Chrome keeps this under the More menu at the top right: choose Delete browsing data, decide how far back to go, tick Cookies and other site data and finish with Delete data. Sites that know you may ask you to log in again, so if one site's misbehaving, clear that one alone.
The quick route to delete all your cookies
These are the clicks on a computer, in the order Google gives them on its help page for clearing cookies.
- Open Chrome on your computer.
- Select More at the top right.
- Select Delete browsing data.
- Pick how far back to go: Last hour and All time are two of the options.
- Select Cookies and other site data.
- Select Delete data.
The time range is the choice that matters. If something broke a few minutes ago, Last hour is the smaller hammer and leaves older logins alone. All time is the clean sweep, and it's the one most likely to send you hunting for passwords, so check which passwords you have saved before you press the button. Cached files are a separate subject, and clearing the cache on Chrome has its own walkthrough.
Deleting the cookies for just one website
When a single site is the problem, this is the route to take. You keep every other login and preference, and you only reset the site that's playing up.
- Select More at the top right.
- Select Settings.
- Select Privacy and security.
- Select Third-party cookies.
- Select See all site data and permissions.
- Search for the website's name.
- Select Delete next to the site.
- Confirm the deletion.
Where each cookie setting lives in the browser
Different cookie jobs sit in different places, and the menu you want depends on whether you're removing cookies or changing what's allowed in future.
| What you want to do | Where it lives | What you'll get |
|---|---|---|
| Remove all cookies from a period | More, Delete browsing data | Cookies and other site data go for the time range you picked |
| Remove one site's cookies | The site data list, using the path in the steps above | That site is reset and the others stay as they were |
| Let one site use third-party cookies for now | The address bar | A temporary allowance for that site |
| Cover every subdomain of a site | A third-party cookie exception written with [*.] before the domain name | One rule for the whole domain |
These steps are for a computer. If you're on a phone, clearing cookies on an iPhone is a separate job with its own route.
What you lose when the cookies go
Deleting cookies isn't a harmless tidy-up. Any site that keeps you logged in may ask you to log in again, and saved preferences can vanish with it, so anything a site was holding for you in a cookie is at risk.
There's also a trap for anyone clearing cookies because they want to be logged out everywhere. Deleting cookies isn't the instruction Google gives for that. If the aim is to log out of Google everywhere, the answer is to sign out of Chrome itself.
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So decide what you're trying to achieve before you open the menu. A broken site calls for the one-site route, a recent mishap calls for a short time range, and logging out of your Google Account calls for signing out of the browser. All time is for when you really do want a blank slate.
What to check when deleting cookies didn't fix it
- Your time range was too short. Last hour only reaches back an hour, so an older cookie is still sitting there. Run it again with a longer range.
- You're blocking something the page needs. Blocking third-party cookies can stop some sites working as expected. Try a temporary allowance for that site from the address bar.
- The fault only appears in Incognito. Third-party cookies are blocked there by default, which can explain why a site works in a normal window and fails in a private one.
- A site that was working has started failing again. A temporary allowance doesn't last forever, so it may simply have run out.
- You searched for the wrong name on the one-site route. The list is searched by website name, so try the shorter form of the address.
Frequently asked questions
Should I pick Last hour or All time?
Go for the shortest range that covers when the problem started. All time is the one to choose when you want every cookie gone and don't mind signing back in.
Who sets first-party and third-party cookies?
A first-party cookie comes from whichever site you're on. A third-party cookie comes from some other site.
Does Incognito mode block every cookie?
Don't read it that way. The default block in Incognito is for third-party cookies, so don't assume it stops the first-party kind.
What does [*.] mean in a cookie exception?
It goes before the domain name so the exception covers the whole domain. For example, [*.]google.com matches drive.google.com and calendar.google.com.
How long does a temporary third-party allowance last?
In regular mode the site goes on your exceptions list and it's allowed for 90 days or until you turn the setting off. In Incognito it only lasts for that Incognito session.
