What cookies are and why you might want to delete them
Cookies are small files that websites store on your device. When you visit a site, it can place a cookie there to remember things about you — your login, items in your cart, or pages you've seen. Some cookies are useful. Others track your browsing across many websites so advertisers can build a profile of your interests.
If you're removing your information from data broker sites, deleting cookies is one part of the picture. Data brokers collect information from many sources, including your browsing behavior. Clearing cookies won't erase what they already have, but it does stop new tracking from happening on your device going forward. Think of it as closing one door they use to watch what you do online.
Safari stores cookies differently on Mac and iPhone, so the steps are separate for each device. Both take less than a minute.
Key Takeaways
- Cookies are files websites place on your device to track your activity and remember information about you.
- On Mac, open Safari settings, go to Privacy, and click "Manage Website Data" to see and delete cookies by site or all at once.
- On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data and choose what time period to clear.
- Deleting cookies stops future tracking but does not remove information data brokers have already collected about you.
- You may need to log back into websites after clearing cookies, since sites use them to keep you signed in.
How to delete cookies on Mac Safari
Open Safari and click Safari in the menu bar at the top of your screen. Select Settings (or Preferences if you're on an older version). Click the Privacy tab.
You'll see a button labeled Manage Website Data. Click it. A window opens showing every website that has stored a cookie on your Mac. You can delete cookies from one site at a time by clicking the site name and then clicking Remove, or you can select multiple sites by holding Shift or Command while clicking. To delete all cookies at once, click Remove All.
After you delete them, close the window and close Settings. The next time you visit a website, it will not have access to the old cookies — it may place new ones depending on your Safari privacy settings.
How to delete cookies on iPhone and iPad Safari
Open the Settings app on your home screen. Scroll down and tap Safari. Near the bottom of the Safari settings, you'll see Clear History and Website Data. Tap it.
A menu appears asking what time period you want to clear. Your options are the last hour, today, today and yesterday, or all time. Choose the one that matches what you want to delete. If you want to remove all cookies ever stored, select all time. Tap Clear History and Website Data to confirm.
Unlike the Mac version, the iPhone method clears your browsing history at the same time as your cookies. If you only want to delete cookies and keep your history, you'll need to use Mac Safari or a different browser.
What happens after you delete cookies
Websites that relied on cookies to keep you logged in will sign you out. The next time you visit, you'll need to enter your username and password again. This is normal and expected.
Personalized recommendations may disappear temporarily. If a site used cookies to remember your preferences — font size, language, dark mode — those settings reset to the default. You can set them again, and the site will store new cookies.
Ads may become less targeted. Without cookies tracking your interests across sites, advertisers see less information about you. You may notice ads seem more random or less relevant to your recent activity.
The difference between cookies and browsing history
Cookies and browsing history are not the same thing. Your browsing history is a list of websites you've visited, stored on your device so you can see where you've been. Cookies are files websites place on your device to track you and remember information.
When you clear cookies on Mac, you can choose to keep your history. When you clear on iPhone, both are deleted together. If you want to delete history without deleting cookies on iPhone, you'll need to use a different browser or wait until you have access to a Mac.
When to delete cookies and when to keep them
Delete cookies if you use a shared device, if you're concerned about tracking, or if a website is behaving strangely (sometimes old cookies cause login problems). Deleting them regularly — once a week or once a month — reduces the amount of tracking data sites can collect about you.
You might keep cookies if you use a personal device and want to stay logged into sites, or if you rely on saved preferences. There's no single right answer; it depends on your comfort level with tracking and how much convenience you're willing to trade for privacy.
Other ways to reduce tracking in Safari
Deleting cookies is one step, but Safari has other privacy features. On Mac, go to Safari > Settings > Privacy and check the box for Prevent cross-site tracking. This stops websites from following you across the internet. On iPhone, go to Settings > Safari and toggle on Prevent Cross-Site Tracking.
You can also set Safari to block all cookies by going to the same Privacy settings and choosing Block all cookies under the Cookies and Website Data section. This is more aggressive — some websites won't work properly — but it stops all cookie-based tracking.
Private browsing mode (called Private in Safari) is another option. When you open a private window, Safari doesn't save cookies, history, or search history from that session. Close the window and everything disappears. This is useful if you're browsing on a shared device or want a temporary break from tracking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will deleting cookies remove me from data broker websites?
No. Deleting cookies on your device does not contact data brokers or remove information they've already collected. It only stops them from tracking your future activity through cookies. To remove your information from data brokers, you need to contact each site separately and request deletion.
Do I need to delete cookies regularly?
Not necessarily. If you delete them once a month or once a quarter, you'll reduce tracking significantly. If you use a shared device, delete them more often. If you use a personal device and don't mind targeted ads, you can delete them less frequently or not at all.
Why does a website ask me to log in again after I delete cookies?
Websites use cookies to keep you logged in. When you delete the cookie, the site no longer knows who you are, so it asks you to log in again. This is normal. You can log back in, and the site will place a new cookie.
Can I delete cookies from just one website?
Yes, on Mac. Open Safari Settings, click Privacy, click Manage Website Data, find the site you want, and click Remove. On iPhone, you can only delete all cookies at once or use a different browser that offers per-site deletion.
Does clearing cookies protect me from hackers?
Clearing cookies helps with tracking and privacy, but it's not a security measure against hackers. For security, use strong passwords, enable two-factor authentication, and keep your device updated. Cookies are about privacy and advertising, not hacking.