How to Clear Cache (Cookies) On Android in 7 Easy Steps

It’s so annoying to click checkboxes to accept or reject cookies online! If you’re browsing the net on your Android phone on the go, it’s easy to accept cookies. However, they can track your activity online, and you may want to jettison them to maintain your privacy. Below, we show you how to clear cache cookies on Androids in seven simple steps. 

What Is a Cookie?

If you’re online, cookies are all around you. They are extremely short text snippets that the websites you visit will try to send to your browser. If you accept cookies, these pieces of code sit in your browser and provide information to sites and apps you use about your activity online. 

Websites use cookie technology for the following purposes:

• Functionality: these cookies are essential for the website to provide a functional user experience, like presenting content in the right language.
• Security: cookies are also helpful in user authentication.
• Analytics: websites use cookies to obtain analytical data that provides insights into how well they are meeting the requirements of their users.
• Advertising: online advertising platforms use cookies to deliver relevant ads. 
• Personalization: some cookies help sites and services recognize your online identity and deliver products and services that are relevant to you.

Why you might not want to leave a cookie-crumb trail from your Android phone

Cookies are called by a cute name, but it’s important to remember that they are a data exchange point between your device and different websites. Cookies can breach your privacy and track your activity online. 

Too many cookies can affect your browser’s performance and cause clashes with logins and other aspects of your browsing experience. So, clearing the cookie cash on your phone is essential.

Finally, those cookies take up valuable space on your phone. If you accept cookies on every site, you are using up storage that could hold photos, videos, or apps.

Where are the cookies stored on your Android phone?

Cookies in your Android smartphone are usually stashed in the cache of your Chrome browser. Chrome is the default web browser of Android, but if you use Brave, Opera, Firefox, or other web browsers, you may also have cookies stored in those browsers.

How to clear cache (cookies) on Android in 7 easy steps

If you have decided to remove cookies from your Android phone, here’s how to clear the cache. This simple method is quick and is broadly similar to any other browsers you use on your smartphone.

Step 1: Open the Chrome browser on your Android phone

On your Android phone, head over to the Chrome app and tap on it to open it. If you haven’t opened a browser window, tap the + at the bottom of your screen to open a new window.

Heads up: you are usually logged into your smartphone’s Google account on your Chrome browser. 

Step 2: Tap the three vertical dots at the top right corner of Chrome

This menu contains identical options to the browser menu in the desktop version of Chrome, including the History and Settings options for the browser. 

Step 3: Tap on the History option in your Chrome menu

The history page contains a record of every site you have visited using Chrome on your smartphone. It’s handy for navigating to searches or sites you may have forgotten but want to revisit. To clear cookies, this page is where the cache is lurking.  

Step 4: Tap the Clear browsing data link at the top of your screen

This is where you can delete your Android phone’s cookies. Just tap the blue link to navigate to the clear browsing data page.

Step 5: Delete everything by selecting All time in the Time range section

By selecting All time, you’ll ensure all cookies stored on your phone are deleted. If you select a shorter period, some of those cookies will remain. 

Step 6: Check the boxes for Cookies and site data and Cached images and files

Selecting these boxes will clear the cache and cookies on your Android phone. Doing this lets you save a fair bit of data beneath the Cached images and files option. 

Check the relevant boxes if you also want to delete: 

• Browsing history
• Saved passwords
• Auto-fill form data
• Site settings

Step 7: Tap Clear data to clear the cache and wipe cookies from your phone

With the last tap, the cookies will be gone.

What happens when you clear your Android cookies?

When you clear cache and cookies, you will be automatically signed out of any accounts or sites you were logged into in the browser. You may also lose certain settings and preferences on sites you regularly use. Sign back into any accounts you want to resume using on your phone.

Rounding up

As you can see, clearing your cookies and cache on Android is no big deal. Now you know how to clear this unnecessary data, repeat the process regularly to ensure that your phone stays secure and private and performs at its best. 

For a quick refresher of the points in this post check out the video below.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©PREMIO STOCK/Shutterstock.com.