You can choose to delete existing cookies, allow or block third-party cookies and set preferences for certain websites.
Important: If you’re part of the test group that limits third-party cookies by default, you may find different settings for managing third-party cookies. Learn how to manage third-party cookie settings for test group users.
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 sites can use third-party cookies to personalise content and ads, and learn about actions that you take on other sites.
Tip: Some sites may prompt you to accept or reject cookies.
There are other ways that sites can personalise content and ads. Features like ad topics and site-suggested ads in Chrome allow sites to show you personalised content. These features limit what sites and their partners can learn about you. Learn more about managing these features.
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.
- On your computer, select Chrome.
- At the top right, select More
Settings
.
- Select Privacy and security
Third-party cookies.
- Select See all site data and permissions
- To confirm, select Delete.
Delete specific cookies
Delete cookies from a site- On your computer, open Chrome.
- At the top right, select More
- Select Privacy and security
- Select See all site data and permissions.
- At the top right, search for the website's name.
- To the right of the site, select Delete
.
- To confirm, select Delete.
- On your computer, open Chrome.
- At the top right, select More
- At the top, next to 'Time range', select the drop-down.
- Choose a time period, such as the last hour or the last day.
- Tick Cookies and other site data.
- Untick all the other items.
- Select Delete data.
Change your third-party cookie settings
Important:
- If you don't allow sites to save cookies, sites may not work as expected. To manage first-party cookies, learn more about on-device site data.
- In Incognito mode, third-party cookies are blocked by default. Learn how Chrome Incognito keeps your browsing private.
You can allow or block third-party cookies for any site.
Allow or block third-party cookiesYou can allow or block third-party cookies by default.
- On your computer, open Chrome.
- At the top right, select More
- Select Privacy and security
- Tip: If you're part of the test group that limits third-party cookies by default, learn how to manage third-party cookie settings for test group users.
- Select an option:
- Allow third-party cookies.
- 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.
Important:
- If you’re using your Chromebook at work or school, you might not be able to change this setting. For more help, contact your administrator.
- In Incognito mode, third-party cookies are blocked by default.
If third-party cookies are blocked, some sites that rely on them may not work as expected. To allow third-party cookies for specific sites, you can add them to your exceptions list. Sites on this list can use third-party cookies in both regular and Incognito browsing modes.
- On your computer, open Chrome.
- At the top right, select More
- Select Privacy and security
- Under 'Sites allowed to use third-party cookies', select Add.
- Enter the web address.
- To create an exception for an entire domain, insert
[*.]before the domain name. For example,[*.]google.comwill matchdrive.google.comandcalendar.google.com. - You can also put an IP address or a web address that doesn't start with
http://.
- To create an exception for an entire domain, insert
- Select Add.
To remove an exception that you no longer want, to the right of the website, select Remove
- If you apply this setting in regular browsing mode, the site is added to your exceptions list. The site is allowed to use third-party cookies for 90 days or until you turn the setting off.
- If you apply this setting in Incognito mode, the setting lasts only for the duration of your Incognito session.
- On your computer, open Chrome.
- In the address bar, at the top left:
- To allow third-party cookies: Select Third-party cookies blocked or Third-party cookies limited
and turn on Third-party cookies.
- To block or limit third-party cookies: Select Third-party cookies allowed
and turn off Third-party cookies.
- To allow third-party cookies: Select Third-party cookies blocked or Third-party cookies limited
- To close the dialogue box and reload the page, select Close
. You can also select anywhere outside of the dialogue box to close it.
- Once the page reloads, the address bar shows 'Third-party cookies allowed', 'Third-party cookies blocked' or 'Third-party cookies limited', depending on your settings.
Tip: This option is temporary and only applies to the site that you're on.
acme-music.example and acme-video.example.To allow related sites to find your activity within the group:
- On your computer, open Chrome.
- At the top right, select More
- Select Privacy and security
- Tip: If you're part of the test group that limits third-party cookies by default, learn how to manage third-party cookie settings for test group users.
- Select Block third-party cookies.
- Turn Allow related sites to see your activity in the group on or off.
To show related sites in the same group:
- On your computer, open Chrome.
- At the top right, select More
- Select Privacy and security
- Choose a site.
- To show sites in the same group, select the drop-down arrow
.
Tip: To find related sites, in the address bar, select View site information
Sites that you visit can embed content from other sites – for example, images, ads, text and even features like a text editor or weather widget. These other sites can ask for permission to use info they’ve saved about you (often saved using cookies) in order for their content to function properly.
For example, imagine you normally compose documents on docs.google.com. While completing a task for school, you need to collaborate with other students on your school’s class portal, which offers direct access to Google Docs. With your permission:
- Google Docs can access its third-party cookies while you use your school’s site, allowing a connection between the site and Google Docs.
- This may allow Google Docs to verify who you are, find your info, and save any changes that you make to your documents on the site.
In some cases, this info can be used to track your activity as you browse sites. You can decide when to allow embedded content to access your data for sites that you trust.
Tip: The connection uses cookies and lasts for 30 days or as long as you remain active. You can stop allowing the connection at any time in Settings.
To allow or deny permission
When you browse a site that displays a prompt requesting permission for the embedded content to use information that it has saved about you:
- Select Allow to give the site access to information that it has saved about you (using cookies)
- Select Don’t allow to deny access
Tips:
- To stop allowing access, learn how to manage site settings permissions.
- You can also manage access by clicking View site information
to the left of the address bar, and then turning Embedded content on or off.
Manage third-party cookie settings for test group users
For a specific group of users, Google is testing features in Chrome that significantly limit sites from using third-party cookies to track you while browsing. If you’re part of the test group, third-party cookies are limited by default, except where they are required to allow basic website services to function.
If you choose to, you can block third-party cookies completely in your settings. You can manage your third-party cookie preferences in your 'Privacy and security' settings.
- On your computer, open Chrome.
- At the top right, select More
- Select Privacy and security
- You can also choose advanced privacy protections:
- 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 a 'Do Not Track' request with your browsing traffic: When you toggle this on, you request that sites not track you. Sites use their discretion as to 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.