can't remove cookies from safari

Want to highlight a helpful answer? Upvote!

Did someone help you, or did an answer or User Tip resolve your issue? Upvote by selecting the upvote arrow. Your feedback helps others!  Learn more about when to upvote >

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Safari won't let me delete cookies.

Safari Version 10.1 (12603.1.30.0.34) Sierra 10.12.4

Several persistent cookies / databases - from reputable sites - that won't delete. Or to be exact, as soon as I delete them they reappear.

They do not appear in LIBRAY/DATABASES or INDEXED DB folder.

And even though I have cookies BLOCKED they and others keep reappearing.

iMac, iOS 10.1

Posted on May 1, 2017 3:10 PM

Loading page content

Page content loaded

May 6, 2017 9:48 AM in response to rhondavw

Opened the web site cvs.com it was blocked .

In safari preferences > privacy > managed web site data > clicked on remove all > clicked on Done . it was not there when opened safari browser for the second time .

May 6, 2017 11:10 AM in response to rhondavw

As a test, I visited CVS and added an item to the cart.

Website data showed up.

Safari > Preferences > Privacy > Manage Website Data

Selected it, and clicked the "Remove" button at the bottom.

Quit Safari and relaunched it. The data didn't show up.

The data was removed.

I will keep testing it.

May 1, 2017 4:18 PM in response to rhondavw

Did you check the Local Storage folder?

Backup your Mac.

Quit Safari.

Hold the Option key on the keyboard down and click the “Go”menu in the Finder menu bar.

Choose “Library” from the dropdown.

Scroll down the list.

Click open the Safari folder.

Scroll down the list and click open the “Local Storage” folder

Right click the items you want to remove and choose “Move to Trash”.

Restart your Mac, launch Safari holding the shift key on the keyboard down and test.

May 1, 2017 4:49 PM in response to dominic23

Thanks for reply Dom,

I should have mentioned it above but no they are not in the SAFARI/LOCAL STORAGE either. After removing cookies, if I check the LS folder it is empty even though the handful of cookies repopulate themselves. Currently the only files I don't recognize as cookies are the below, but they too disappear when I delete all cookies.

StorageTracker.db

StorageTracker.db-shm

StorageTracker.db-wal

May 1, 2017 4:59 PM in response to rhondavw

As the 2nd article points out, they are capable of regenerating after deletion with files that go to many parts of the system.

Safari/Browsers – can’t delete cookies

In Finder go to Go menu and then Go to Folder.

Copy and paste this ~/Library/Safari/Databases.

Delete the contents of the folder.

Launch Safari again and check if all is ok.

May 2, 2017 12:24 PM in response to rhondavw

1. System Preferences > iCloud > Safari

Temporarily disable Safari from the list and try removing the website data from Database and Local Storage folders.

2. Click "Bookmarks" in the safari menu bar and choose "Edit Bookmarks".

Go through the "Favorites" folders and see if they are there.

3. Safari > Preferences > Search > Smart Search Field:

Click the "Manage websites..." button and then Remove All"

Try this for a while. Please don't forget to enable System Preferences > iCloud > Safari

Note: Cookies are not dangerous. http://www.thesafemac.com/the-myth-of-the-dangerous-cookie/

May 2, 2017 12:30 PM in response to dominic23

Thanks Dom,

I don't have SAFARI enabled in ICLOUD preferences.

Two of the pesky databases are FAVORITE websites but two are not so I don't think that is where they are hiding.

I have REMOVED ALL many times now but will keep trying.

Jun 3, 2017 4:25 AM in response to Eric Root

I've had the same issue since last update to Safari 10.1.1.

I tried this last solution of locating the folder & deleting the contents and it worked!

I did make sure to empty the trash after I deleted, but before restarting Safari.

When I checked the privacy data upon restart, there were maybe 4 outliers still in the folder, which deleted normally with the "remove" button.

Thanks for the help!

FYI: Running El Capitan 10.11.6 on Mac Pro (Early 2009)

May 3, 2017 2:40 PM in response to dominic23

May 2, 2017 7:49 AM in response to Eric Root

Thanks Eric,

Yes I saw those links on another thread but they are not clear on how to block/remove such cookies.

I have deleted the DATABASES content with no luck.

May 2, 2017 12:36 PM in response to rhondavw

Can you please post the names of those files or the websites, if you don't mind?

May 6, 2017 4:25 PM in response to dominic23

Yes that always worked for me previously but as described those four delete and then quickly pop right back in.

• Apple Watch
• Accessories
• Digital Magazine – Subscribe
• Digital Magazine – Log In
• Smart Answers
• New iPad Air
• iPad mini 7
• Next Mac Pro
• Best Mac antivirus
• Best Mac VPN

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn't affect our editorial independence .

How to clear Safari’s cache and cookies on Mac

There are a handful of situations when clearing Safari’s cookies or cache–one of the places where Safari stores website data to avoid having to download it afresh each time you access a site–can help improve your browsing experience.

The first is when websites simply stop working when you access them on Safari. Perhaps Facebook stops updating with new posts, for example, or the images on a site don’t appear as they should. If this happens, it’s likely the cache has become corrupted.

Alternatively, if you find that personal info automatically completed on sites isn’t correct, deleting cookies can help. These are small files that sites use to save data about you and what you do on the site.

Even if none of these problems affect you, periodically cleaning browser data can help protect your privacy from snoops who want to discover what you’ve been up to online. In this article, therefore, we explain how to clear Safari’s cache and cookies on Mac.

We also have an article that explains How to clear cache on a Mac.

How to clear Safari cookies and cache for websites

Cleaning cookies and the cache data for individual sites can be done via Safari’s Settings/Preferences.

• Open Safari
• Click on Safari in the menu at the top of the screen.
• Click on Settings or Preferences (depending on the version of macOS you are running).
• Go to the Privacy tab.
• Click on Manage Website Data…
• Choose Remove All or select websites individually to remove.

After the data is loaded you’ll probably see a long list of websites. You can choose to Remove All or just select individual websites you want to remove from this list. If you want to select a number of different sites you can click on one and then press and hold the Command key to select a second, third or fourth and so on. We recommend that you don’t select hundreds this way – it’s better to delete in batches just in case you have to start over.

If you would prefer to select all and then deselect the ones you want to keep you can do so. Use Command + A to select all, then press and hold Command while clicking on any website you are happy to keep in this list. Just click Remove afterwards, not Done, as that will just undo all your hard work.

There’s a search field you can use to track down individual sites.

Bear in mind that deleting cookies might remove autocompleted login usernames and passwords for sites, and will almost certainly log you out of that site if you’ve configured it to automatically log in each time you visit.

How to clear Safari cache

The hidden Safari Developer menu can be used to clear just the cache, leaving cookies and the browser history in place. This is a very useful diagnostic step to take before removing those two items if a website behaves badly.

If you just want to clear all your cache you can do so by following these steps:

• Open Safari.
• Click on Safari in menu bar at top of screen.
• Click on Settings/Preferences (depending on the version of macOS you are running).
• Click on the Advanced tab.
• Check the box beside Show Develop Menu in Menu Bar.
• Now there will be a new Develop tab in the menu at the top of your screen. Click on this.
• Click on Empty Caches.

Alternatively click on Option/Alt + Command + E.

Close any open Safari windows and select Empty Caches on the Develop menu. Then click File > New Window to start Safari with a clean cache.

How to remove autocomplete data from AutoFill

Safari’s AutoFill tool can fill in username and password details on websites as well as credit card details and other elements like your address and email details.

This can be really useful, but it can also be annoying if the data it fills in is incorrect or out of context. It’s also a problem when AutoFill helpfully enters old or incorrect passwords or emails and addresses.

You can change this data, or delete it by following these steps:

• Click on Safari.
• Click on Settings/Preferences.
• Choose the AutoFill tab.
• Here you can edit contact information, usernames and passwords, credit cards and other data. Click on Edit beside the category you want access to.
• You’ll need to enter your password or use Touch ID to gain access.

Delete incorrect data: If you are finding that Safari is autofilling incorrect data about you–your address, for example–click Edit beside Using information from my contacts. This will open up your Contacts app. Your card will be at the top or under My Card. You can add and amend data about you here.

Delete incorrect passwords and site logins: If you wanted to delete incorrect passwords, for example, you can just click on the Passwords tab. If you know which password you want to remove search for the website or service and then find the older password option (if there is more than one) and select it and then click on the – below the column to remove it. You can then select Delete Password. If that means there is no password saved for that website, you can then recreate the entry for the site by clicking the Add button. You’ll first need to provide the URL of the site (that is, something like https://facebook.com ), and then type the username and password alongside (hit the Tab key to move from field to field).

See: How to autofill passwords, bank cards, names and addresses for more.

Delete logins and passwords system-wide

Pruning site logins can also be done via the Keychain Access app, which you’ll find in the Utilities folder of the Applications list in Finder, although you should be very careful using this app because it pretty much controls the entire security operation of your Mac! However, by removing errant username and password entries here you’ll stop virtually all of your Mac apps using them, and not just Safari.

Just type the name of the site into the Search field, and look in the list of results for entries of the kind Web Form Password. Right-click the entry and select Delete.

If you want to delete your Chrome or Firefox cache, cookies or browsing history read: How to delete your Mac browsing history . For alternative web browsers take a look at: Best web browser for Mac.

How to Delete Cookies and Stored Website Data in Safari

Websites and advertisers use cookies to identify you and follow you around the internet, and they might also save other website data to remember you by. In Safari, you can delete these cookies and other data. Let's head to Safari's privacy settings.

Stored content can include a history of your site visits or information you provided the site, such as your name and email address. You can delete all of the website data at once or for individual sites.

Delete Cookies and Saved Data on the Mac

1. Select Preferences from the Safari menu or hold down the Command key and the comma key at the same time (Command+,).

2. Go to the Privacy tab.

3. Click the Remove All Website Data button to remove all stored website data, or skip to step 5 to remove data on a site-by-site basis.

4. Click Remove Now to confirm. Note, as Safari warns you, this could log you out of sites and perhaps also change how they function. For example, instead of getting tailored ads on the site, you'll be served generic ones.

5. To remove stored data by site, click the Details button.  

Stay in the know with Laptop Mag

Get our in-depth reviews, helpful tips, great deals, and the biggest news stories delivered to your inbox.

6. Select the sites with stored data you want to remov e. Hold down the Command key to select multiple sites.

7. Click Remove.

8. Click Done.

Alternatively, you can click the Remove All button to delete all of the sites' cookies and stored data. Safari will ask you to confirm your choice:

Delete Cookies and Web History in Safari in iOS

Clear your history, cookies, and browsing data from Safari on your iPad or iPhone .

1. Open the Settings app and tap Safari.

2. Tap Clear History and Website Data. If you're using iOS 7 or earlier, the menu is slightly different: Tap "Clear History" and "Clear Cookies and Data".

3. Tap Clear to confirm.

4. Tap Advanced back in the Safari Settings window to clear other stored website data.

5. Tap Website Data.

6. Tap Remove All Website Data . Alternatively, you can click the Edit link at the top right and then delete individual sites' data by tapping the minus sign next to the site names.

Doing this will not only help protect your privacy. It can also clear out precious space on your device.

Looking to learn more about your Mac — or buy a new one? Check out our how to reset a MacBook guide for more details about what to do before you sell your laptop (or other macOS machine) and our MacBook Pro 2019 rumors roundup for details on what to expect in next year's model.

• How to Search for Text Within a Web Page in Safari
• How to Restore Recently Closed Tabs and Windows in Safari
• How to Block Cookies in Safari

How to convert PDF to JPG, PNG, or TIFF

How to add Outlook Calendar to Google Calendar

Not a fan of Google Gemini? How to revert back to Google Assistant

Most Popular

• 2 iPad Air going Pro? 12.9-inch model tipped for this major display upgrade
• 3 Save $300! Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) RTX 4070 gaming laptop hits all-time low
• 4 A major Windows 11 AI innovation may be exclusive to Snapdragon X Elite laptops — should you care?
• 5 What Lenovo's leaked Snapdragon X Elite laptop tells us about the impending Windows on ARM takeover

Manage cookies and website data

Websites often store cookies and other data on your Mac. This data may include information that you have provided, such as your name, email address, and preferences. This data helps websites identify you when you return so the site can provide services for you and show information that might be of interest to you.

By default, Safari accepts cookies and website data only from websites you visit. This helps prevent certain advertisers from storing data on your Mac. You can change options in Safari preferences so that Safari always accepts or always blocks cookies and other website data.

Open Safari for me

Important: Changing your cookie preferences or removing cookies and website data in Safari may change or remove them in other apps, including Dashboard.

Choose Safari > Preferences, click Privacy, then do any of the following:

Change which cookies and website data are accepted: Select a “Cookies and website data” option:

Always block: Safari doesn’t let any websites, third parties, or advertisers store cookies and other data on your Mac. This may prevent some websites from working properly.

Allow from current website only: Safari accepts cookies and website data only from the website you’re currently visiting. Websites often have embedded content from other sources. Safari does not allow these third parties to store or access cookies or other data.

Allow from websites I visit: Safari accepts cookies and website data only from websites you visit. Safari uses your existing cookies to determine whether you have visited a website before. Selecting this option helps prevent websites that have embedded content in other websites you browse from storing cookies and data on your Mac.

Always allow: Safari lets all websites, third parties, and advertisers store cookies and other data on your Mac.

Remove stored cookies and data: Click Manage Website Data, select one or more websites, then click Remove or Remove All.

Removing the data may reduce tracking, but may also log you out of websites or change website behavior.

See which websites store cookies or data: Click Manage Website Data.

Change how often websites ask to use your location information: Select a “Website use of location services” option:

Prompt for each website once each day: Safari prompts you once each day for each website you visit that requests use of location services.

Prompt for each website one time only: Safari only prompts you once for each website you visit that requests use of location services.

Deny without prompting: All websites are denied access to location services and Safari does not prompt you.

Ask websites not to track you: Some websites keep track of your browsing activities when they serve you content, which enables them to tailor what they present to you. You can have Safari ask sites and their third party content providers (including advertisers) not to track you.

With this option turned on, each time Safari fetches content from a website, Safari adds a request not to track you, but it’s up to the website to honor this request.

• a. Send us an email
• b. Anonymous form
• Buyer's Guide
• Upcoming Products
• Tips / Contact Us
• Podcast Instagram Facebook Twitter Mastodon YouTube Notifications RSS Newsletter

How to Delete Cookies in Safari

When you browse the web on your devices, websites will often leave cookies on your system so that they can remember you and what your preferences are.

However, for the same reason, cookies can pose a privacy risk because of the information they hold about you, which is why you may want to remove them from your computer every so often.

The following steps show you how to delete cookies from Apple's Safari browser on Mac, iPhone , and iPad .

How to Delete Cookies in Safari on iOS

Note that the following steps clear all history, cookies and website data on your device, regardless of when the sites were accessed.

• Launch the Settings app on your iOS device.
• Scroll down and select Safari .
• Scroll down and select Clear History and Website Data .

How to Delete Cookies in Safari on macOS

• Launch Safari browser on your Mac.

Note that you can opt to block all cookies in future by selecting Block all cookies in Safari's settings ( Settings -> Safari on iOS, and in the Privacy tab of Safari's Preferences on macOS). However, bear in mind that some websites use cookies to improve your browsing experience – by remembering your login details, for example – so think twice before you select this option.

Get weekly top MacRumors stories in your inbox.

Popular Stories

Delta Game Emulator Now Available From App Store on iPhone

All iPhone 16 Models to Feature Action Button, But Usefulness Debated

Hands-On With the New App Store Delta Game Emulator

PlayStation, GameCube, Wii, and SEGA Emulator for iPhone and Apple TV Coming to App Store

NES Emulator for iPhone and iPad Now Available on App Store [Removed]

Next article.

Our comprehensive guide highlighting every major new addition in iOS 17, plus how-tos that walk you through using the new features.

App Store changes for the EU, new emoji, Podcasts transcripts, and more.

Get the most out your iPhone 15 with our complete guide to all the new features.

A deep dive into new features in macOS Sonoma, big and small.

Revamped models with OLED displays, M3 chip, and redesigned Magic Keyboard accessory.

Updated 10.9-inch model and new 12.9-inch model, M2 chip expected.

Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference will kick off with a keynote on June 10.

Expected to see new AI-focused features and more. Preview coming at WWDC in June with public release in September.

Other Stories

10 hours ago by MacRumors Staff

12 hours ago by MacRumors Staff

1 day ago by MacRumors Staff

2 days ago by MacRumors Staff

How to Delete Cookies from Safari on Your iPhone & iPad

When you delete cookies from Safari on your iPhone or iPad, you free up storage space and improve your device's performance speeds. Clearing the cache and deleting cookies can also help safeguard your online privacy! We'll show you how to clear your cache and cookies, plus how to disable cookies for future browsing if you choose to do so.

What Are Cookies on the iPhone or iPad?

• How to Delete Cookies from Safari on iPhone or iPad

How to Clear Cookies & History on iPhone or iPad

How to disable cookies on iphone or ipad.

Cookies are pieces of data placed on your iPhone or iPad (or any other device on which you browse the internet) by the websites you visit in order to enhance your browsing experience and collect your data. From helping you retain login information to tracking what sites you typically visit or what items you are interested in on Amazon, cookies and their associated data can make your web experience quicker, smoother, and more intuitive. They can also be used to track you in ways you don't want, though, and after a while, cookies and their saved data can take up valuable storage space on your iPhone or iPad and diminish overall performance. To learn other ways to improve your Apple devices' performance, sign up for our free Tip of the Day newsletter.

Keep in mind, though, that clearing cookies on your iPhone will delete saved logins and other website information.

How to Delete Cookies from Safari on iPhone or iPad

If you're ready to clear cookies from Safari, here's what to do:

When you clear cookies along with your Safari browsing history, you'll be able to save additional storage space. Also, if you ever have issues with Safari, clearing the cookies and history is beneficial in helping you troubleshoot. If you're ready to free up storage space on your iPhone by deleting cookies and clearing your Safari browsing history, here's how to go about it:

And that's it! Remember that after you delete cookies on your iPhone or iPad, you will be logged out of any accounts you were signed into.

You can also permanently disable cookies on iPhone or iPad if you wish. Keep in mind that permanently disabling cookies may prevent websites from working properly. For example, you will likely be unable to log in to a website when entering your correct username and password. You might receive messages that will tell you to enable cookies or that cookies are turned off. Plus, some features may not work on a website. A good alternative to permanently disabling cookies on iPhone or iPad, if you want to prevent cookies from accumulating, is to  turn on Private Browsing from within your Safari browser. But if you'd like to try disabling all cookie collection, here's how:

Now that you know why cookies matter and how to clear storage space by deleting saved cookies and your Safari browsing history, you might also like to learn  how to hide apps on your iPhone .

Author Details

As Senior Gear Editor at iPhone Life, Dig reports on the latest and greatest accessories built for the iOS ecosystem. From rugged gear and Bluetooth speakers, to headphones, unique iDevice cases, and iOS remote controlled vehicles, Dig's articles cover a wide range of great gear for the iPhone and iPad. A core gamer for over three decades, Dig also writes iPhone Life's Game Centered column, which focuses on the best iOS games and game related news. Additionally, Dig's company, iDoc Tech Support, offers web design and administration services as well as iPhone and iPad repairs. When not at his work desk, Dig loves spending time with family and enjoying the wonders of nature. You can follow him on Twitter @idoctech

Featured Products

Now you can try Informant 5 for free and experience a productivity boost by managing projects with tasks and notes, syncing your calendar among all your devices, enjoying a user-friendly 30-day calendar view, and so much more. Informant 5 features SmartBar navigation which makes it so much easier to use and master this calendar app. Plus, you can use it almost anywhere thanks to Dark Mode. With a dark background, you can check in on your tasks and schedule anywhere, even the movie theater. Upgrade to the best calendar app and task manager for iOS! Download Informant 5 today and get organized!

Most Popular

How to Tell If Someone Blocked Your Number on iPhone

iPhone Alarm Volume Low? How to Make an iPhone Alarm Louder

10 Simple Tips To Fix iPhone Battery Drain

How to Schedule a Text Message on iPhone

How to Tell If a Dead iPhone Is Charging

How To Put Two Pictures Together on iPhone

How to Hide an App on Your iPhone

Find Out Which App Is Using Your Camera or Microphone

How to Get Automatic Birthday Reminders on iPhone

How To Turn Off Flashlight on iPhone (Without Swiping Up!)

Why Is Find My iPhone Not Working? Here’s the Real Fix

Can iPhones Get Viruses? How to Detect & Remove Malware (iOS 17)

Featured articles, why is my iphone battery draining so fast 13 easy fixes.

Identify Mystery Numbers: How to Find No Caller ID on iPhone

Apple ID Not Active? Here’s the Fix!

How to Cast Apple TV to Chromecast for Easy Viewing

Fix Photos Not Uploading to iCloud Once & for All (iOS 17)

There Was an Error Connecting to the Apple ID Server: Fixed

CarPlay Not Working? 4 Ways to Fix Apple CarPlay Today

Check out our sponsors.

• Each email reveals new things you can do with your phone (and other devices) with easy-to-follow screenshots.
• Enter your email to get your first tip immediately!

• Great Tech Gifts for Any Occasion
• The Best Gadgets for The Beach or Pool

How to Manage Cookies in the Safari Browser

Excessive cookies can slow down any web browser

Tom Nelson is an engineer, programmer, network manager, and computer network and systems designer who has written for Other World Computing,and others. Tom is also president of Coyote Moon, Inc., a Macintosh and Windows consulting firm.

What to Know

• Open Safari > select Preferences > Privacy tab.
• In the Cookies and website data section, select Manage Website Data > select website(s) > Remove .

This article explains how to manage and delete cookies and caches in the Safari web browser. Information applies to Macs with macOS High Sierra (10.11) and later.

Delete Cookies and Cache in Safari

You can choose to delete all your stored cookies and caches or only specific data you want to remove, leaving the others behind.

Launch Safari, go to the Safari menu, then select Preferences .

In the window that opens, go to the Privacy tab.

In the Cookies and website data section, select Manage Website Data to open an alphabetical list of the websites for which your computer is storing data, including cookies and caches.

To delete a single website, scroll through the alphabetical list, or use the search field. Select it, then choose Remove to delete any data your computer stores for that website. This can be helpful when you have problems with a specific website.

Select multiple sequential websites using the Shift key. Select the first cookie, then hold the Shift key and select the second website. Any websites in between the two are selected.

Use the Command key to select noncontiguous websites. Select the first cookie and then hold the Command key as you select each additional cookie.

Select Remove to delete the selected cookies.

Select Remove All to delete all the websites on the list. No selection is necessary. You are prompted to confirm that you want to delete all the data stored by the websites. Confirm by selecting Remove Now in the pop-up window.

Delete Safari Caches

If you prefer to leave the cookies in place and delete only the caches, do so through the Developer menu on the Safari menu bar. The Developer menu isn't enabled by default. You turn it on in the Safari preferences menu and then clear the caches:

In the window that opens, go to the Advanced tab.

Select the Show Develop menu in menu bar check box and close the preference screen.

Select Develop in the Safari menu bar, then select Empty Caches .

Alternatively, press Option + Command + E on the keyboard.

This is an all-or-nothing option. You can't select individual caches to remove in the Develop menu.

Corrupt Cookies Affect the Safari Experience

When a web browser accumulates cookies over a long time, bad things can happen. Cookies eventually become out of date, consuming space while serving no benefit. Cookies can also become corrupt from Safari freezes, power outages, unplanned Mac shutdowns, and other events. Eventually, you may find that Safari and some websites no longer work well together, if at all.

Troubleshooting the reason Safari and a website fail to work well together is challenging. A corrupt cookie or cached data may be the culprit.

Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day

• How to Clear Cookies for a Specific Site
• How to Clear Private Data, Caches, and Cookies on Mac
• How to Delete Cookies in Every Major Browser
• Speed Up Safari With These Tuneup Tips
• How to Clear Cookies and Cache in Chrome
• How to Enable Cookies in Your Browser
• How to Reset Safari to Default Settings
• How to Manage Browsing History on Safari for iPad
• How to Fix a YouTube Black Screen
• Managing History and Other Private Data in Safari for macOS
• How to Clear Internet Cache in Every Major Browser
• How to Clear Cookies on iPad
• How to Delete and Clear Cookies on an iPhone
• Add More Features by Turning on Safari's Develop Menu
• How to Activate and Use Responsive Design Mode in Safari
• The 14 Best Plugins (Extensions) for Chrome in 2024

• PRO Courses Guides New Tech Help Pro Expert Videos About wikiHow Pro Upgrade Sign In
• EDIT Edit this Article
• EXPLORE Tech Help Pro About Us Random Article Quizzes Request a New Article Community Dashboard This Or That Game Popular Categories Arts and Entertainment Artwork Books Movies Computers and Electronics Computers Phone Skills Technology Hacks Health Men's Health Mental Health Women's Health Relationships Dating Love Relationship Issues Hobbies and Crafts Crafts Drawing Games Education & Communication Communication Skills Personal Development Studying Personal Care and Style Fashion Hair Care Personal Hygiene Youth Personal Care School Stuff Dating All Categories Arts and Entertainment Finance and Business Home and Garden Relationship Quizzes Cars & Other Vehicles Food and Entertaining Personal Care and Style Sports and Fitness Computers and Electronics Health Pets and Animals Travel Education & Communication Hobbies and Crafts Philosophy and Religion Work World Family Life Holidays and Traditions Relationships Youth
• Browse Articles
• Learn Something New
• Quizzes Hot
• This Or That Game New
• Train Your Brain
• Explore More
• Support wikiHow
• About wikiHow
• Log in / Sign up
• Computers and Electronics
• Internet Browsers
• Safari Browser

How to Enable Cookies in Safari

Last Updated: March 16, 2024 Tested

This article was written by Luigi Oppido and by wikiHow staff writer, Nicole Levine, MFA . Luigi Oppido is the Owner and Operator of Pleasure Point Computers in Santa Cruz, California. Luigi has over 25 years of experience in general computer repair, data recovery, virus removal, and upgrades. He is also the host of the Computer Man Show! broadcasted on KSQD covering central California for over two years. The wikiHow Tech Team also followed the article's instructions and verified that they work. This article has been viewed 579,410 times.

Cookies are enabled by default in Safari on your Mac, iPhone, and iPad. If the features of a certain website aren't working properly or you're getting errors about cookies, you may have disabled cookies in your settings. This wikiHow article will teach you how to allow cookies in Safari, and show you what to do if cookies aren't working properly.

Things You Should Know

• Open Safari on your Mac. Go to Safari > Preferences… > Privacy and uncheck "Block all Cookies".

• Try clearing your cookies if you are having trouble loading websites—sometimes old cookies get in the way of saving the new version of a cookie.

Enabling Cookies on a Mac

• In most cases, you'll probably want to leave a checkmark in front of this option to preserve your privacy. However, if websites aren't loading properly or you can't use the features of certain sites, you may need to enable this option.

Enabling Cookies on iPhone and iPad

• In most cases, you'll probably want to leave this switch on, as this protects your privacy. However, if websites aren't loading properly or you're unable to use features of certain sites, you can enable this option and see if it resolves the problem.

Troubleshooting

• Mac: Click the Safari menu, select Preferences , click Privacy , and then remove the checkmark from "Prevent cross-site tracking."
• iPhone/iPad: Open your Settings , tap Safari , and then toggle the "Prevent Cross-Site Tracking" switch to the Off (white) position.

• First, check to make sure private browsing is not always set to turn on—click the Safari menu, select Preferences , click General , and click the "New windows open with" menu. [6] X Research source If "A new private window" is selected, choose A new window instead.
• Then, to open a new window, just close the currently open Safari window, click the File menu, and then select New Window .
• iPhone/iPad: Open Safari and tap the overlapping squares at the bottom. [7] X Research source Tap Private at the bottom (if you see it), select (number of) Tabs , and then tap Done .

• Mac: Click the Safari menu, click Preferences , click Privacy , click Manage Website Data , and then click Remove All .
• iPhone/iPad: Open Settings , tap Safari , tap Advanced , select Website Data , and then tap Remove All Website Data . [8] X Research source

Community Q&A

• Enabling cookies can often allow you to view and have access to a larger number of websites that require cookies in order to function or display properly. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Despite their poor reputation, cookies aren't inherently malicious. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/safari/manage-cookies-and-website-data-sfri11471/mac
• ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/105082
• ↑ https://support.ewu.edu/support/solutions/articles/10000057364-how-do-i-disable-prevent-cross-site-tracking-in-safari-
• ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/safari/use-private-browsing-ibrw1069/mac
• ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203036

About This Article

1. Open Safari. 2. Click the Safari menu 3. Click Preferences... . 4. Click the Privacy tab. 5. Remove the checkmark from "Block all cookies." Did this summary help you? Yes No

• Send fan mail to authors

Is this article up to date?

Featured Articles

Trending Articles

Watch Articles

• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Do Not Sell or Share My Info
• Not Selling Info

wikiHow Tech Help Pro:

Level up your tech skills and stay ahead of the curve

How-To Geek

How to clear cookies / cache for a single website on iphone or ipad.

Clearing the cache on your iPhone or iPad is really easy, but that will log you out of every single website that you were previously logged into, and wipe any other cookie-based preferences.

Quick Links

Clear cookies / cache for a specific website.

Clearing the cache on your iPhone or iPad is really easy, but that will log you out of every single website that you were previously logged into, and wipe any other cookie-based preferences. So what if you want to just wipe cookies or cache for a single site?

Luckily that's also pretty easy... though not quite as simple since you'll have to dig through a list of all the sites you've ever visited or that have put cookies on your device.

You might be asking yourself why you'd bother doing this, and the answer is simple: if a particular site is misbehaving you can wipe the cache and cookies just for that site, login again, and sometimes the problem will be resolved.

First you'll want to open up the Settings app, and then find Safari on the left-hand side, and then scroll down until you see the Advanced on the right-hand side. If you're using an iPhone it won't display like this, but you'll be able to easily figure it out.

Now press the Website Data button.

And now push the Edit text button on the upper right-hand corner.

Now you'll see a list of the sites that have put cookies on your device. You'll probably need to expand to show all of the sites, and then browse down through the list. Once you've found the one you want to wipe, just hit the red minus icon and then press Delete, just like you would in most iOS apps.

There isn't a whole lot more to it.

Clear the history, cache and cookies from Safari on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch

Find out how to delete your history, cookies and cache in Settings.

Delete the history, cache and cookies

Clear your cookies and the cache, but keep your history

Delete a website from your history, block cookies, use content blockers, delete history, cache and cookies.

Go to Settings > Safari.

Tap Clear History and Website Data.

Clearing your history, cookies and browsing data from Safari won't change your AutoFill information.

When there’s no history or website data to be cleared, the button to clear it will turn grey. The button might also be grey if you have web content restrictions set up under Content & Privacy Restrictions in Screen Time .

To visit sites without leaving history, turn Private Browsing on .

Go to Settings > Safari > Advanced > Website Data.

Tap Remove All Website Data.

When there’s no website data to be cleared, the button to clear it will turn grey. The button might also be grey if you have web content restrictions set up under Content & Privacy Restrictions in Screen Time .

Open the Safari app.

Tap the Edit button, then select the website(s) you want to delete from your history.

Tap the Delete button.

A cookie is a piece of data that a site puts on your device so that site can remember you when you visit again.

To block cookies:

Go to Settings > Safari > Advanced.

Turn on Block All Cookies.

If you block cookies, some web pages may not work. Here are some examples:

You'll likely not be able to sign in to a site even when using your correct user name and password.

You may see a message that cookies are required or that your browser's cookies are turned off.

Some features on a site may not work.

Content blockers are third-party apps and extensions that let Safari block cookies, images, resources, pop-ups and other content.

To get a content blocker:

Download a content blocking app from the App Store.

Tap Settings > Safari > Extensions.

Tap to turn on a listed content blocker.

You can use more than one content blocker. If you need help, contact the app developer .

Information about products not manufactured by Apple, or independent websites not controlled or tested by Apple, is provided without recommendation or endorsement. Apple assumes no responsibility with regard to the selection, performance or use of third-party websites or products. Apple makes no representations regarding third-party website accuracy or reliability. Contact the vendor for additional information.

Related topics

Contact Apple Support

Need more help? Save time by starting your support request online and we'll connect you to an expert.