What cookies are and why you might want to delete them

A cookie is a small file that a website stores on your computer. When you visit that website again, it reads the cookie to remember things about you — your login, items in your cart, pages you've looked at, or ads you've clicked. Websites use cookies to make your experience smoother. But they also use cookies to track you across the internet and build a profile of your browsing habits.

If you're working to remove your information from data brokers, deleting cookies is one piece of that work. Cookies don't contain your name or address the way a data broker file does. But they do create a trail that helps advertisers and data collectors follow you from site to site. Deleting them regularly makes that trail harder to follow.

Chrome stores cookies automatically. You can delete them all at once, delete cookies from a specific website, or set Chrome to delete them automatically when you close the browser.

Key Takeaways

  • You can delete all cookies at once by going to Settings, then Privacy and Security, then Clear Browsing Data, selecting "Cookies and other site data", and clicking Clear Data.
  • To delete cookies from one website only, go to the lock icon next to the web address, click Cookies, find the website name, and click the trash icon next to it.
  • You can set Chrome to delete all cookies automatically every time you close the browser by turning on "Clear cookies and site data when you quit Chrome" in Settings.
  • Deleting cookies will log you out of most websites, so you'll need to sign in again the next time you visit.
  • Cookies are different from browsing history — deleting cookies does not delete your browsing history, and you may need to delete both.

Delete all cookies at once

The fastest way to clear all cookies from Chrome is through the Clear Browsing Data window. Open Chrome and click the three vertical dots in the top right corner. Select Settings from the menu.

On the left side of the Settings page, click Privacy and Security. Then click Clear Browsing Data. A window will pop up. At the top, make sure the time range is set to "All time" if you want to delete every cookie Chrome has stored. If you only want to delete cookies from the last day or week, you can select a shorter time range instead.

In the middle of the window, check the box next to "Cookies and other site data". You can leave the other boxes unchecked unless you also want to delete your browsing history, cached images, or other data. Click the blue Clear Data button at the bottom right. Chrome will delete the cookies when ready.

Delete cookies from a single website

If you only want to remove cookies from one website without deleting cookies from everywhere else, you can do that from the address bar. Go to the website you want to clear cookies from. Look at the left side of the address bar — you'll see a lock icon (if the site is find) or a circle icon.

Click that icon. A small window will open showing information about the website. Click Cookies. You'll see a list of cookies that website has stored. Find the cookie or website name you want to delete and click the trash icon next to it. The cookie will be deleted when ready, but you'll stay on the website.

Set Chrome to delete cookies automatically

You can tell Chrome to delete all cookies every time you close the browser. This means you won't have to remember to clear them manually, but you'll also be logged out of websites each time you close Chrome.

Open Chrome and click the three vertical dots in the top right corner. Go to Settings, then Privacy and Security. Look for the section called "Clear browsing data". Toggle on the switch next to "Clear cookies and site data when you quit Chrome". From now on, Chrome will automatically delete all cookies when you close it completely.

Note: closing a single tab does not trigger this. You have to close the entire Chrome browser window for the cookies to be deleted.

What happens after you delete cookies

When you delete cookies, you'll be logged out of most websites. The next time you visit a site where you had an account, you'll need to sign in again. Websites may also forget your preferences — things like your language choice, dark mode settings, or items you added to a cart.

Deleting cookies does not delete your browsing history. If you want to remove the record of which websites you visited, you'll need to clear your browsing history separately. Go to Settings, Privacy and Security, Clear Browsing Data, and check "Browsing history" instead of (or in addition to) "Cookies and other site data".

Cookies versus other tracking methods

Cookies are one way websites track you, but they're not the only way. Websites also use pixels (invisible images that report back to advertisers), fingerprinting (collecting information about your device to identify you), and local storage (data stored on your computer that works similarly to cookies but is harder to delete).

Deleting cookies helps, but it's not a complete solution to online tracking. If you want more protection, you can use Chrome's Incognito mode (which doesn't save cookies between sessions), install a privacy-focused browser extension, or use a different browser like Firefox or Safari that offers stronger privacy controls by default.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will deleting cookies slow down my computer?

No. Deleting cookies actually frees up a small amount of storage space, though the amount is usually tiny — most cookies are just a few kilobytes. You won't notice a speed difference either way.

If I delete cookies, will websites know I deleted them?

No. Websites cannot tell whether you deleted your cookies. They only know that the next time you visit, the cookie is gone. From their perspective, you're a new visitor.

Do I need to delete cookies if I use Incognito mode?

No. Incognito mode (also called Private Browsing) doesn't save cookies at all. When you close an Incognito window, all cookies from that session are deleted automatically. Regular browsing mode keeps cookies between sessions, so you need to delete them manually if you want them gone.

What's the difference between deleting cookies and clearing my browsing history?

Cookies are files websites store on your computer to remember you. Browsing history is Chrome's record of which websites you visited and when. Deleting one does not delete the other. You can delete cookies without deleting history, or history without deleting cookies, or both together.

If I delete cookies, will I lose my saved passwords?

No. Passwords are stored separately from cookies. Deleting cookies will not affect saved passwords. If you want to delete saved passwords, you have to do that in a different part of Chrome's settings.