Clear cookies in Safari by opening Settings, tapping Safari, scrolling to Clear History and Website Data, and choosing your time range
On iPhone and iPad, Safari stores cookies — small files websites use to remember you — in the same place as your browsing history. To remove them, open the Settings app, tap Safari, scroll down, and tap Clear History and Website Data. A menu appears asking how far back you want to clear: the last hour, today, today and yesterday, or all time. Pick your range and tap the blue button to confirm. The cookies are gone immediately.
On Mac, the process is slightly different. Open Safari, click Safari in the menu bar at the top, and select Clear History. A window opens with a dropdown menu that says "the last hour" by default. Click that dropdown to change it to today, today and yesterday, or all history. Make sure the checkbox next to "Cookies and other website data" is checked, then click Clear History. Safari removes the cookies right away.
Clearing cookies also removes your browsing history, autofill data, and cached images — everything Safari remembers about your visits. If you want to remove only cookies and keep your history, you need to use a different method, which is covered in the next section.
Key Takeaways
- On iPhone and iPad, go to Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data and choose your time range to remove cookies along with browsing history.
- On Mac, open Safari > Clear History from the menu bar, pick your time range, and make sure "Cookies and other website data" is checked.
- Clearing cookies this way also removes your browsing history, cached images, and autofill data — you cannot remove only cookies using the standard method.
- If you want to remove cookies from a single website instead of all of them, you can manage individual site settings in Safari preferences.
- Clearing cookies does not sign you out of websites automatically, though some sites may ask you to log in again on your next visit.
Remove cookies from a single website without clearing everything
If you only want to remove cookies from one website, Safari lets you manage individual sites. On iPhone and iPad, open Settings, tap Safari, scroll down to Advanced, and tap Website Data. A list of all websites that have stored data on your device appears. Scroll to find the site you want to clear, swipe left on it, and tap Delete. The cookies from that site are removed, but cookies from other websites stay.
On Mac, open Safari and click Safari in the menu bar, then select Preferences. Click the Privacy tab at the top. Click Manage Website Data to see a list of every site that has stored cookies on your Mac. Find the website you want to clear, click it once to select it, and click Remove. If you want to remove multiple sites at once, hold down Command and click each one, then click Remove.
This method is useful if a website is acting strangely and you suspect a corrupted cookie, or if you want to clear data from one site without losing your login information for others. The website will create a new cookie the next time you visit.
Understand what cookies do and why you might want to clear them
Cookies are small text files that websites store on your device to remember information about you. They track what you put in a shopping cart, keep you logged in, remember your preferences, and let advertisers follow you across the web. Most cookies are harmless, but some people clear them regularly for privacy reasons or because a website is not working correctly.
Clearing cookies can solve problems like a website refusing to load properly, a login that is not working, or a page that keeps showing an error. It can also slow down websites slightly at first because they have to rebuild their memory of you — your shopping cart might empty, and you may have to log in again. This is temporary; the website will create new cookies as soon as you visit.
If you want to prevent Safari from storing cookies in the first place, you can adjust your privacy settings. Open Settings on iPhone or iPad, tap Safari, scroll to Privacy & Security, and tap Prevent Cross-Site Tracking. On Mac, open Safari Preferences, click Privacy, and check "Prevent cross-site tracking." This does not stop all cookies, but it blocks advertisers from following you between websites.
Set Safari to clear cookies automatically when you close the app
You can tell Safari to clear cookies and browsing data every time you close the app, so you do not have to do it manually. On iPhone and iPad, open Settings, tap Safari, scroll down, and look for "Clear History and Website Data." There is no toggle for this setting — instead, you have to use Screen Time to set it up. Open Settings, tap Screen Time, tap App Limits, and add Safari. Set a time limit of one minute. When the limit is reached, Safari will close and clear its data automatically.
A simpler option on iPhone and iPad is to use Safari's built-in privacy features instead. Open Settings, tap Safari, scroll to Privacy & Security, and turn on "Prevent Cross-Site Tracking" and "Hide IP Address." These settings reduce tracking without clearing your cookies every time you close the app, so you stay logged in to websites you use regularly.
On Mac, there is no automatic clearing option in Safari itself. Instead, you can use the Keychain and iCloud settings to manage what Safari remembers. Open Safari Preferences, click AutoFill, and uncheck the boxes next to the data you do not want Safari to remember — usernames, passwords, credit cards, or other information. This prevents Safari from storing new data without clearing old data.
Know what happens when you clear cookies on different devices
If you use Safari on multiple devices — iPhone, iPad, and Mac — clearing cookies on one device does not affect the others. Each device stores its own cookies separately. If you clear cookies on your iPhone, your Mac will still have all its cookies, and websites will still remember you there. This is useful if you want to clear data on one device for privacy but keep your login information on another.
If you use iCloud Keychain to sync your passwords across devices, clearing cookies does not affect your saved passwords. You will still be able to log in to websites on any device because your password is stored separately from cookies. However, if a website uses a cookie to keep you logged in and you clear that cookie, you will have to log in again even though your password is saved.
If you want to clear cookies across all your Apple devices at once, the only way to do it is to clear them on each device individually. There is no master setting that clears Safari data on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac simultaneously.
Troubleshoot when cookies are not clearing or keep coming back
Sometimes you clear cookies and they seem to come back, or Safari does not seem to clear them at all. The most common reason is that you did not select the right time range. If you only cleared "the last hour" but the cookies were created earlier, they will still be there. Go back to Clear History and Website Data and choose "all time" to remove everything.
Another reason cookies might seem to return is that websites recreate them as soon as you visit. If you clear a cookie from a website and then visit that website again, it will immediately create a new cookie with similar information. This is normal and not a sign that something went wrong. The old cookie is gone; the new one is fresh.
If a website is storing data in a way that does not show up in Safari's cookie list, it might be using local storage or other browser technologies instead of traditional cookies. These are harder to clear manually. Try closing Safari completely and reopening it, or restart your device. If the problem persists, try clearing all website data using the method in the first section — this removes cookies, local storage, and cached data all at once.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will clearing cookies sign me out of websites?
Clearing cookies may sign you out of some websites, but not all. It depends on how the website stores your login information. Some sites use cookies to keep you logged in, so clearing them will log you out. Others use tokens or other methods that are not affected by clearing cookies. You may have to log in again on your next visit, but your saved password will still work.
Can I clear cookies without clearing my browsing history?
Not with Safari's standard clear function — it removes both at the same time. However, you can remove cookies from individual websites by going to Settings > Safari > Advanced > Website Data on iPhone or Safari > Preferences > Privacy > Manage Website Data on Mac, then deleting specific sites. This leaves your browsing history intact.
What is the difference between clearing cookies and clearing cache?
Cookies are files that store information about you, like login details and preferences. Cache is stored images, videos, and other files that websites use, which Safari keeps to load pages faster next time. When you clear history and website data in Safari, you clear both cookies and cache together. Clearing cache frees up storage space; clearing cookies affects how websites remember you.
Do I need to clear cookies regularly?
No, clearing cookies regularly is not necessary for most people. Cookies do not slow down your device or use much storage. Clear them only if a website is not working correctly, if you want to improve privacy, or if you are concerned about tracking. If you do not notice problems, you do not need to clear them.
Will clearing cookies on Safari affect other apps?
No. Clearing Safari cookies only affects Safari. Other apps like Chrome, Firefox, or Mail have their own separate cookie storage, and clearing Safari cookies will not touch them. Each app manages its own data independently.