Clear, enable, and manage cookies in Chrome

You can choose to delete existing cookies, allow or block all cookies, and set preferences for certain websites.

What cookies are

Cookies are files created by websites you visit. They make your online experience easier by saving browsing information. With cookies, sites can keep you signed in, remember your site preferences, and give you locally relevant content.

There are two types of cookies:

First-party cookies are created by the site you visit. The site is shown in the address bar.
Third-party cookies are created by other sites. These sites own some of the content, like ads or images, that you see on the webpage you visit.

Clear all cookies

If you remove cookies, you'll be signed out of websites and your saved preferences could be deleted.

On your computer, open Chrome.
At the top right, click More Settings.
At the bottom, click Show advanced settings.
In the "Privacy" section, click Content settings.
Under "Cookies," click All cookies and site data.
At the top right, click Remove all.
At the bottom right, click Done.

Delete specific cookies

Delete cookies from a site

On your computer, open Chrome.
At the top right, click More Settings.
At the bottom, click Show advanced settings.
In the "Privacy" section, click Content settings.
Under "Cookies," click All cookies and site data.
At the top right, enter the site's name.
Point to the site.
To the right, click Remove .

Delete cookies from a period of time

On your computer, open Chrome.
At the top right, click More .
Click More tools Clear browsing data.
Choose a period, like the past hour or the past day.
Check "Cookies and other site and plugin data." Uncheck all the other items.
Click Clear browsing data.

Change your cookie settings

You can allow or block cookies saved by websites.

Note: If you don't allow sites to save cookies, most sites that require you to sign in won't work.

Allow or block cookies by default

On your computer, open Chrome.
At the top right, click More Settings.
At the bottom, click Show advanced settings.
In the "Privacy" section, click Content settings.
Under "Cookies," choose to allow or block local data.
At the bottom right, click Done.

Block cookies from other sites

You can allow cookies from the site you visit, while blocking cookies from other sites that own ads or images on the webpage. To block these third-party cookies, check the box next to "Block third-party cookies and site data."

All cookies and site data from other sites will be blocked, even if the site is allowed on your exceptions list.

Allow or block cookies for a specific site

If you allow cookies by default, you can still block them for a certain site.

On your computer, open Chrome.
At the top right, click More Settings.
At the bottom, click Show advanced settings.
In the "Privacy" section, click Content settings.
Under "Cookies," click Manage exceptions.
Under "Hostname pattern," enter the web address where you want to add an exception.
- To create an exception for an entire domain, insert [*.] before the domain name. For example, [*.]google.com will match drive.google.com and calendar.google.com.
- You can also put an IP address or a web address that doesn't start with http://.
Under "Behavior," select Allow, Block, or Clear on exit.
At the bottom right, click Done.

To remove exceptions you don't want any more, point to the site or domain. Click Remove Done.

Note: If you’re using your Chromebook at work or school, you might not be able to change this setting. For more help, contact your administrator.

Delete cookies after you close Chrome

You can let sites remember information during your browsing session, but automatically delete the cookies when you quit Chrome.

On your computer, open Google Chrome.
At the top right, click More Settings.
At the bottom, click Show advanced settings.
In the "Privacy" section, click Content settings.
Under "Cookies," choose Keep local data only until you quit your browser.

Megan is a Google Chrome expert and the author of this help page. Help her improve this article by leaving feedback below.

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