How to Clear Cookies in 2024: Your Super Simple Guide

Ana Jovanovic
Updated on: August 23, 2024 Editor

Not all cookies are bad: some make your life easier by remembering your site preferences, which makes your browsing smoother. But others can be harmful. These malicious cookies track your online behavior and collect personal information without your permission, leading to targeted ads, identity theft, and other privacy issues. That’s why it’s best you get rid of them.

Clearing browser cookies is easy, no matter what browser or device you’re using. In just a few simple steps, you can clear your browsing data and manage the cookies on your device.

Note, however, that clearing cookies is just the first step in protecting your online privacy. To stay fully protected, you should also use reliable antivirus software. Antivirus programs like Norton can find and remove malicious cookies, block tracking attempts, and keep your browsing secure, giving you peace of mind while you’re online.

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What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small files stored on your device by websites you visit. These files hold data about your interactions with the site, which helps websites remember you and your preferences.

Here’s what cookies do:

• Session Management: Cookies remember your login details and session information. This allows you to stay logged in while you navigate a website, saving you the hassle of re-entering your username and password.
• Personalization: Cookies store your site preferences and settings. For example, they can remember your language choice, the items in your shopping cart, or your preferred layout, providing a more customized and convenient browsing experience.
• Tracking and Analytics: Cookies collect data on your browsing behavior. Websites use this information to understand how users interact with their content, which helps them improve their services and design better user experiences.
• Targeted Advertising: Cookies track your online activity to show relevant ads. This can lead to personalized advertisements based on your browsing history, making the ads you see more relevant to your interests.

But while most cookies are harmless and even useful, some can pose privacy risks.

What Are Malicious Cookies?

Unfortunately, the same mechanisms that make cookies helpful can also lead to privacy breaches. This means that, rather than being malicious themselves, cookies can be used in a malicious way.

For example, cookies that remember your login details and session information can be exploited to steal your credentials if they fall into the wrong hands. Similarly, cookies that store your site preferences and settings can be used to track your behavior across multiple sites. This tracking can create detailed profiles about you without your consent, which can then be sold to advertisers or other third parties. This kind of data collection can lead to intrusive and persistent targeted advertising, compromising your privacy.

Sometimes, cookies can even be part of a larger scheme to distribute malware. Malicious entities can exploit vulnerabilities in your browser to download harmful software onto your device. Therefore, in some cases, you may want to periodically delete them.

Method 1. Manually Clear Your Browser’s Cookies (and Other Browser Data)

I’ll start with computer-based browsers for Windows, Linux, and Mac — but feel free to jump to clearing cookies on Android or iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch.

Clearing Browser Cookies on Windows, Linux, and Mac

Here are the instructions for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge — or Safari if you’re using a Mac. The instructions for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge apply to all desktop-based operating systems.

How to Clear Cookies in Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge

Though the exact buttons and screens will look slightly different, the procedure is basically identical for all three browsers.

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete on Windows or Linux or Command + Shift + Delete on your Mac to bring up the History dialogue box.

2. Next, choose your timeframe and what you want to clear, and click Clear Now. And you’re done!

How to Clear Cookies in Safari

1. In an active Safari window, click History in the top menu bar, then click Clear History…

2. Choose your time frame, then click the Clear History button. And that’s it!

Clearing Browser Cookies on Android

Here are the instructions for clearing cookies in Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, and Microsoft Edge on an Android device.

How to Clear Cookies in Google Chrome on Android

1. Open Chrome and tap the 3 vertical dots in the top left. Tap Delete browsing data.
2. Tap More options.
3. Choose your time range and what type of data you want to clear, then tap Delete data.

How to Clear Cookies in Mozilla Firefox on Android

1. Open Firefox and tap the 3 vertical dots in the top left. Tap Settings.
2. Scroll down. Under Privacy and security, tap Delete browsing data.
3. Select your options and tap Delete browsing data.

How to Clear Cookies in Opera on Android

1. Open Opera and tap the user icon in the bottom right of the screen.
2. Tap the settings cogwheel icon in the top right.
3. Scroll down until you see Privacy & security, and tap it.

4. Scroll all the way down until you see Clear data…. Tap on it.
5. Select your options, then tap Clear data.

How to Clear Cookies in Microsoft Edge on Android

1. Open Edge and tap the 3 horizontal lines on the bottom right.
2. Tap the Settings cogwheel icon.
3. Tap Privacy and security.

4. Tap Delete browsing data.
5. Choose your options, then tap Delete data.

Clearing Safari Cookies on iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch

Here’s how to easily clear cookies in Safari on your iOS device, be it iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch.

1. Head to Settings.
2. In Settings, find Safari and tap it.
3. Tap Clear History and Website Data (you’ll find it under Privacy & Security).
4. Tap Clear History and Data to confirm your choice.

Method 2. Use Antivirus Software

You don’t have to manually clear cookies in each of the browsers you use. There are many great antiviruses that have dedicated cookie removers, so you can use any of them to quickly clear your browsing data (and other unwanted files and apps).

As my example, I’ll be using Norton Utilities Ultimate. Here’s how to use Norton to remove unwanted browser data (cookies included) from your Windows PC:

1. Head to Norton Utilities Ultimate and subscribe to the plan. Click Subscribe now to begin the process.

2. Enter your email and payment information to download and install the software. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation process.

3. Open the app, click the browser icon in the left-hand menu, select the browsers you want to scan, then click Rescan browsers.

4. Choose a cleaning mode — I recommend Basic. This will remove regular browser data like your history, cookies, and cache without affecting any other data like auto-fill data, including names, phone numbers, and addresses.

5. Click Clean.

6. Click Continue.

7. Finally, click Finish cleaning to complete the process — and you’re all done!

I recommend Norton Utilities Ultimate here because it’s a great tool that can do so much more for your computer than clean cookies. For example, its “Processes” feature allows you to disable programs that automatically start up and impact system speed, while System Junk Cleaner removes obsolete files, leftover data from uninstalled apps, and other unnecessary items. Uninstall Simulator is a unique feature that can isolate programs without fully uninstalling them, allowing you to measure their impact on performance. Note, however, that Utilities Ultimate is designed specifically for Windows devices.

If you need to remove cookies from another type of device, there are some great alternatives. For instance, TotalAV and McAfee are powerful antivirus apps that both come with excellent browser cleanup tools. Each of these can help you clear cookies in any browser quickly and easily. Another advantage of these alternatives is that they come as packages that include both the antivirus and system optimization tools, whereas Norton Utilities Ultimate must be purchased separately from Norton’s antivirus software.

Why and When Should You Clear Cookies?

Over time, too many cookies can slow down your browser and compromise your personal information. By regularly clearing cookies, you remove sensitive data that could be used to track your online activities or target you with ads. Additionally, this practice helps resolve website errors and display issues caused by outdated or corrupted cookies.

Here are specific instances when you might want to clear cookies:

• After Visiting Untrusted Websites: If you’ve visited a website that seems suspicious, clearing your cookies can help prevent any potential tracking or data theft.
• When Your Browser Slows Down: If you notice that your browser is becoming sluggish, it might be due to an excessive accumulation of cookies. Clearing them can help speed up your browser.
• When You Experience Website Errors: Sometimes, cookies can become outdated or corrupted, causing websites to display incorrectly or not function properly. Clearing cookies can resolve these issues and allow websites to work as intended.
• Before Logging Into Sensitive Accounts: Before accessing sensitive accounts, such as online banking or healthcare portals, it’s wise to clear cookies to ensure that any tracking cookies can’t capture your login information.
• Regular Maintenance: Even if you’re not experiencing specific issues, regularly clearing cookies, for example once a month, can help maintain your browser’s performance and privacy.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I clear out my cookies?

The process for clearing cookies depends on what device and web browser you’re using. For instance, on Windows, Linux, and Mac, the process will be different than it would be on Android or iOS.

I have detailed guides that walk you through the steps of clearing your browser’s cookies, no matter what operating system or web browser you’re using.

How do I delete cookies on my iPhone?

Clearing cookies from Safari on any iOS device, including iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch, is super easy. Head to Settings → Safari and tap Clear History and Website Data. Here’s a detailed guide with visual aids to help you locate all the buttons more quickly.

Is it a good idea to remove all cookies?

Removing all cookies can improve your privacy and security by eliminating tracking mechanisms used by websites to monitor your online behavior. This can help prevent targeted ads and reduce the risk of your data being compromised. However, clearing all cookies will also log you out of websites, delete saved preferences, and may lead to a less personalized browsing experience.

While it’s beneficial to remove cookies periodically, you might want to keep those from trusted sites to maintain convenience. Consider using browser settings to selectively delete third-party cookies, which are often used for tracking, while keeping those necessary for logins and preferences intact.

How often should you clear cookies?

How often you should clear your cookies depends on your browsing habits and privacy concerns. If you frequently visit various websites and are concerned about privacy, consider clearing cookies more often. This helps prevent extensive tracking and protects your personal information from being accumulated over time.

For average users, clearing cookies once a month is usually sufficient to maintain a balance between privacy and convenience, but again, do it as often as you like. Regularly clearing cookies helps remove outdated or corrupted data, which can improve browser performance and security.