Why you might want to delete cookies from one site
Cookies are small files a website stores on your computer to remember things about you — your login, items in your cart, your preferences. Sometimes you want to clear them out for just one website without touching your cookies everywhere else. You might do this because a site is acting glitchy, because you want to log out completely, or because you do not want that site to remember your activity next time you visit.
The steps differ depending on whether you use Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge, but the idea is the same: you find the site's stored data and delete it. You do not need to clear your entire browser history or all your cookies at once.
Key Takeaways
- Most browsers let you delete cookies for a single website through Settings or Preferences without clearing cookies from other sites.
- In Chrome, you open Site Settings, find the website, and click Remove to delete all its stored data at once.
- In Firefox, you search for the site in the Cookies section of Settings and delete it by name.
- In Safari and Edge, the process is similar but the menu names differ — look for Privacy or Cookies settings.
- After you delete a site's cookies, you will usually need to log back in the next time you visit.
How to delete cookies in Chrome
Open Chrome and click the three vertical dots in the top right corner. Select Settings, then click Privacy and security on the left side. Choose Site settings.
Scroll down and click Cookies and site data. You will see a search box at the top. Type the website name — for example, amazon.com or facebook.com. The site will appear in the list below. Click on it, then click the trash icon or Remove button. Chrome will delete all cookies, cache, and stored data for that site when ready.
If you cannot find the site in the list, it may not have stored any cookies yet. You can also delete cookies while visiting the site: go to the website, click the lock icon next to the web address, click Cookies, expand the site name, and click the trash icon next to each cookie.
How to delete cookies in Firefox
Open Firefox and click the three horizontal lines in the top right corner. Select Settings, then click Privacy & Security on the left. Scroll down to the Cookies and Site Data section and click Manage Data.
A window will open showing all sites that have stored cookies. Type the website name in the search box — for example, twitter.com or gmail.com. When the site appears, click it once to select it, then click Remove Selected. Firefox will delete that site's cookies and stored data.
You can also delete cookies while on the website itself. Click the lock icon next to the web address, click the arrow next to Connection find, then click More Information. Go to the Storage tab and look for Cookies. Click the site name and then Remove All.
How to delete cookies in Safari
Open Safari and click Safari in the menu bar at the top of the screen. Select Settings (or Preferences on older Macs), then click the Privacy tab.
Click Manage Website Data. A list of websites will appear. Type the site name in the search box — for example, instagram.com or reddit.com. When it appears, click it once to select it, then click Remove. Safari will delete that site's cookies and data. Click Done when finished.
Safari does not show a lock icon in the address bar the way Chrome and Firefox do, so this menu is the main way to delete individual site cookies. If you want to delete cookies while browsing, you can also use the Develop menu (you may need to enable it first in Settings), but the Privacy tab method is simpler.
How to delete cookies in Microsoft Edge
Open Edge and click the three dots in the top right corner. Select Settings, then click Privacy, search, and services on the left. Under Clear browsing data, click Choose what to clear.
A window will open. Make sure Cookies and other site data is checked. Click the dropdown that says All time and change it to All time (or leave it as is). Type the website name in the search box — for example, youtube.com or linkedin.com. When the site appears, click the checkbox next to it, then click Clear now.
Alternatively, you can click the lock icon next to the web address while on the site, click Cookies and site permissions, find the site name, and click the trash icon next to it. This method works while you are actively visiting the website.
What happens after you delete a site's cookies
Once you delete cookies for a website, that site will no longer remember you the next time you visit. If you were logged in, you will be logged out. The site will not remember your preferences, items in your cart, or your browsing history on that site.
This is useful if a site is behaving strangely — sometimes old or corrupted cookies cause login problems or slow performance. Deleting them often fixes the issue. It is also useful if you share a computer and want to make sure a site does not remember your activity.
Deleting cookies for one site does not affect your cookies on other websites. Your login on Gmail, your Amazon cart, and your Facebook preferences will all stay intact.
When to delete cookies for a specific site
Delete a site's cookies if you are having trouble logging in, if the site is loading slowly, or if you see strange behavior like pages not updating correctly. Cookies can become corrupted over time, and clearing them often solves these problems without affecting anything else.
You might also delete cookies if you are logging out of a shared account and want to make sure the next person cannot access it. Clearing cookies is more thorough than just clicking a logout button, because some sites store data beyond straightforward login information.
If you are concerned about privacy, deleting cookies for tracking-heavy sites like social media platforms or ad networks removes the data those sites use to follow your activity. This does not stop them from tracking you going forward, but it clears what they already know about your past visits.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will deleting cookies log me out of everything?
Only from the specific website whose cookies you deleted. If you delete cookies for amazon.com, you will be logged out of Amazon but still logged into Gmail, Facebook, and every other site. Your other cookies remain untouched.
Can I delete cookies for a site without deleting its other data?
Most browsers delete cookies and cached data together when you use the site settings menu. If you want to keep cached data but delete only cookies, use the lock icon method while visiting the site — some browsers let you pick which types of data to remove.
What is the difference between deleting cookies and clearing browsing history?
Browsing history is the list of websites you visited. Cookies are files those sites stored on your computer. Deleting history removes the list; deleting cookies removes the stored data. You can do one without the other.
Do I need to restart my browser after deleting cookies?
No. The deletion takes effect when ready. You can visit the website right away and it will treat you as a new visitor. You do not need to close and reopen your browser.
Why does a website still remember me after I deleted its cookies?
Some sites use other methods to track you besides cookies — fingerprinting, local storage, or server-side records. Deleting cookies removes only the cookie files, not these other tracking methods. If the site has your email address or account number, it may recognize you even without cookies.