How to Clear Cookies in Google Chrome (Step-by-Step Guide)

If you use Google Chrome, you can delete cookies through the browser settings. This is a possible solution if you have a slow web browser or notice formatting issues, as sometimes too many cookies can slow your system down.

Erasing saved information from your web browser is important to keep your device operating at peak performance and to keep your data secure. Continue reading our article to learn all about cookies and how you can clear them on Google Chrome, plus get our expert recommendations on which ad blockers can keep third-party trackers from following you around the web.

What is a computer cookie?

A computer cookie is a file that websites send to your internet browser when you visit them.

For example, these websites may be ones that you’ve shopped at previously. Online stores use cookies to remember which items you clicked on and what products you placed in your shopping cart. This is similar to the idea of leaving a trail of breadcrumbs to track a path. Thus, the word cookie.

These small files aren’t dangerous, but there are times when hackers attempt to gain access to user accounts with cookies that are stored in the browser. There are also third-party tracking cookies that allow other entities to watch the sites you visit, so cookies can be harmful to your online privacy. For these reasons, you should know how to clear cookies on Google Chrome whenever you like.

How to clear cookies on Google Chrome

When you use the Chrome browser, it saves data from all the websites you visit. These cookies collect information to learn more about you and give you a better online experience.

If you use the internet often, those files could start to pile up, making your device run slow. You may notice pages take longer to load and the performance of your online experience seems to come to a crawl.

When this happens, you can follow some simple steps to clear the cookies from your Chrome browser. (These tips work whether you use a Windows computer, Mac, Android, or iOS device.)

Heads up: Some of your settings may get deleted along with your cookies, so you might need to sign back into your Google account. You should check your recovery settings for your account before clearing cookies in case you lose your password.

1. Open Chrome on your computer.

2. In the top-right corner, click the three vertical dots to bring up customization options.

3. In the drop-down menu, select Delete browsing data.

4. Select Cookies and other site data. You’ll have the option to choose a time range. To delete all your cookies, select All time. Then click Delete data.

Should you clear cookies in Google Chrome?

It’s a good idea to clear cookies in Google Chrome to get those outdated website cookies off your device.

When you have cached data that isn’t current, it could interfere with websites loading new content in the future. The outdated cached data in your saved cookies may conflict with new pages if a website has updated its content.

You also don’t want your computer bogged down with too many cookies because it could cause your system to be slow. These files occupy space, and the more you have, the more room they take up on your device.

There’s another crucial reason to clear cookies in Google Chrome. Third-party cookies may leave you vulnerable to website owners tracking and selling your data to advertisers and other websites. Having your data shared could result in an invasion of your online privacy — or worse, identity theft

Third-party cookies are used for tracking purposes so that websites can serve you ads that feature products closely related to something you’ve viewed in the past. Still, you may not like the idea of websites tracking your online activity.

There are, however, circumstances where you might leave cookies.

For instance, cookies can be helpful since they keep track of items in your shopping carts or login information, and you can go right back to where you left off. Cookies provide convenience, so you can keep them when you want an easier online experience.

Since cookies can come in handy at times, you can decide how often you want to remove them and if there are some you want to keep.

Pros and cons of deleting Chrome cookies

How to clear your browser cache in Chrome

When you clear your cookies in Chrome, you’ll want to go ahead and clear the cache, too. The cache is the reserved location for storage that keeps temporary data. It helps browsers and websites run faster.

The point of the cache is to make it easy and fast to retrieve data. When you can get to data quickly, your device is faster. Your cache is like a memory bank that lets you get to data locally instead of having to download information repeatedly when accessing a website you’ve visited.

The downside to the cache is that it can take up a lot of space over time, and your device could become slow to respond. Fortunately, clearing the cache is a simple and fast process, and you can do it at the same time you clear your cookies. In fact, you follow the same process for deleting your browsing history, selecting to delete cached images and files.

1. Open Chrome on your computer.

2. In the top-right corner, click the three vertical dots to bring up customization options.

3. In the drop-down menu, select Delete browsing data.

4. Select Cached images and files. You’ll have the option to choose a time range. To delete all your cookies, select All time. Then click Delete data.

Should you clear your cache on Chrome?

When you use a web browser like Chrome, some website information gets saved in its cache and cookies. If you clear them, it may fix website loading and formatting issues.

Over time, your cache and cookies can accumulate and cause your browser to be slow. To keep things running smoothly, you may want to periodically clear your cache on Chrome.

Before you clear your cache, keep in mind that doing so also removes saved passwords, your shopping cart items, and address bar predictions. Be sure you save any of your important information before clearing your cache on Chrome.

You may be tempted not to clear your cache so you can keep all your stored information. If you do that for a short time, it may not matter much. Not clearing the cache at all could result in device performance issues.

Pros and cons of clearing your Chrome cache

How to clear your browser history on Chrome

There are a few reasons you may want to clear your browser history on Chrome. Some people think of it as housekeeping for their devices. It wipes the slate clean and keeps the computer running at its peak.

Clearing your history also keeps hackers from targeting personal information for future use. It can keep your private information more secure because if anyone else uses the device, they can’t see your browsing history.

When you’re ready to clear your browser history on Chrome, you can go to the same settings you used to clear cookies and the cache.

1. Open Chrome on your computer.

2. In the top-right corner, click the three vertical dots to bring up customization options.

3. In the drop-down menu, select Delete browsing data.

4. Select Browsing history. You’ll have the option to choose a time range. To delete all your cookies, select All time. Then click Delete data.

Should you clear your Chrome browser history?

It’s a good idea to clean your Chrome browser history so that web pages load faster. Keeping a full web history can also be problematic because some sites can keep you logged in. That may seem like a good thing, but you may not want to remain logged into multiple sites all the time — especially if you share your device with others.

Clearing your history also helps to erase any trackers that websites use to follow you around the web. It also deletes so-called digital “breadcrumbs” that could give cybercriminals info about your location, frequently visited sites, and other personal data.

But there may be times you don’t want to clear your browser history. As mentioned, not clearing your browser history keeps you logged into specific websites, so if there are ones you frequent, you may not want the hassle of having to log in repeatedly.

You can always choose what to delete so you can leave the websites you want to remain available.

Pros and cons of deleting your Chrome history

How to clear your Google Chrome cache and cookies on iPhone

You may want to clear your Chrome cache and cookies on your iPhone for the same reasons you would clear them on your computer. Most of us use our phones for numerous hours each day. After so much browsing and use, your iPhone’s cache could get pretty full. Clearing cache and cookies may help the device run better.

Before you clear out the cookies and cache, you should know that you could get signed out of your Google Account. Make sure you update your recovery phone number and email address. After you do that, you can get started.

1. Open your Chrome app on your iPhone.

2. At the bottom right, click the three horizontal dots for more options.

3. Click More, then Delete Browsing Data.

4. Select Browsing History, Cookies, Site Data, and Cached Images and Files.

5. Click on Delete Browsing Data.

How to clear your Google Chrome cache and cookies on an Android device

Clearing the cache and cookies on Google Chrome for your Android device is as easy as it is for an iPhone. You can also use the Chrome app to update your privacy settings.

As with other devices, clearing cookies and cache will free up storage space and remove unwanted files that could affect your device’s performance.

When you remove cookies, you may get signed out of websites and your saved preferences deleted, so keep this in mind and make sure your password information is saved and updated in a different location for quick access. You can use the steps below to clear the Google Chrome cache and cookies from your Android device.

1. Open Chrome on your device. At the top right, click the three vertical dots.

2. Select More, then Delete browsing data.

3. You can choose a time range. To delete all the history, select All time.

4. Select Cookie and site data and Cached images and files.

5. Click Delete data.

Best ad blockers for Chrome

Ad blockers not only remove annoying pop-ups, but they block trackers that log your data as well. Here are some of the best ad blockers for Chrome based on our testing:

FAQs

Bottom line

Deleting your Google Chrome cookies, cache, and browsing history is beneficial because it cleans the slate for your device to perform better without being bogged down. When you have a full cache and lots of cookies, your device can lag because there’s not enough storage space, and your browser has too many files to scan.

Clearing the cookies, cache, and browsing history also removes your personal information. That gives you back some control because sites can’t track you or your browsing history. Although rare, there are also malicious cookies that get used to sell your data to third-party sites that could send you intrusive pop-up ads and emails. We also recommend using a strong Chrome ad blocker to prevent trackers from collecting your data as you browse the internet.

You can also protect yourself online by not giving your personal information out unless you are sure the source is secure. That means you are using an official site, like a banking or government site. Using antivirus software will also scan for malware and help keep your data secure. Using a VPN could give you peace of mind, knowing your personal information is encrypted.