Delete, allow and manage cookies in Chrome

You can choose to delete existing cookies, allow or block all cookies, and set preferences for certain websites.

Important: If you are part of the Tracking Protection test group, you'll find a new Chrome setting for managing third-party cookies called 'Tracking Protection'. Learn more about Tracking Protection.

What cookies are

Cookies are files created by websites that you visit. By saving information about your visit, they make your online experience easier. For example, sites can keep you signed in, remember your site preferences and give you locally relevant content.

There are two types of cookies:

  • First-party cookies: Created by the site that you visit. The site is shown in the address bar.
  • Third-party cookies: Created by other sites. A site that you visit can embed content from other sites, for example images, ads and text. Any of these other sites can save cookies and other data to personalise your experience.

Delete all cookies

Important: If you delete cookies, you might get signed out of sites that remember you, and your saved preferences could be deleted. This applies any time a cookie is deleted.

  1. On your Android device, open Chrome Chrome.
  2. At the top right, tap More More and then Settings.
  3. Tap Privacy and security and then Delete browsing data.
  4. Choose a time range, like Last hour or All time.
  5. Tick Cookies and site data and untick all other items.
  6. Tap Delete data and then Delete.
Delete cookies from a single site
  1. On your Android device, open Chrome Chrome.
  2. Go to a website.
  3. At the top right, tap More More and then Page info Default (Secure) and then Cookies and site data.
  4. Next to the number of cookies in use, tap Delete Remove.
Allow or block third-party cookies
Important: If you don't allow sites to save cookies, sites may not work as you expect. To manage first-party cookies, learn more about on-device site data.
You can allow or block third-party cookies for any site:
  1. On your Android device, open Chrome Chrome.
  2. At the top right, tap More More and then Settings.
  3. Tap Site settings and then Third-party cookies.
  4. Select an option:
    • Allow third-party cookies.
    • Block third-party cookies in Incognito.
    • Block third-party cookies.
      • If you block third-party cookies, all third-party cookies from other sites are blocked unless the site is allowed on your exceptions list.
Allow third-party cookies for a specific site

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

  1. On your Android device, open Chrome Chrome.
  2. At the top right, tap More More and then Settings.
  3. Tap Privacy and security and then Third-party cookies.
    • Tip: If you are part of the Tracking Protection test group, select Tracking Protection instead.
  4. Tap + ADD SITE EXCEPTION
  5. Enter the web address.
    • To create an exception for an entire domain, insert [*.] before the domain name. For example, [*.]google.co.uk will match drive.google.co.uk and calendar.google.co.uk.
    • You can also put an IP address or a web address that doesn't start with http://.
  6. Tap Add.
To remove an exception that you no longer want, tap the exception and tap Remove.
Allow third-party cookies temporarily for a specific site
If you block third-party cookies, some sites may not work as you expected. You can temporarily allow third-party cookies for a specific site you visit.
  1. On your Android device, open Chrome Chrome.
  2. In the address bar at the top:
    • To allow third-party cookies: Select Page info Default (Secure) and then Cookies and site data and turn on Third-party cookies.
    • To block third-party cookies: Select Page info Default (Secure) and then Cookies and site data and turn off Third-party cookies.

Tips:

  • This option is only temporary and only for the site you're on.
  • Sites get added to the exception list automatically.
  • If you temporarily allow third-party cookies on a site, that setting carries over into Incognito mode and you can't reset it from Incognito mode.
Allow related sites to access your activity

A company can define a group of sites that are related to each other. For example, a company might want to keep you signed in as you move between acme-music.example and acme-video.example.

If you allow third-party cookies: Allows related sites to access your activity to personalise content or keep you signed in across sites.

If you block third-party cookies: It often prevents this kind of connection between sites. You can block third-party cookies while you allow sites in the same group to improve your experience.

You can find the full list of companies who define groups of related sites on Github. Learn more about related sites and third-party cookies.

Important: If you select 'Allow third-party cookies', then a group of related sites can share your activity in the group by default.

To allow related sites to find your activity within the group:

  1. On your Android device, open Chrome Chrome.
  2. At the top right, tap More More and then Settings.
  3. Tap Privacy and security and then Third-party cookies and then Block third-party cookies.
  4. Turn Allow related sites to see your activity in the group on or off.

To show related sites in the same group:

  1. On your Android device, open Chrome Chrome.
  2. At the top right, tap More More and then Settings.
  3. Tap Site settings and then All sites.
  4. Choose a site.
  5. Under 'Related sites', find sites in the same group.

Manage your tracking protections

When turned on, Tracking Protection significantly limits sites from using third-party cookies to track you as you browse, except for limited cases to allow basic services to function. If you choose to, you can block third-party cookies completely in your settings. You can manage your Tracking Protection preferences in your 'Privacy and security' settings.

  1. On your Android device, open Chrome Chrome.
  2. At the top right, tap More More and then Settings.
  3. Tap Privacy and security and then Tracking Protection.
  4. To customise your tracking protections, you can:
    • Block all third-party cookies: when you toggle this on, features on some sites may not work. Chrome blocks all third-party cookies from sites that you visit, including related sites.
    • Send 'Do Not Track' request with your browsing traffic: when you toggle this on, you request that sites not track you. Sites use their discretion whether to comply with the request. Learn more about 'Do Not Track'.
    • Choose which sites you allow to use third-party cookies: You can also check and edit which sites you allow to use third-party cookies under 'Sites allowed to use third-party cookies'. Learn how to allow third-party cookies.

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