What cookies are?

A cookie, also known as an HTTP cookie, web cookie, or browser cookie, is a small piece of data sent from a website and stored in a user’s web browser while the user is browsing that website. Every time the user loads the website, the browser sends the cookie back to the server to notify the website of the user’s previous activity. Cookies were designed to be a reliable mechanism for websites to remember stateful information (such as items in a shopping cart) or to record the user’s browsing activity (including clicking particular buttons, logging in, or recording which pages were visited by the user as far back as months or years ago).

Although cookies cannot carry viruses, and cannot install malware on the host computer, tracking cookies and especially third-party tracking cookies are commonly used as ways to compile long-term records of individuals’ browsing histories – a potential privacy concern that prompted European and U.S. law makers to take action in 2011. Cookies can also store passwords and form content a user has previously entered, such as a credit card number or an address. When a user accesses a website with a cookie function for the first time, a cookie is sent from server to the browser and stored with the browser in the local computer. Later when that user goes back to the same website, the website will recognize the user because of the stored cookie with the user’s information.

Other kinds of cookies perform essential functions in the modern web. Perhaps most importantly, authentication cookies are the most common method used by web servers to know whether the user is logged in or not, and which account they are logged in with. Without such a mechanism, the site would not know whether to send a page containing sensitive information, or require the user to authenticate themselves by logging in. The security of an authentication cookie generally depends on the security of the issuing website and the user’s web browser, and on whether the cookie data is encrypted. Security vulnerabilities may allow a cookie’s data to be read by a hacker, used to gain access to user data, or used to gain access (with the user’s credentials) to the website to which the cookie belongs.

How to delete cookies?

Most cookies are easy to delete. Just pick your browser from the choices below and follow the instructions. You probably have Adobe Local Shared Objects on your computer, also known as LSOs or Flash cookies. Generally you can’t delete them with browsers controls, but Adobe’s website offers tools to control Flash cookies on your computer. Users of the Firefox browser can also get an add-on to detect and delete Flash cookies.

Windows PC

Google Chrome

Click on the “Tools” menu and select “Options”. Click the “Under the Bonnet” tab, locate the “Privacy” section and click the “Clear browsing data” button. Select “Delete cookies and other site data” to delete all cookies from the list (alternatively, you can remove all cookies created within a specific time period by selecting the period you want from the dropdown list). Select “Clear browsing history” to delete traces of which websites you’ve visited. Select “Clear download history” to delete records of which files and programs you’ve downloaded. Select “Empty the cache” to delete cached website pages. You can also delete saved passwords (which log you into websites) and saved form data (such as your name and address). Then click on the “Clear browsing data” button. Click on the Close button when you’ve finished.

Internet Explorer 9

Open Internet explorer window Click the “Tools” button Point to “safety” and then click “delete browsing history” Tick the “cookies” box, then click “delete”

Internet Explorer 8

Click “Safety” on the Command bar Select “Delete Browsing History” Select the option for cookies and click Delete Alternatively, Internet Explorer 8’s new InPrivate browsing feature allows users to browse the internet without recording information from visited sites (including cookies). To use InPrivate mode: Click “Safety” on the Command bar Select “InPrivate Browsing”

Internet Explorer 7.x

Exit Internet Explorer 7, and then exit any instances of Windows Explorer Click Start, click Run, type inetcpl.cpl, and then press ENTER On the General tab, click Delete under Browsing History in the Internet Properties dialog box In the Delete Browsing History dialog box, click Delete Cookies In the Delete Cookies dialog box, click Yes.

Internet Explorer (all other versions)

Internet Explorer saves cookies in more than one location, depending on the version of the browser and the version of Microsoft Windows being used. The best way to find and delete them is to close Internet Explorer then use your file management software (such as Windows Explorer) and search for a folder called ‘cookies’.

AOL 8 and 9

Sign on and select Settings from the toolbar. Version 9.0 users should select the By Category tab and click the Internet [Web] Options link, while for Version 8.0 and below click Internet Properties (WWW). Click Settings. Note: Windows Vista will see more than one Settings button. Click the button in the Browsing history section. Click View Files. Your list of cookies (plus your other temporary internet files) will be displayed. If you wish to delete any of the cookies or files, right-click on them and choose Delete.

Mozilla

Choose Cookie Manager from the Tools menu. Choose Manage Stored Cookies. Remove any cookie from the list, or remove all cookies.

Mozilla Firebird

Click on Tools, then Options Select the Privacy icon in the left-hand panel Click on Cookies Click on Stored Cookies To remove a single cookie click on the entry in the list and click on the Remove Cookie button To remove all cookies click on the Remove All Cookies button

Mozilla Firefox

Click on Tools, then Options (or Edit | Preferences on Linux) Select Privacy In the Cookies panel, click on Show Cookies To remove a single cookie click on the entry in the list and click on the Remove Cookie button To remove all cookies click on the Remove All Cookies button

Netscape Navigator 7.x

Choose Cookie Manager from the Tools menu. Choose Manage Stored Cookies. Remove any cookie from the list, or remove all cookies.

Netscape Navigator 6.x

Choose Cookie Manager from the Tools menu. Choose Manage Stored Cookies. Remove any cookie from the list, or remove all cookies.

Netscape Navigator 4.x

In Netscape, all cookies are stored into one file, called Cookies.txt, in the user preferences folder, making them easy to find and delete. The folder can be located by using your file management software to search your hard disk drive for “cookies.txt”. Users of Netscape Navigator 4.x may also stop cookies from being written to the hard drive, by making the cookies file read only. However, even if the browser can’t “write” cookies to the hard drive, it can still cache them, and it may create a new cookie file.

Opera

To delete all cookies at the end of every session, select it in the privacy settings under Tools > Preferences. Click on Manage cookies to delete specific cookies or cookies from specific domains. To delete all cookies immediately, go to Delete private data on the Tools menu.

Deepnet Explorer 1.1+

Choose Tools and then Internet Options Click the Privacy tab Move the slider to choose your preferred settings.

Apple Macintosh

Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 (MacOS X)

Choose Preferences from Explorer menu Select Receiving Files options Select Cookies Select the Cookies to be deleted from the list Press Delete button

Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 (MacOS 9)

Choose Preferences from Edit menu Select Receiving Files options Select Cookies Select the Cookies to be deleted from the list Press Delete button

Mozilla

Choose Cookie Manager from the Tools menu. Choose Manage Stored Cookies. Remove any cookie from the list, or remove all cookies.

Netscape Navigator 7.x

Choose Cookie Manager from the Tools menu. Choose Manage Stored Cookies. Remove any cookie from the list, or remove all cookies.

Netscape Navigator 6.x

Choose Cookie Manager from the Tools menu. Choose Manage Stored Cookies. Remove any cookie from the list, or remove all cookies.

Safari 1.0 (MacOS X)

Choose Preferences from Safari menu Select Security icon Press Show Cookies button Select the Cookies to be deleted from the list Press Delete button

Opera

To delete all cookies at the end of every session, select it in the privacy settings under Opera > Preferences Click on Manage cookies to delete specific cookies or cookies from specific domains. To delete all cookies immediately, go to Delete private data on the Tools menu.

Other

WebTV

From the Home page, select Help Select Utilities Tool Select Reset Cookies Power off the WebTV for 60 seconds Cookies should be deleted when you turn the WebTV back on again

MSNTV2

From the Home page, select Settings Select Web Appearance and Security Select Delete Cookies