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Chrome: Clear cache & cookies

Colleen Porter
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When you use a browser, like Chrome, it saves some information from websites in its cache and cookies. Clearing them fixes certain problems, like loading or formatting issues on sites.

  1. On your computer, open Chrome.
  2. At the top right, click More More.
  3. Click More tools and then Clear browsing data.
  4. At the top, choose a time range. To delete everything, select All time.
  5. Next to "Cookies and other site data" and "Cached images and files," check the boxes.
  6. Click Clear data.

Learn how to change more cookie settings in Chrome. For example, you can delete cookies for a specific site.

Delete specific cookies

Delete cookies from a site
  1. On your computer, open Chrome.
  2. At the top right, click More More and then Settings.
  3. At the bottom, click Advanced.
  4. Under "Privacy and security," click Site settings.
  5. Click Cookies and then See all cookies and site data.
  6. At the top right, search for the website's name.
  7. To the right of the site, click Remove Remove.
Delete cookies from a period of time
  1. On your computer, open Chrome.
  2. At the top right, click More More.
  3. Click More tools and then Clear browsing data.
  4. At the top, click the dropdown next to "Time range."
  5. Choose a time period, such as the past hour or the past day.
  6. Check "Cookies and other site data." Uncheck all the other items.
  7. Click Clear data.

Change your cookie settings

You can allow or block cookies saved by websites.

Note: If you don't allow sites to save cookies, most sites that require you to sign in won't work.

Allow or block cookies by default
  1. On your computer, open Chrome.
  2. At the top right, click More More and then Settings.
  3. At the bottom, click Advanced.
  4. Under "Privacy and security," click Site settings and then Cookies.
  5. Turn Allow sites to save and read cookie data on or off.

Block cookies from other sites

You can allow cookies from the site you visit, while blocking cookies from other sites that own ads or images on the webpage. To block these third-party cookies, turn on Block third-party cookies.

All cookies and site data from other sites will be blocked, even if the site is allowed on your exceptions list.

Allow or block cookies for a specific site

If you allow cookies by default, you can still block them for a certain site.

  1. On your computer, open Chrome.
  2. At the top right, click More More and then Settings.
  3. At the bottom, click Advanced.
  4. Under "Privacy and security," click Site settings and then Cookies.
  5. Next to "Block," "Clear on exit," or "Allow," select Add.
  6. Enter the web address.
    • To create an exception for an entire domain, insert [*.] before the domain name. For example, [*.]google.com will match drive.google.com and calendar.google.com.
    • You can also put an IP address or a web address that doesn't start with http://.
  7. Select Add.

To remove an exception you don't want any more, to the right of the website, click More More and then Remove.

Delete cookies after you close Chrome

You can let sites remember information during your browsing session, but automatically delete the cookies when you quit Chrome.

  1. On your computer, open Google Chrome.
  2. At the top right, click More More and then Settings.
  3. At the bottom, click Advanced.
  4. Under "Privacy and security," click Site settings and then Cookies.
  5. Turn on Keep local data only until you quit your browser.

What happens after you clear this info

After you clear cache and cookies:

  • Some settings on sites get deleted. For example, if you were signed in, you’ll need to sign in again.
  • If you turn sync on in Chrome, you’ll stay signed into the Google Account you’re syncing to in order to delete your data across all your devices.
  • Some sites can seem slower because content, like images, needs to load again.

How cache & cookies work

  • Cookies are files created by sites you visit. They make your online experience easier by saving browsing data.
  • The cache remembers parts of pages, like images, to help them open faster during your next visit.

 

 

This article was originally published here.

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