Clearing cookies removes tracking data that websites store on your computer
When you visit a website, it can place small files called cookies on your device. These files remember your login information, shopping cart contents, and browsing habits. Data brokers and advertisers use cookies to track which sites you visit and build a profile of your interests. Clearing cookies in Google Chrome deletes these stored files and breaks some of that tracking chain.
Chrome stores cookies in a specific location on your computer. When you clear them, you remove the record of where you have been and what you have done online. This is different from clearing your browsing history — history is the list of websites you visited, while cookies are the tracking files those websites left behind. You can clear cookies without erasing your history, or clear both at the same time.
The process takes about one minute and requires only a few clicks. Chrome offers options to clear cookies from just today, the last week, the last month, or all time. You can also choose to clear cookies from specific websites while keeping others.
Key Takeaways
- Cookies are small files that websites use to track your activity and remember information about you.
- Clearing cookies removes these tracking files from your computer and breaks the connection between your browsing and advertiser profiles.
- You can clear all cookies at once or select a specific time range, such as the last week or the last month.
- Clearing cookies may log you out of websites where you were signed in, so you will need to log back in afterward.
- Clearing cookies is separate from clearing your browsing history, though you can do both in the same action.
How to clear all cookies at once
Open Google Chrome and look at the top right corner of the window. Click the three vertical dots (called the menu button) to open a dropdown list. From that list, select "Settings".
On the left side of the Settings page, click "Privacy and security". Then click "Clear browsing data". A window will pop up with several options.
At the top of this window, you will see a dropdown menu that says "All time", "Last hour", "Last 24 hours", "Last 7 days", "Last 4 weeks", or "Custom range". Select "All time" to clear every cookie Chrome has stored. If you only want to clear recent cookies, choose a shorter time period instead.
Below the time dropdown, you will see a list of checkboxes. 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 remove cookies. Click the blue "Clear data" button at the bottom right. Chrome will delete the cookies when ready.
Clearing cookies from a specific time period
If you do not want to clear all your cookies, you can remove only the ones from a certain date range. Open Chrome, click the three dots in the top right, and select "Settings". Go to "Privacy and security" and click "Clear browsing data".
In the popup window, click the time dropdown at the top. Instead of "All time", select "Last 7 days" to clear only cookies from the past week, or "Last 4 weeks" for the past month. If you need a custom range, select "Custom range" and enter the exact start and end dates you want.
Make sure "Cookies and other site data" is checked, then click "Clear data". Chrome will remove only the cookies from the time period you selected, leaving older cookies in place.
Clearing cookies from specific websites only
Chrome also lets you remove cookies from individual websites while keeping cookies from other sites. This is useful if you want to clear tracking data from one advertiser or data broker but stay logged into other accounts.
Open Chrome and click the three dots in the top right corner. Select "Settings", then "Privacy and security", then "Cookies and other site data". You will see a section called "All cookies and site data". Click on it to see a list of every website that has stored cookies on your computer.
Use the search box at the top to find a specific website. When you find it, click on it to select it, then click the trash icon that appears. Chrome will delete only the cookies from that website. Repeat this process for any other sites you want to clear.
What happens after you clear cookies
After clearing cookies, you may notice that websites no longer remember you. If you were logged into Gmail, Facebook, or your bank, you will be logged out. The next time you visit these sites, you will need to enter your username and password again.
Websites may also forget your preferences. A news site that remembered you preferred dark mode will reset to light mode. A shopping site will no longer show you items from your previous visits. This is temporary — the moment you log back in or visit the site again, it will start storing new cookies.
Advertisers will lose the cookie files they used to track you across the internet. However, they may still have data about you from other sources, such as your email address or phone number. Clearing cookies is one step in reducing tracking, but it works best when combined with other privacy practices like using a password manager and being cautious about what information you share online.
Clearing cookies automatically each time you close Chrome
If you want Chrome to delete cookies every time you close the browser, you can set this up in Settings. Open Chrome, click the three dots, and select "Settings". Go to "Privacy and security" and click "Cookies and other site data".
Look for the option that says "Clear cookies and site data when you quit Chrome" and toggle it on. From now on, every cookie will be deleted the moment you close all Chrome windows. This means you will be logged out of websites each time you close the browser, but it also means advertisers cannot build a long-term profile of your browsing.
If you want to stay logged into certain websites even with this setting on, you can add them to the "Sites that can always use cookies" list in the same section. Type in the website address and click "Add". Chrome will keep cookies from those sites even when you close the browser.
The difference between cookies, cache, and browsing history
Cookies, cache, and browsing history are three separate types of data that Chrome stores. Understanding the difference helps you know what to clear depending on your privacy goals.
Cookies are small files that websites place on your computer to track you and remember information. Cache is a collection of images, scripts, and other files that websites read to your computer so they load faster next time. Browsing history is the list of websites you have visited, stored in Chrome's history menu.
When you clear browsing data in Chrome, you can choose to clear any combination of these three. If you only care about removing tracking, clear cookies. If you want to free up storage space, clear cache. If you want to hide the list of sites you visited, clear history. Most people benefit from clearing all three, but you can choose based on what matters to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will clearing cookies delete my saved passwords?
No. Passwords are stored separately from cookies in Chrome's password manager. Clearing cookies will not affect your saved passwords. If you want to delete saved passwords, you must do that in a different section of Settings under "Passwords".
Can I clear cookies without clearing my browsing history?
Yes. When you open the "Clear browsing data" window, you will see checkboxes for different types of data. Uncheck "Browsing history" and check only "Cookies and other site data", then click "Clear data". Chrome will remove only the cookies.
What if I clear cookies and still see ads for things I looked at?
Advertisers may still have data about you from sources other than cookies, such as your email address, phone number, or accounts you are logged into. Clearing cookies removes one tracking method, but companies may use other methods to follow your activity. Clearing cookies is most effective when combined with other privacy steps.
Do I need to clear cookies on my phone too?
Yes. Chrome on Android and iPhone stores cookies the same way as Chrome on a computer. Open Chrome on your phone, tap the three dots at the bottom right, select "Settings", then "Privacy", then "Clear browsing data". Choose the time period and make sure "Cookies and site data" is checked before tapping "Clear browsing data".
Will clearing cookies slow down my internet?
No. Clearing cookies will not affect your internet speed. In fact, removing old cookies may slightly improve performance because Chrome has less data to manage. Websites may load slightly slower the first time you visit them after clearing cookies because they need to read files again instead of using the cached versions.