From Desktop to Mobile: How to Clear Cookies?

Cookies are built to offer you an enhanced browsing experience. They keep track of your browsing history and help personalize your search results. When they build up to a significant volume, they could affect your device’s speed. Some of them are created by hackers. 

Cybercriminals use them to inject malware into devices. Since you might not know which cookies are good or bad, the best way out is to control them. Do not wait for them to build up and cause trouble in your device. Whether you are using a desktop or mobile, you can clear cookies to have a clean device.

What are internet cookies?

Whenever you are browsing the internet, your web server generates different tiny files. Once generated, it sends the files to your web browser. The browser saves the data and uses it to send and receive information. The data can send the identity of your device. Any similar request gets attached to the specific cookies.

They aim to offer you a personalized browsing experience. Some of them are used to improve your security such as authenticating your logins.

When identifying you, the cookie may send your data. It may send your name, telephone contact, email address, and location. Most website cookies rely on your permission to send your data. You may customize the settings or reject them.

The style you use to empty cookies on Mac is different from other computer brands. This is because a Mac uses Safari as its default browser. To understand how to get rid of cookies on a Mac, you need to know where to find Safari.

It is found in the Dock although you could access it from the Launchpad. Open Safari to clear cookies on Mac. On the browser, open Preferences and select the Privacy icon.  Choose the options you want to clear cookies on a Mac and free up space. Clearing cookies improves your MacBook security and performance. 

Different types of cookies could be stored on your computer. Each serves a different purpose. It is important to know the different categories and their work.

  • Session cookies. They work only when you are active online. Once you close the session, they disappear. They keep your current browsing history available.
  • First-party cookies. They are available on the server or site that you visit. They send data for use in analysis.
  • Permanent cookies. They never disappear even when you are offline. They help recall your login data. 
  • Third-party cookies. They don’t come from the websites you visit but from third parties. They record and send your browsing behavior, age, and sex details.
  • Zombie cookies. They change form and behavior even after you close the browser. They are used to inject malware and improve the security of websites.

How to get rid of cookies

The methods of getting rid of cookies are similar in many ways. However, they could differ depending on the device you are using. The goal for clearing them remains the same. Your device runs faster because it creates more space. The process improves the security of your device by preventing sites from tracking your activities.

Remove tracking cookies on a computer

On a computer, you may browse the internet using different types of browsers. You may use Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, and many more.

 Remove tracking cookies on Chrome 

  • Open Chrome
  • Check the 3 vertical dots on the top right side of the browser and open them.
  • Scroll and choose the icon labeled Clear Browsing Data.
  • Choose the period range you would like to delete. You could delete all the time data, last one hour, week, and so on.
  • Click in the boxes to indicate what you want deleted.
  • Choose the Clear Data option. The clearing process will begin and your range of selected data will be deleted.

Clear cookies in other browsers

In Firefox, click on the 3 horizontal lines on the top right of the screen. Scroll and open the History icon. Select the Clear Recent History icon. Choose the time range and fields to clear. Click the Okay button to start the process.

In Microsoft Edge, open the 3 horizontal dots on the top right side. Choose History and the fields to delete. Click on the delete icon located on the top right of the window.

Clear cookies on Android

To clear cookies on Android, open the Chrome browser on your phone. Check the top right of the browser and open More. Choose Settings and open Privacy and Security. Select Clear Browsing Data. Determine the time range and tick all the fields you need to be cleared. Choose Clear and confirm.

Clear cookies on iPhone

On your phone’s screen, open the Settings icon. Scroll the field that opens and choose Safari. Scroll further until you find the Clear History and Website Data icon. Open this icon and select Clear History and Data. Confirm your action to begin the process.

Why you need to clear cookies from your devices

Some cookies are useful because they save important information such as shopping choices. Nevertheless, you need to clear cookies from your devices from time to time to keep devices optimized.

The process is simple but it offers many benefits to your devices and workflows. Here are the reasons why you need to remove cookies from your computers and phones. 

Improving your device and online security

Most cookies come in one package. Each package may contain all the types of cookies discussed. It could have a mix of good and bad cookies.

When you click accept, they all become activated. The only challenge is that some of them could compromise your security. They send out both personal and device data. This data could be intercepted and used by hackers.

Improving the performance of your device

Cookies are tiny but the servers and browsers generate a lot of them. The more you continue browsing, they keep building up in your device. They could eventually occupy a lot of space and impact its performance. Removing them could significantly improve the speed of your device.

Boosting your data privacy

Some cookies consistently send your data including names, addresses, and contacts. Removing them boosts your data privacy. You prevent the files from collecting and sharing your information with third parties.

Conclusion

Website cookies store crucial data about your browsing behavior. Different types of cookies serve different purposes on your device. Some save your login data while some help personalize your browsing experience.

To improve your computer performance and security, it is necessary to remove cookies. The removal process depends on the browser and device you are using. Learn to understand how to do it on each.