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How to clear cookies on Mac

Before you clear cookies on Mac, it helps to know what they do: sites use these small files to remember you — your sign-in, cart, language and other settings. Deleting them signs you out, so when one site misbehaves, it’s better to remove only its cookies. Safari, Chrome and Firefox each keep their own, and this guide covers all three, for one site or for all.

What happens when you clear cookies?

  • You’re signed out of the sites whose cookies you delete.
  • Shopping carts empty, and sites forget your language and other settings.
  • Cookie banners ask for your consent again.
  • Passwords saved in the browser or in your keychain stay, so signing in again is quick.

How to clear cookies on Mac in Safari

  1. Choose Safari › Settings and click Privacy.
Safari Settings, Privacy, with the Manage Website Data button
  1. Click Manage Website Data.
  2. To clear one site, type its name in the search field, select it and click Remove. To clear all cookies, click Remove All.
Safari Settings, Privacy: the list of websites that store data, with Remove and Remove All

Apple warns that removing cookies and website data in Safari may also change or remove them in other apps.

Clear cookies in Chrome

  1. Click More (the three dots at the top right) and choose Delete browsing data, or press Shift-Command-Delete.
  2. Choose a time range, such as Last hour, or click More for a longer one, up to all time.
  3. Check Cookies and other site data. Uncheck the boxes you want to keep, such as Browsing history.
  4. Click Delete from this device.

For one site: More › Settings › Privacy and security › Third-party cookies › See all site data and permissions, find the site and click the Delete icon next to it. If you’re signed in to Chrome, deleted data is also removed from your other devices.

Clear cookies in Firefox

  1. Choose History › Clear Recent History, or press Shift-Command-Delete.
Firefox’s History menu with «Clear Recent History»
  1. Choose a time range, such as Everything.
  2. Check Cookies and site data. Uncheck the boxes you want to keep.
  3. Click Clear.

For one site: open it, click the padlock to the left of the address and choose Clear cookies and site data.

Keep your Mac tidy

MacWashing, System Junk: Xcode junk, user caches, installers and logs found, 22.83 GB ready to be cleaned

MacWashing doesn’t clear cookies or browsing history: they hold your sign-ins, and the browser’s own settings above handle them best. System Junk in MacWashing clears the caches of Safari, Chrome, Firefox and your other apps, which frees space without signing you out of anything.

Download MacWashingHow it works

Free trial · macOS 14 or later

Questions and answers

Will clearing cookies on Mac delete my passwords?

No. Saved passwords stay in the browser or your keychain. You only need to sign in again, and the browser can fill the password in.

Should I clear cookies regularly?

There’s no need. Clear one site’s cookies when it misbehaves, and all of them when you hand the Mac to someone else or want sites to forget you.

Why do sites ask me to accept cookies again?

Your answer to the cookie banner is itself stored in a cookie. Once it’s deleted, the site asks again.