How to clear cookies in Chrome

Before you start

Clearing cookies can sign you out and reset website preferences. Check that you can sign back in before continuing. If one website is misbehaving, try removing only its data using the steps below.

Choose only the data you intend to remove. Cookies, browsing history, cached files, and saved passwords are different things. Deleting local site data does not delete your account with a website.

Windows, Mac, Linux, and Chromebook

1. Open Chrome’s three-dot menu and choose Delete browsing data.
2. Set the time range. Choose All time to include older cookies, or a shorter period for a limited cleanup.
3. Select the option for cookies and other site data. Deselect unrelated categories you want to keep.
4. Review the selection, then press Delete data.

For one website: open Chrome settings, then the privacy section and third-party cookie controls. Open the list of all site data and permissions, search for the website, and use its delete control. Confirm the removal.

Source: Google’s desktop cookie instructions.

Android

1. In Chrome, open the three-dot menu, then settings.
2. Open the privacy and security section and select the browsing-data deletion option.
3. Choose the time range; use All time if you want older cookies included.
4. Select cookies and site data. Leave unrelated categories unselected.
5. Review the choices and confirm deletion.

For one website: visit it in Chrome and open the page-information control beside its address. Open the cookie and site-data details, then use the delete icon next to the stored data.

Source: Google’s Android cookie instructions.

iPhone and iPad

1. Open Chrome’s three-dot menu and choose Delete Browsing Data.
2. Set Time Range to the period you want to clear. Check this carefully: a short range will leave older data.
3. Open Browsing Data and select Cookies, Site Data. Deselect categories you want to keep, then confirm the selection.
4. Review the summary and press the deletion button.

If your interface differs, Google also documents a route through Chrome settings, then the privacy section and browsing-data deletion. Select the cookie category, clear the other selections, and confirm.

These steps apply to Chrome. Clearing Safari’s data in Apple’s Settings app is a separate operation.

Sources: Google’s iPhone/iPad browsing-data instructions and cookie-specific instructions. The cookie-specific page does not document an individual-site deletion route for iOS, so we do not assume the desktop method works here.

After clearing cookies

Reload the affected website and check whether the original problem is fixed. You may need to sign in or choose your preferences again.

Clearing data is different from preventing future storage. Websites can save new cookies when you return. Read first-party and third-party cookies to understand that distinction.

Common questions

Will this remove my saved passwords?

Selecting only the cookie/site-data category does not select password deletion. Always review the categories before confirming. On iPhone/iPad, Google documents password management separately.

Why am I still signed in to Google?

Google notes that signing out of Chrome is necessary to sign out of your Google Account across its websites. Cookie cleanup is not a universal sign-out control.

Why are the menu labels different?

Chrome’s interface can vary by device and release. Use the linked Google instructions for your platform if the menus differ. These instructions were checked against documentation; they are not a claim of hands-on testing on every device.