Delete cookies in Chrome 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" removes every cookie Chrome has stored, while "Last hour" or "Last 24 hours" removes only recent ones. Check the box next to "Cookies and other site data", make sure nothing else is checked unless you want to delete it too, then click "Clear data". Chrome will delete those cookies immediately.
If you prefer using the menu instead, click the three vertical dots in the top right corner of Chrome, go to Settings, then Privacy and security, then "Clear browsing data". The window that opens is identical to the keyboard shortcut version.
After you clear cookies, you may notice you are logged out of websites you visit often. That is normal — cookies store login information, so removing them means you will need to sign in again the next time you visit those sites.
Key Takeaways
- The fastest way to delete cookies is pressing Ctrl+Shift+Delete (Windows) or Command+Shift+Delete (Mac), then selecting your time range and clicking "Clear data".
- You can delete all cookies at once or only cookies from the last hour, day, or week depending on what you choose in the time range dropdown.
- Deleting cookies will log you out of most websites, so you will need to sign in again when you visit them next.
- Chrome also lets you delete cookies from specific websites without clearing all of them, which is useful if you only want to remove data from one site.
Why you might want to delete cookies
Cookies are small files that websites store on your computer to remember information about you. Most of the time they are harmless — they remember your login, your shopping cart, or your language preference. But cookies can also track your browsing across different websites, and some people prefer not to leave that trail.
Deleting cookies is also useful if a website is behaving strangely. Sometimes old or corrupted cookie data causes login problems or makes a page load incorrectly. Clearing cookies often fixes these issues because the website creates fresh cookie data the next time you visit.
If you share your computer with other people, deleting cookies removes the record of websites you have visited and logs you out of your accounts, which is a basic privacy step before handing the computer to someone else.
Delete cookies from a single website instead of all of them
If you only want to remove cookies from one specific website, you do not need to clear everything. Click the lock icon or information icon next to the web address in Chrome's address bar. A small popup will appear showing site permissions and data.
Click "Cookies and site data" to expand that section. You will see a list of cookies that website has stored. Click the trash icon next to each cookie to delete it individually, or click "Manage" to see all the data that site has stored and delete it all at once.
This approach is helpful when you want to log out of one account without affecting your login on other sites, or when you want to clear data from a site that is misbehaving while keeping your cookies everywhere else intact.
The difference between clearing cookies and clearing browsing history
Cookies and browsing history are two separate things, and Chrome lets you delete them independently. Your browsing history is the list of websites you have visited — Chrome stores this so it can show you suggestions when you type in the address bar. Cookies are data that websites store on your computer to remember information about you.
When you open the "Clear browsing data" window, you will see checkboxes for both "Cookies and other site data" and "Browsing history". You can check one, both, or neither depending on what you want to remove. If you only check "Cookies and other site data", your browsing history stays intact. If you only check "Browsing history", your cookies remain on your computer.
Most people who want privacy delete both, but there are times you might want only one. For example, you might delete cookies to log out of accounts but keep your browsing history so Chrome still suggests sites you visit regularly.
Automatic cookie deletion when you close Chrome
If you want Chrome to delete cookies automatically every time you close the browser, you can set that up in Settings. Click the three vertical dots, go to Settings, then Privacy and security, then "Cookies and other site data".
Look for the option "Clear cookies and site data when you quit Chrome" and toggle it on. From that point forward, every time you close Chrome completely, all cookies will be deleted. This does not affect cookies while Chrome is open — websites can still store and use them during your browsing session.
One drawback: if you turn on automatic deletion, you will be logged out of most websites every time you restart Chrome. This is more secure but also more inconvenient. Some people use this setting on shared computers but turn it off on personal ones.
Cookies that Chrome will not let you delete
Some cookies are tied to your Google account and Chrome's sync feature. If you are signed into Chrome with a Google account, certain cookies related to that account may not fully delete or may recreate themselves when you sync again.
If you want to prevent Chrome from syncing cookies across your devices, you can turn off sync entirely. Go to Settings, click your profile picture in the top right, then turn off "Sync is on". After that, cookies will stay only on the device where they were created and will not sync to your other devices.
You can also manage which types of data Chrome syncs. In the same Settings menu, go to "Sync and Google services" and choose what you want to sync — you can turn off cookies and site data while keeping other things like bookmarks and passwords synced.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will deleting cookies break websites I use every day?
No, but you will be logged out and will need to sign in again. Websites are designed to work without cookies — they just recreate the cookie data the next time you visit. You might notice a slightly slower first load while the website sets up new cookies, but everything will work normally after that.
Can I delete cookies from just the last few hours?
Yes. In the "Clear browsing data" window, the time range dropdown at the top lets you choose "Last hour", "Last 24 hours", "Last 7 days", "Last 4 weeks", or "All time". Pick whichever range you want and only cookies from that period will be deleted.
Do I need to delete cookies for security reasons?
Not regularly. Cookies themselves are not a security risk in the way malware is. If you are concerned about tracking, deleting cookies reduces the data websites collect about your browsing. If you are worried about someone else using your computer, deleting cookies logs you out of accounts, which is a good privacy step.
What happens to my saved passwords when I delete cookies?
Passwords are stored separately from cookies, so deleting cookies does not affect them. You will still be logged out because the login cookie is gone, but Chrome will offer to fill in your password when you sign back in. If you want to delete passwords too, that is a separate checkbox in the "Clear browsing data" window.
Can websites see that I deleted their cookies?
No. Websites cannot tell whether you deleted a cookie or if it simply expired. When you visit a website after deleting its cookies, the site just sees a new visitor and creates fresh cookies. There is no record that the old cookies were removed.