Browser cookies can be cleared to get rid of issues that might be conflicting with your current session. Clearing cookies can also be beneficial to avoid the security risks of someone else trying to access your accounts. Browser sessions will be stored in the form of cookies to make it easier for your sign-in to a certain account. While it is a great feature for your personal computer, it may not be the case always. For example, if you used your friend’s PC to check an urgent email, you wouldn’t want to leave any traces behind.
In addition to that, browser cookies can make conflicts between the sessions. If you are unable to log in to any service even after providing the correct details, the next step you should do is trying to clear browser cookies. With that being said, these are the methods to clear cookies on your browser.
Steps to clear cookies on Google Chrome
- Open Google Chrome.
- Then, click on the Menu button (three vertical dots) in the top-right corner of the screen.
- Hover over the More Tools to reveal more options.
- Choose the Clear browsing data… option. It will open a popup where you can clear different types of Chrome data.
- Check the box Cookies and other site data and choose the time range which you want to clear the cookies
- Click the Clear data button to clear cookies.
Steps to remove cookies from Mozilla Firefox
- Open Firefox browser.
- Click on the Menu button (three parallel lines) in the top-right corner.
- Click on Options.
- Navigate to the Privacy & Security tab on the left side.
- Then simply scroll down to the Cookies and Site Data section.
- Click the Clear Data button. It will open a popup.
- Check the box Cookies and Site Data.
- Click the Clear button to remove cookies from Firefox.
How to clear cookies in Opera
- Open Opera browser.
- Click on the Menu icon in the top-right corner. The three horizontal dots on the Opera sidebar will also help to open the settings.
- Then click on Go to full browser settings (if you clicked the menu icon) or Settings (if you clicked the dots on the Opera sidebar). It will take you to the settings.
- Click on the Advanced option on the left sidebar
- Scroll down to the Privacy and security section.
- Click on Clear browsing data. It will open a similar popup like Google Chrome because of the similarity in the browser software.
- Choose the timeframe and check the Cookies and other site data option.
- Click the Clear Data button to clear Opera cookies.
How to delete cookies in Safari
- Open Safari on your Mac.
- Click on the Safari option in the menu bar at the top.
- Choose Preferences from the dropdown.
- Then go to the Privacy tab.
- Click on the Manage website data button.
- Click on the Remove All button. You may also individually select the websites you want to remove the cookies from.
How to clear cookies in Microsoft Edge
- Open Microsoft Edge on Windows.
- Click on the Menu icon (three dots) in the top-right corner.
- Click on Settings.
- Navigate to the Privacy, search, and services tab.
- Click the Choose what to clear button. It will open a popup.
- Select the Cookies and other site data
- Click on the Clear Now button to clear Edge cookies.
How to clear cookies on Android
If you want to clear the cookies on your Android smartphone, the steps are almost similar to as the desktop versions of the respective applications you installed. These are the methods to clear cookies on some popular Android web browsers.
Chrome Android app
- Open Google Chrome Android app.
- Tap on the Menu icon (three vertical dots) in the top-right corner.
- Tap on the Settings.
- Go to Privacy and security.
- Tap on Clear browsing data.
- Check the box saying Cookies and site data.
- Tap on the Clear data button to clear Chrome Android cookies.
Firefox Android app
- Open Firefox Android app.
- Click on the Menu icon.
- Tap on Settings.
- Scroll down to the Privacy and security section.
- Tap on the Delete browsing data option.
- Check the box, Cookies.
- Finally, tap the Delete browsing data button.
How to clear cookies on iOS
On iOS devices, such as an iPhone or iPad, if you are using either of the Chrome or Firefox apps, the steps for clearing cookies are similar to that of the Android version. If you are using the Safari browser, you can clear cookies following these steps.
- Open iOS Settings.
- Tap on Safari.
- Tap on Advanced.
- Then Website data.
- Finally, tap on Remove All Website Data. It will remove the cookies from the Safari app.
How to clear cookies on Ubuntu/Linux
Just like we mentioned in our article on enabling cookies on a different browser, the steps for clearing cookies are also similar if you are using the same browser application on Ubuntu or Linux. There are no additional steps as long as you are not using a different browser that is not mentioned in this article.
How often should you clear cookies?
If you are using a public network to access the internet, it is advised to clear the cookies as well as your browsing history as soon as you stop browsing. This will protect your data from any potential threats the network might cause.
If you browse the internet from a private network, such as your home/office connections, you do not have to clear them as long as you are in control. However, to make sure of the security and privacy of your data, and if you are not signed in to too many services, it is a good idea to clear cookies once or twice every month.
Whatever habit you follow, you shouldn’t keep cookies for more than 6 months. Not that your security will be breached all of a sudden after that period. Just because most of the cookies will expire within that time limit anyway, and clearing them will be also beneficial for your privacy.