to clear everything, then click Clear Data.
- You can clear cookies just from a specific date range by choosing "Last hour", "Last 24 hours", "Last 7 days", "Last 4 weeks", or "Last 90 days" instead of All time.
- After clearing cookies, you will need to log back into websites you use regularly, since those login cookies are deleted too.
Opening the Clear Browsing Data window
Start by opening Google Chrome. In the top right corner of the window, you'll see three vertical dots stacked on top of each other — this is the menu button. Click it.
A dropdown menu will appear. Look for the word "Settings" near the bottom of that menu and click it. This opens the Settings page in a new tab.
On the left side of the Settings page, you'll see a column of options. Click on "Privacy and Security" — it's usually the fourth or fifth item down. This expands a submenu on the left.
In that submenu, click "Clear Browsing Data". A window will pop up in the center of your screen.
Selecting what to clear and the time range
The Clear Browsing Data window has three main parts: a list of checkboxes on the left, a time range dropdown at the top, and a blue "Clear Data" button at the bottom.
First, look at the checkboxes. You need to make sure Cookies and other site data is checked — it usually is by default. You can leave the other boxes checked or unchecked depending on what else you want to remove. For example, if you also want to clear your browsing history, check "Browsing history". If you want to clear cached images and files, check "Cached images and files".
Next, look at the dropdown at the top that says "Time range". Click it to see your options: "All time", "Last 24 hours", "Last 7 days", "Last 4 weeks", or "Last 90 days". If you want to clear all cookies ever stored, select "All time". If you only want to clear cookies from the last week, select "Last 7 days". Choose whichever matches what you're trying to do.
Completing the clear
Once you've checked "Cookies and other site data" and selected your time range, click the blue "Clear Data" button at the bottom of the window. Chrome will delete the cookies when ready, and the window will close.
You're done. The cookies have been removed from your computer.
What happens after you clear cookies
After clearing cookies, websites will no longer remember you. The next time you visit a site where you have an account — like Gmail, Facebook, or your bank — you'll need to log in again. This is normal and expected.
Some websites may also load slightly differently or show you default settings instead of your saved preferences, because the cookies that stored those preferences are gone. Again, this is normal.
If you want to prevent cookies from being stored in the future, you can set Chrome to delete cookies automatically every time you close the browser. To do this, go back to Settings, click Privacy and Security, then click Cookies and other site data. Select "Delete cookies and site data when you quit Chrome" and toggle it on.
Clearing cookies from specific websites only
If you want to clear cookies from just one website instead of all websites, you can do that without clearing everything. Open Chrome and go to the website. Click the lock icon or information icon to the left of the web address at the top of the page. A small menu will appear.
Click "Cookies and site data" in that menu. You'll see a list of cookies stored for that site. Click the trash icon next to any cookie you want to delete, or click "Remove all" to delete all cookies for that site only. Close the menu when you're done.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will clearing cookies delete my passwords?
No. Passwords are stored separately from cookies. If you want to delete saved passwords, you have to do that in a different place — Settings, Autofill, Passwords. Clearing cookies will not affect them.
Do I need to clear cookies regularly?
Not necessarily. Clearing cookies is useful if you're concerned about tracking, if a website is malfunctioning, or if you share a computer with other people. If none of those explore, you don't have to clear them. You can also set Chrome to clear cookies automatically when you close the browser instead of doing it manually.
Will clearing cookies speed up Chrome?
Probably not noticeably. Cookies are very small files and don't take up much space or processing power. If Chrome is running slowly, the problem is usually something else — too many open tabs, a slow internet connection, or an extension that's using a lot of resources.
What's the difference between clearing cookies and clearing browsing history?
Browsing history is a list of websites you've visited. Cookies are files websites store on your computer to remember information about you. Clearing history removes the list of sites you went to. Clearing cookies removes the files those sites stored. You can clear one without clearing the other.
If I clear cookies, will websites know I cleared them?
No. Websites cannot tell whether you cleared your cookies. They just won't recognize you the next time you visit because the cookie file that identified you is gone.