How Can I Delete Cookies from My Computer?

Anyone who uses the internet knows that, from every which way, they’re being tracked. That’s the catch about the internet: it’s free, but not really because your data is constantly being used for the sake of profit. Most of the time, it’s for perfectly harmless purposes, but in the age of consumer privacy concerns, there are ways to ensure that even marketers can’t continue to track you. So, to help you begin protecting your online activity, below, we’ll answer the question: How can I delete cookies from my computer?

For more information about computer cookies, check out our other articles explaining whether cookies slow down your computer or how to disable cookies. And for more info on consumer privacy, we have a great guide on creating a CCPA data deletion request.

Can I Delete Cookies from My Computer?

When you visit a website with your computer or mobile device, a small file is transferred from your web browser to your device. This file is a cookie, and it’s there so that the website can record your history and keeps track of your online habits. This way, it knows the right time and place to serve your ads.

Overall, tracking web behavior optimizes a user’s experience because it tailors the internet session closer to their liking rather than serving a random gumbo of advertisements and recommended content.

However, periodically clearing your cookies ensures you limit the amount of information being shared. It’s also essential to clear cookies whenever you’ve been searching or transferring sensitive data.

The process of clearing cookies is straightforward but slightly different for each browser. Below, we’ve outlined the deletion process for many of the most common web browsers.

How to Clear Cookies in Chrome

STEP 1 Find Browsing Data Settings

1. Open the Chrome search page and click the button that looks like three small dots in the upper right-hand corner. Next, hover your cursor over the option “More Tools.”
2. Then, press the option that says “Clear Browser Data.” This will bring up a separate window.

STEP 2 Clear Cookies

1. In the window, ensure that the box that says “Cookies and other site data” is marked. You can also select or remove other options for clearing your web history.
2. At the top of the box, click the dropdown arrow next to “Time Range.” Here, select “All Time.”
3. Lastly, press “Clear Data.”

How to Clear Cookies in Firefox

STEP 1 Open Privacy Settings

1. Open a Firefox browser window and select the menu button (three small dots) at the upper-right-hand corner.
2. Next, find and select the “Settings” option.
3. Then, press “Privacy and Security.”

STEP 2 Clear Cookies

1. Scroll down until you find “Cookies & Site Data.” Then, press the option that says “Clear Data.”
2. A small window will pop up, allowing you to sleet the data you want to delete.
3. Select “Cookies and Site Data” and then press “Clear.”

How to Clear Cookies in Safari

STEP 1 Enter the Privacy Settings

1. Open the browsing page. In the upper left-hand corner, select “Safari.” In the dropdown, press “Preferences.” This will open a small pop-up window. Navigate to the tab labeled “Privacy.”
2. Select the option that says “Manage Website Data.”

STEP 2 Delete Cookies

1. A list of sites that are tracking you will appear. You can select which sites you’d like to delete cookies for or choose the “Remove All” option.
2. After configuring your list, press the option that says “Remove Now” and then press “Done” to delete.

How to Clear Cookies in Internet Explorer

STEP 1 Navigate to Browsing History Data

1. In the upper right-hand corner, select the settings icon (cog).
2. Then, on the dropdown list, select “Internet Options.” This will open a separate pop-up window.

STEP 2 Delete Cookies

1. Under the “Browsing History” section, select the option that says “Delete.” This will bring up another window where you can choose the information you want to be deleted.
2. Select “Cookies and website data.” Then press “Delete” and “Ok.”