Have you ever wondered how the advertisements on your browser are so accurate to what you require? Or, you know about it and are worried about advertisers snooping in your personal information. Whatever may be the concern, you might find a cure to your cause of worry down here.
Now, here is a concept that has been going around for two decades on the internet, but until recently was rarely relevant to a user. It is browser cookies. You might have seen references to “cookies” on various websites and simply shrugged and moved on, not giving it a second thought.
Contents
- Cookies – a brief overview
- Method 1: Manage and Delete Browser Cookies in Google Chrome (v23+)
- Method 2: Manage and Delete Browser Cookies in Mozilla Firefox (v40+)
- Method 3: Manage and Delete Browser Cookies in Internet Explorer (v9+)
- Method 4: Manage and Delete Browser Cookies in Opera
- Method 5: Manage and Delete Browser Cookies in Safari
Cookies – a brief overview
Many websites now actively inform visitors that they use cookies, and some sites even ask you to agree to the use of cookies. Browser cookies are bits and pieces of information that your web browser saves in the form of a text file.
The computer handling a website (called a server) sends your browser some information to store. The next time you open that web page, the server will ask the browser for that stored information and present new data accordingly.
This information can be regarding the log-in form, a customized look on a web page or your shopping preferences. For example, saved items in your shopping cart or the recently viewed products in an e-commerce website.
The chief source of worry among users is the third-party cookies, or when your preferences become public with the advertisers on the website you were browsing. It is incumbent upon the website to mention the details about those cookies in their privacy policy and a majority of them do. Therefore, it lies with you how and what information you choose to share online.
Thankfully, every browser offers you a chance to regulate the cookie usage and delete them if you wish to. Here are the steps to do so in various browsers.
- Method 1: Manage and Delete Browser Cookies in Google Chrome
- Method 2: Manage and Delete Browser Cookies in Mozilla Firefox
- Method 3: Manage and Delete Browser Cookies in Internet Explorer
- Method 4: Manage and Delete Browser Cookies in Opera
- Method 5: Manage and Delete Browser Cookies in Safari
Method 1: Manage and Delete Browser Cookies in Google Chrome (v23+)
Memory reservations aside, Google Chrome is unarguably the most popular browser among internet users. There is a high probability that you are reading this using a Chrome browser. Therefore, it is imperative that Chrome users become aware of the cookie regulation process, which is remarkably similar in other versions of the browser.
In the top right corner of your Chrome browser, you will find the menu icon.It is three horizontal lines stacked on top of each other, like a hamburger. It has replaced the wrench icon in the earlier versions of Google Chrome.
Click on the menu icon.
Step 2. Click on Settings
From the drop-down menu, select "Settings".
Step 3. Go to Advanced Settings
A Settings window will open in a new tab. Go to the bottom of the page and click on "Show advanced settings".
Step 4. Click on Content Settings
Under the Privacy section, click on the "Content Settings..." button.
Step 5. Manage Cookies
You can deal with the cookies using four alternatives.
The options may be written in technical wording that may not be very easily understood. Here’s what the four options mean:
- Save all the cookies.
- Keep the cookies but delete them as soon as you close the browser.
- Block all the cookies (not the best way to go).
- Keep the cookies from websites, but block them from advertisements.
Select the option most agreeable to you. Don’t feel compelled to choose the option Chrome lists as “recommended”.
Step 6. Delete Cookies
Remove individual cookies
To delete the cookies already in your device, click on the "All cookies and site data..." button.
A “Cookies and site data” window will open, where you can individually delete the cookies.
Remove all cookies
A “Cookies and site data” window will open, where you can click on the "Remove all" button to delete them entirely.
Shortcut method
Go back to the Settings tab and click on the "Clear browsing data..." button under the Privacy section or press "Ctrl + Shift + Delete" to open the “Clear browsing data” window directly.
In the “Clear browsing data” window, select the checkbox beside "Cookies and other site and plugin data” set the time range to "the beginning of time" and click on the "Clear browsing data" button. This will delete all cookies stored on your device as of the moment you click the button.
Method 2: Manage and Delete Browser Cookies in Mozilla Firefox (v40+)
Firefox, the preferred web browser of critics who view Chrome objectively, is next in line after Chrome in its user base. Like any great web interface, its functioning is remarkably consistent even in the latest versions of the web browser.
Similar to Chrome, the menu icon is three stacked lines (looking a bit like a hamburger) and is found in the top right corner of the browser. Click on it to open the drop-down menu.
Step 2. Select Options
From the drop-down menu, select the "gear" icon for Options.
Step 3. Select Privacy section
The Options window will open in a new tab. Click on the "Privacy" section in the left panel.
Step 4. Change history settings
Under the History section, select the option "Use custom settings for history".
Firefox allows you to accept or reject cookies from websites entirely as well as creating a custom setting.
For third-party cookies, you’ll see three options in the drop-down menu. You can choose to:
- Always accept third-party cookies.
- Accept third-party cookies only from websites you visited.
- Never allow third-party cookies.
Make a choice as per your wish.
Remove individual cookies
While in the Privacy section, you can delete all existing cookies from your device. Click on the "Show Cookies" button to open the Cookies window.
In the Cookies window, select the individual website to delete its cookies.
Remove all cookies
In the Cookies window, click on “Remove All” to delete all the cookies.
Shortcut method
The shortcut method to clear cookies is common in nearly all the web browsers.
Press "Ctrl + Shift + Delete" to open the Clear All History window.
In the Clear All History window, select the checkbox beside "Cookies", set the time range to “Everything" and click on "Clear Now".
Method 3: Manage and Delete Browser Cookies in Internet Explorer (v9+)
If you are still using Internet Explorer, patience is probably your strong suit. Deleting cookies in Internet Explorer is not exactly the most organic process. Follow the steps closely if you wish to delete cookies in Internet Explorer.
Step 1. Click on the Tools icon
In the top-right corner of the screen, click on the gear-shaped "Tools" icon.
Step 2. Select Internet Options
From the drop-down menu, select "Internet Options". The Internet Options window will popup.
Click on the "Privacy" tab in the Internet Options window. Under the Settings section, the options to manage cookies range from “Accept All Cookies” to “Block All Cookies”.
Move the bar to the desired cookie control.
Block all third-party cookies
In the Privacy tab under the Settings section, click on the "Advanced" button to block only third-party cookies.
In the Advanced Privacy Settings window, click on the checkbox that says "Override automatic cookie handling".
Under Third-party Cookies, select the "Block" option and click “OK”.
Now the cookie control bar in the Privacy tab will show custom settings. Click on "Apply" to activate it.
Go to the "General" tab in the Internet Options pop-up to delete cookies.
In the Browsing history section, click on the "Delete" button to open Delete Browsing History window. Alternatively, you can press "Ctrl + Shift + Delete", a shortcut to open the Delete Browsing History window.
In the Delete Browsing History window, check the "Cookies and website data" option and click on "Delete".
Delete selective cookies
In the Browsing history section, click on the "Settings" button.
In the Website Data Settings window under Temporary Internet Files tab, click on the "View files" button.
A window of cookies will open. Delete text files only. A text file's icon looks like a notepad page folded slightly from the top.
Method 4: Manage and Delete Browser Cookies in Opera
Opera users are mainly the loyalists, who have stuck with this browser for a long period of time, back when it was the hottest thing in the browser market. If you wish to delete cookies in Opera, it’s more or less similar to the process in Chrome.
In the top-left corner of Opera, you will find the menu button with the name of the browser and one-fourth of the logo. Click on that button.
Step 2. Click on Settings
In the drop-down menu, select the "Settings" option.
Step 3. Select privacy & security
Settings will open in a new tab. From the left panel, select the "Privacy & security" tab.
Scroll down the window to the Cookies section and select your respective choice.
- Allow cookies
- Keep the cookies until you close the browser.
- Block all the cookies
- Keep the cookies from first-party websites, but block third-party cookies.
Remove individual cookies
Click on the "All cookies and site data..." button.
In the Cookies and Site Data window, you can remove individual cookies.
Remove all cookies
In the Cookies and Site Data window, you can remove all cookies by clicking on the "Delete all" button.
Shortcut method
Under the Privacy section, click on the "Clear browsing data..." button or press "remove-all-cookies-opera" to open the “Clear browsing data” window.
In the Clear browsing data window, select the checkbox beside "Cookies and other site and plugin data", set the time range to "the beginning of time" and click on "Clear browsing data".
Method 5: Manage and Delete Browser Cookies in Safari
Apple’s flagship web browser is now discontinued for Windows, but there is still a dedicated community of users who prefer Safari. Deleting cookies in Safari is probably the easiest of all browsers, with less twists and turns.
In the top-right corner of the browser, there is a “gear” icon that opens the general Safari settings. Click on the icon.
Step 2. Click on Preferences
From the drop-down menu, select “Preferences”.
Step 3. Click on Privacy tab
A new Preferences window will open. Click on the “Privacy” tab with its icon shaped like a silhouette of a man.
In the Privacy tab under the Block Cookies section, there are three choices available to you.
- Block only the third-party cookies or advertisers.
- Block all the cookies, always.
- Never block any cookies.
Choose the best option for yourself, although the first is advisable.
Remove individual cookies
You can choose whether to delete all the cookies at once or individually.
Click on the “Details” button to go to the list of all the cookies from different websites.
Select the website whose cookies you wish to delete and click on the “Remove” button.
Remove all cookies
Select the “Remove All” button to delete all of the cookies. A prompt will appear asking you whether you are sure or not.
Click on “Remove Now”.
Alternate method
Another method to delete cookies is to delete all the content including cache, history, etc.
In the Privacy tab, click on the “Remove All Website Data…” button.
Another prompt will appear, asking if you are sure. Click on “Remove Now”.