Where Android stores cookies and why you might want to clear them
Cookies are small files that websites store on your phone to remember you — your login information, what you put in a shopping cart, your preferences. Android doesn't give you a single "cookies" folder to open. Instead, each browser app stores them in its own location, and you delete them through the browser's settings, not through Android itself.
You might want to clear cookies to free up a small amount of storage space, to log out of websites without typing your password again, or to stop websites from tracking which pages you visit across different sites. Clearing cookies won't delete your browsing history, your saved passwords, or your bookmarks — those are separate things that live in separate places.
Key Takeaways
- Cookies are stored inside your browser app, not in a central Android location, so you delete them through the browser's own settings menu.
- Chrome, Firefox, Samsung Internet, and other browsers each have their own steps for clearing cookies, but all of them are in Settings or Privacy.
- Clearing cookies will log you out of most websites, so you'll need to sign back in the next time you visit.
- You can set most Android browsers to clear cookies automatically every time you close the app, or to clear them on a schedule.
Clearing cookies in Chrome on Android
Open Chrome and tap the three vertical dots in the top right corner. Tap Settings, then tap Privacy and security. Tap Clear browsing data.
A window will appear with checkboxes. Make sure Cookies and site data is checked. You can also check Cached images and files if you want to free up more space. At the top, choose the time range — All time clears everything, Last 24 hours clears only today's cookies, Last 7 days clears the past week. Tap Clear data.
If you want Chrome to clear cookies automatically, go back to Settings > Privacy and security and turn on Clear browsing data under "Advanced". Then toggle Clear browsing data to on. Chrome will clear your cookies and cache every time you close the app.
Clearing cookies in Firefox on Android
Open Firefox and tap the three horizontal lines in the bottom right corner (or top right, depending on your phone). Tap Settings, then tap Delete browsing data.
Check the box next to Cookies. You can also check Cache to clear temporary files. Tap Delete browsing data at the bottom. Firefox will clear your cookies when ready.
To set Firefox to clear cookies automatically, go to Settings > Privacy and scroll down to "Delete browsing data on quit". Toggle it on. Firefox will then clear your cookies every time you close the app completely.
Clearing cookies in Samsung Internet
Open Samsung Internet and tap the three horizontal lines in the bottom right. Tap Settings, then tap Privacy. Tap Delete browsing data.
Check Cookies and site data. You can also check Cached images and files. Tap Delete. Samsung Internet will clear your cookies right away.
To make Samsung Internet clear cookies on exit, go to Settings > Privacy and toggle on Delete browsing data on exit. You can then choose which types of data to clear — make sure Cookies and site data is checked.
Clearing cookies in other Android browsers
Most other browsers — Edge, Opera, Brave, DuckDuckGo — follow the same pattern. Open the browser, tap the menu (usually three dots or three lines), go to Settings, look for Privacy or Clear data, and find the option for cookies. The exact wording and location vary, but the principle is the same.
If you can't find the option, search the settings menu for the word "clear" or "privacy". You can also check the browser's help documentation — most browsers have a support page that walks through the steps for your specific version.
What happens when you clear cookies
After you clear cookies, you'll be logged out of most websites. The next time you visit a site that required a login, you'll see the login screen again. You'll need to type your username and password — or use a fingerprint or face unlock if the site supports it.
Some websites may also forget your preferences. If you had set a site to dark mode or changed the language, it might go back to the default. Shopping carts will usually empty. Websites that track your activity across the internet will lose that tracking data going forward, though they may start collecting it again as soon as you visit them.
Clearing cookies does not delete your saved passwords, your browsing history, your bookmarks, or your autofill information. Those are stored separately. If you want to delete those too, you can do that in the same menu — just check the appropriate boxes before you tap clear.
Automatically clearing cookies on a schedule
Most Android browsers let you choose whether to clear cookies when you close the app, but some also let you set a schedule. Chrome, for example, can clear data on exit, but it doesn't have a "weekly" option — it's either on or off.
If you want more control, you can use Android's built-in storage management. Go to Settings > Apps (or process Manager), find your browser, and tap Storage. You can tap Clear cache to remove temporary files, but this won't clear cookies — you still need to use the browser's own settings for that.
The simplest approach is to turn on automatic clearing in your browser's settings and let it run every time you close the app. This keeps your phone from accumulating old cookies, and it's the default behavior in most modern browsers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will clearing cookies delete my saved passwords?
No. Passwords are stored separately from cookies. When you clear cookies, your saved passwords stay on your phone. You can delete passwords separately in your browser's settings if you want to.
Can I clear cookies from just one website instead of all of them?
Most Android browsers don't have an straightforward way to delete cookies from a single site. You can clear all cookies, or you can clear cookies from a specific time range. Some browsers let you manage site permissions individually, but that's different from clearing cookies.
What's the difference between clearing cookies and clearing cache?
Cookies are small text files that store login information and preferences. Cache is temporary copies of images, videos, and web pages that make sites load faster. Clearing cache frees up more storage space, but clearing cookies logs you out of websites.
If I clear cookies, will websites still track me?
Clearing cookies stops tracking that relies on cookies, but websites can track you in other ways — through your IP address, your browser fingerprint, or login accounts. Clearing cookies is one privacy step, but it's not complete privacy protection.
Do I need to clear cookies regularly?
No. Cookies take up very little storage space. You only need to clear them if you want to log out of websites, if you're concerned about tracking, or if a website isn't working properly. Setting your browser to clear cookies automatically on exit is a good middle ground.