How to Delete All Cookies in Chrome and What Happens When You Do

Clearing cookies in Chrome takes a few seconds, but it signs you out of nearly everything. Often you only need to clear one site. Here's how to do each, and what to expect afterwards.

Delete all cookies

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete (Cmd + Shift + Delete on Mac), or go to Settings → Privacy and security → Delete browsing data.
2. Set the time range to All time.
3. Tick Cookies and other site data. Untick history and cached files if you want to keep them.
4. Click Delete data.

Delete cookies for one site

• While on the site: click the icon left of the address → Cookies and site data → Manage on-device site data, and delete the entries you want.
• From settings: go to chrome://settings/content/all, search for the site, and click the trash icon next to it.

Delete a single cookie

1. On the site, press F12 and open the Application tab.
2. Under Cookies, click the site's address.
3. Select the cookie and press Delete, or right-click and choose Delete.

Useful when one cookie is causing a problem, such as a broken login or a stuck setting.

What happens when you delete all cookies

• You're signed out of most websites. Chrome keeps you signed in to Chrome itself if you use sync.
• "Remember this device" choices for two-step verification are lost, so expect extra login codes.
• Shopping carts empty on sites that store them in cookies.
• Site preferences reset, such as language, dark mode or region.
• Cookie banners come back, since your choices were stored in cookies.
• Tracking IDs are reset, which is the privacy benefit.

Saved passwords, bookmarks and history aren't affected unless you tick them too.

Clear cookies automatically

To start each session fresh, go to Settings → Privacy and security → Site settings → On-device site data (under additional content settings) and choose to delete data sites have saved when you close all windows. You can add exceptions for sites you want to stay signed in to.

Alternatives to deleting everything

• Block third-party cookies to stop most cross-site tracking without signing out of anything.
• Reject non-essential cookies on banners. Cookie Auto-Reject does it for you.
• Use Incognito for one-off visits; its cookies disappear when you close it.

To see what's stored before you delete it, see how to check what cookies a site sets.