How to Delete Cookies on Windows 10

Cookies are something every computer or smartphone user encounters when they open a web page. That leaves many looking for ways to delete cookies on Windows 10. The good news is removing browser cookies is simple, regardless of your browser or the operating system your PC runs.

What are Cookies?

Anyone that uses a computer on a regular basis has heard of cookies, but do you know what they actually do? HTTP or web cookies are an essential part of life on the web. Despite what you may have heard, not all cookies are bad, but every cookie holds a small amount of data.

Web cookies allow websites to store information about your visit and your system when you accept them. They can confirm you’re logged into a website, but they can also track your activity. There are a variety of cookies as well from Session and Same-site cookies to Supercookies.

If you want to take a deeper dive into cookies and what they mean, the folks at Kaspersky do an excellent job at breaking things down. When you simply want to delete cookies on Windows 10 browsers, follow the steps below.

How to Delete Cookies on Windows 10 with Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge is the web browser included on every PC that ships with Windows installed. If you have used it to browse any websites, you may have cookies want to clear.

1. Access Settings

With the Microsoft Edge browser open, go to the upper right corner and click on the three dots to open up the Settings and More section. From here, scroll down until you see Settings, and then click on that to proceed to the settings menu.

2. Privacy, Search, and Services

On the settings menu, there is a range of options including a section for Cookies and Site Permissions. You can “adjust” your settings from there, but need to go to the Privacy, search and services section to delete cookies on Windows 10.

3. Clear Browsing Data

The option to clear browsing data is right below the Tracking Prevention section on this page. You can set your browser to clear certain things every time it closes or clear current cookies. To do this, select Choose what to clear.

4. Delete Cookies in Edge

After selecting that option, a pop-up window appears which allows you to choose what you want to clear. Click on the time range box and choose All time from the drop-down menu. Click on Cookies and other site data before choosing Clear Now which deletes cookies in your browser.  

We recommend this short YouTube video about how to clear history and cookies in Chrome.

Delete Cookies using Chrome

Google’s Chrome web browser is the most popular option for PC users around the globe that run Windows-based systems. When you want to clear your cookies in Chrome, follow these steps.

1. Open Chrome

Open Chrome and go to the right side next to the profile icon. Click on the three dots to bring up the settings sub-menu.

2. More Tools

From this menu, take your mouse and hover over the More Tools section until you see a pop-up menu. Choose Clear Browsing Data to proceed.

3. Clear Browsing Data

You can choose from the basic or advanced tabs here depending on your needs. From either section, click on Cookies and other site data and then select Clear Data to delete cookies stored in the Chrome web browser.

Removing Windows 10 Cookies with Firefox

While not as popular as Chrome, the Firefox browser is an open-source solution that’s been around since 2004 and is still going strong today.

1. Settings

Like other browsers, to clear cookies from Firefox you’ll need to open the settings menu. It’s at the top right of the screen represented by three bars. Click on that and choose Settings from the new menu.

2. Privacy & Security

To access cookie storage in Firefox, go to the Privacy & Security section of the Settings window. You should see a screen similar to the one below.

3. Clear Data

From the Privacy& Security screen, scroll down until you see a section called Cookies and Site Data. Select the Clear Data option, and then check the box for Cookies and Site Data. Choose Clear and follow the prompts to remove cookies from the browser.

The Wrap-Up

While we only covered three of the top web browsers favored by PC users, the steps outlined in our guide will work for others with a few minor alterations. It’s also important to remember you can clear cookies from one site, not all of them in case there’s some site data you want to keep synced up. If you’re interested in removing programs from your PC instead of cookies, we have that covered as well.

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