Clear your Chrome cache and cookies in three steps
Open Chrome and press Ctrl+Shift+Delete on Windows or Command+Shift+Delete on Mac. This opens the Clear Browsing Data window. Select the time range at the top — "All time" clears everything, or pick a specific range like "Last 24 hours" or "Last 7 days". Check the boxes next to "Cookies and other site data" and "Cached images and files", then click "Clear data".
That's the fastest way. If you want Chrome to clear these automatically every time you close the browser, or if you need to clear data from specific websites only, the steps below show you how.
Key Takeaways
- The keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Delete (Windows) or Command+Shift+Delete (Mac) opens the Clear Browsing Data window in one step.
- You can clear all data at once or choose a specific time range — "Last 24 hours", "Last 7 days", "Last 4 weeks", or "All time".
- Cookies and cached images are separate checkboxes; uncheck either one if you want to keep it.
- You can set Chrome to clear cookies and cache automatically when you close the browser through Settings.
- To clear data from one website only, use the Storage section in Chrome DevTools or clear it from the site settings menu.
What cookies and cache actually do
Cookies are small files websites store on your computer to remember you. They track login information, preferences, and what you've browsed. Cache is a folder of images, scripts, and other files your browser downloaded and saved so pages load faster the next time you visit.
Clearing both can speed up Chrome if the cache has grown large, and it removes the record of sites you've visited from your computer. Websites will no longer remember your login or preferences until you visit them again and they create new cookies.
Clear cookies and cache for a specific time range
Open the Clear Browsing Data window with Ctrl+Shift+Delete (Windows) or Command+Shift+Delete (Mac). At the top, you'll see a dropdown that says "All time" by default. Click it to choose:
- Last hour
- Last 24 hours
- Last 7 days
- Last 4 weeks
- All time
Check "Cookies and other site data" and "Cached images and files". If you want to keep one of these, leave its box unchecked. Click "Clear data" at the bottom right.
Set Chrome to clear data automatically when you close it
Click the three-line menu in the top right corner of Chrome, then select "Settings". On the left side, click "Privacy and security", then "Clear browsing data".
Turn on the toggle next to "Clear cookies and other site data when you quit Chrome". You can also turn on "Clear cached images and files when you quit Chrome" if you want both cleared automatically. From now on, every time you close Chrome completely, these items will be deleted.
If you want to exclude certain sites from this automatic clearing — for example, to stay logged into your email — click "Sites that can always use cookies" and add those websites to the list.
Clear data from a single website
If you only want to remove cookies and cache from one specific site, click the lock icon or information icon next to the website address in the address bar. Click "Cookies and site data", then click the trash icon next to each item you want to remove.
Alternatively, go to Settings, click "Privacy and security", then "Site settings". Click "Cookies and data stored", and you'll see a list of every website that has stored data on your computer. Search for the site you want to clear, click it, then click "Clear data".
Difference between clearing all data and specific time ranges
"All time" removes every cookie and cached file Chrome has stored, going back to whenever you first installed the browser. This is the most thorough option but also the most disruptive — you'll be logged out of every website and pages may load slightly slower the first time you visit them.
Choosing "Last 24 hours" or "Last 7 days" clears only recent data, which is useful if you're concerned about a specific browsing session or a website you visited recently. Older cookies and cache from sites you visit regularly will remain, so you'll stay logged in and pages will still load quickly.
What happens after you clear cookies and cache
You'll be logged out of most websites. The next time you visit them, you'll need to sign in again. Websites won't remember your preferences — font sizes, language settings, or items in your shopping cart — until you set them again.
Pages may load slightly slower the first time you visit them after clearing cache, because Chrome has to download images and files again instead of using the saved copies. After that first visit, they'll load normally as Chrome rebuilds the cache.
Clearing cookies and cache does not delete your browsing history. If you want to remove the list of websites you've visited, that's a separate step in the Clear Browsing Data window — check "Browsing history" instead of or in addition to cookies and cache.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will clearing cookies and cache delete my passwords?
No. Passwords are stored separately from cookies and cache. If you want to delete saved passwords, open Settings, click "Autofill", then "Passwords", and delete them individually. You can also check "Passwords" in the Clear Browsing Data window to delete all saved passwords at once.
Why do some websites ask me to clear my cache?
Websites sometimes ask you to clear cache when a page isn't loading correctly or looks broken. This forces Chrome to download the newest version of the page instead of showing you an outdated cached copy. Try clearing cache for just that website first before clearing everything.
Can I clear cookies without clearing cache, or vice versa?
Yes. In the Clear Browsing Data window, uncheck whichever one you don't want to clear. You can clear cookies only, cache only, or both together.
Does clearing cookies and cache make Chrome faster?
It can, but usually only if your cache has grown very large over months or years. For most people, the difference is small. Clearing cache may actually make browsing slightly slower at first because Chrome has to re-download files from websites you visit frequently.
What's the difference between clearing data and using Incognito mode?
Incognito mode prevents Chrome from saving cookies and cache while you're browsing — nothing is stored to begin with. Clearing data removes what's already been saved. Incognito is useful for private browsing sessions; clearing data is useful for removing old data after the fact.