Where to find your cookies in Chrome
Chrome stores cookies in a settings menu you can reach in under a minute. Open Chrome, click the three vertical dots in the top right corner, then select Settings. On the left sidebar, click Privacy and security, then Cookies and other site data. This page shows every cookie stored on your computer, organized by website.
You can also reach this menu faster by typing chrome://settings/cookies directly into your address bar and pressing Enter. Both routes take you to the same place — a searchable list of cookies grouped by the sites that created them.
Key Takeaways
- Chrome's cookie settings are in Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies and other site data, or you can type chrome://settings/cookies in the address bar.
- You can search for cookies by website name, delete individual cookies, or clear all cookies at once.
- Blocking all cookies will break many websites, but you can allow cookies for specific sites while blocking them everywhere else.
- Chrome can delete cookies automatically when you close the browser if you turn on "Clear cookies and site data when you quit Chrome."
How to search for a specific cookie
The search box at the top of the Cookies page lets you find cookies from a particular website without scrolling through hundreds of entries. Type the website name — for example, "amazon" or "facebook" — and Chrome will show only cookies from that domain and related subdomains.
Once you find the site, click on it to expand the list and see individual cookies. Each cookie shows its name, domain, path, expiration date, and size. Most sites create multiple cookies for different purposes: one might track your login session, another might remember your language preference, and a third might record what you looked at.
Deleting cookies one at a time or all at once
To delete a single cookie, find it in the list, click on it, and click the trash icon that appears. The cookie disappears when ready. This is useful if you want to remove a tracking cookie from one site but keep cookies from other sites intact.
To delete all cookies at once, go back to Settings > Privacy and security > Clear browsing data. A window will open with a time range selector at the top — choose "All time" to remove every cookie. Make sure the checkbox next to "Cookies and other site data" is checked, then click Clear data. This will log you out of most websites and reset any saved preferences, so only do this if that is what you want.
Blocking cookies while allowing them for sites you trust
Chrome's default setting allows all cookies. You can change this to block third-party cookies (cookies from advertisers and trackers) while still allowing cookies from the websites you visit directly. Go to Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies and other site data, then select Block third-party cookies.
If you want to block all cookies, select Block all cookies instead — but be aware that many websites will not work properly without them. You will not be able to stay logged in, shopping carts will not remember items, and some pages will not load at all.
You can also create exceptions for specific sites. In the same menu, scroll down to Sites that can always use cookies and click Add. Type the website address, and Chrome will allow cookies from that site even if your general setting is to block them.
Clearing cookies automatically when you close Chrome
If you want Chrome to delete all cookies every time you close the browser, go to Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies and other site data and turn on Clear cookies and site data when you quit Chrome. This means you will be logged out of websites the next time you open Chrome, but no cookies will remain on your computer.
This setting does not affect cookies from sites you have added to your exceptions list — those will be preserved. It also does not clear cookies from other browsers, only from Chrome.
Understanding what cookies do and why sites use them
A cookie is a small text file that a website stores on your computer. When you visit that site again, your browser sends the cookie back, and the site recognizes you. This is how websites remember your login, your shopping cart, your language choice, and your browsing history on that site.
First-party cookies come from the website you are visiting. Third-party cookies come from advertisers, analytics companies, and other services embedded in the page. Third-party cookies are what allow an ad for shoes to follow you across different websites — the advertiser recognizes you from the cookie and shows you the same ad everywhere.
Cookies are not programs and cannot harm your computer on their own, but they do track your behavior. Blocking them improves privacy but breaks some website features. Finding the right balance depends on which sites you use and how much tracking you are comfortable with.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will deleting cookies log me out of websites?
Yes. Cookies store your login session, so deleting them will log you out of most websites. You will need to sign in again the next time you visit. If you delete cookies from one specific site instead of all cookies, you will only be logged out of that site.
What is the difference between clearing cookies and blocking them?
Clearing cookies removes the ones already stored on your computer. Blocking cookies prevents new ones from being created. You can do both: block new cookies going forward and clear the old ones that are already there.
Can websites see my cookies?
Only the website that created the cookie can read it. A cookie from Amazon cannot be read by Facebook or any other site. This is a built-in security feature of how browsers work.
Should I block all cookies?
Blocking all cookies improves privacy but breaks many websites. A better approach is to block third-party cookies (which track you across sites) while allowing first-party cookies (which let sites function). You can also clear cookies regularly instead of blocking them entirely.
Do I need to delete cookies regularly?
Not unless you want to. Cookies do not slow down your browser or take up meaningful storage space. Deleting them regularly improves privacy by removing tracking data, but it also logs you out of websites and resets your preferences. The choice depends on your privacy priorities.