Clear Cookies in Firefox

Cookies consist of various bits of information that websites store on your computer. These pieces of information can make your browsing experience more convenient since they store website preferences and login statuses, but sometimes cookies slow your computer down or cause problems. You can clear the cookies previously stored on your computer and you can also block future cookies. Here's how to do it if Firefox is your default browser.

Steps

Delete Cookies for One Website

1. Click on the "Firefox" button. The "Firefox" button is located in the upper left corner of the Firefox browser window.
   • Clicking on this button will open a drop-down menu with two columns.
2. Select "Options." Move your mouse cursor over to "Options," located in the right-hand column of the Firefox menu. When you hover over this text, the options sub-menu will pop out to the side. Click on "Options" at the top of this sub-menu.
   • The "Options" sub-menu is the fifth menu from the top in the right-hand column.
   • Once you click on "Options" in the "Options" sub-menu, a separate dialogue box will pop up.
   • Note that "Options" only applies to PC users. Mac users will need to click on "Preferences," but the remaining steps are the same.
3. Switch to the "Privacy" panel. The "Privacy" panel icon is located along the top of the "Options" dialogue box.
   • Each panel icon is labeled and accompanied by a corresponding graphic. "Privacy" is the fifth icon and its graphic icon looks like a masquerade mask.
   • Clicking on "Privacy" will open the corresponding panel within the same "Options" dialogue box.
4. Customize your history settings. Within the "Privacy" panel is a heading labeled "History." Look for "Firefox will:" at the top of this section. Click on the drop-down box next to this text and select "Use custom settings for history."
   • Selecting this option will reveal a new set of checkboxes and buttons. Each of these new details will permit you to customize your privacy settings.
5. Click on the "Show Cookies" button. Look for the “Show Cookies...” button within the newly expanded "History" section of the "Privacy" panel.
   • Clicking on this button will cause a second dialogue box to pop up.
6. Search for the name of the website. Type the name of the website within the "Search:" field. All cookies that match the website name will automatically be displayed.
   • The cookies matching the website name will be displayed in the window below the search bar. Both the "Site" and "Cookie Name" will be displayed.
   • Type the website name as though you are typing the primary part of the website URL. For example, if you were searching for wikiHow cookies, you would type "wikihow" or "wikihow.com."
7. Select the desired cookies. Click on the whichever cookie you want to remove. Clicking on it once will highlight it.
   • If you want to select all the cookies from that website, begin by clicking on the first cookie at the top of the list. Hold down the "Shift" and "End" keys on your keyboard to select all the cookies.
8. Click on "Remove Cookie." The "Remove Cookie" button appears at the bottom of the "Cookies" dialogue box.
   • Clicking on this button will remove the selected cookies but it will not close the dialogue box. After you click on this button, the window displaying your search results should become empty.
9. Click on the "Close" button. The "Close" button is located to the right of the "Remove Cookie" button within the "Cookies" dialogue box.
   • Clicking on this button closes the dialogue box and returns you to the "Options" menu.

Delete All Cookies

1. Click on the "Firefox" button. This button is located in the upper left corner of the browser window.
   • A two-column drop-down menu will appear once you click the “Firefox” button.
2. Move to the "History" menu. "History" is an option located toward the top of the right column of the Firefox menu.
   • Hovering over "History" will cause a second menu to pop out to the right of the current Firefox menu.
   • Note that if you are using Windows XP, you will click on the "Tools" menu instead of the "History" menu.
3. Select "Clear Recent History." This option is located around the middle of the "History" sub-menu.
   • Clicking on "Clear Recent History..." will cause a corresponding dialogue box to open.
4. Set the "Time range to clear" option to "Everything." At the top of the "Clear Recent History" dialogue box is a setting labeled as "Time range to clear." Select "Everything" from the drop-down box located next to this option in order to clear all your cookies.
   • Selecting any other time frame will not erase all your cookies. It will only erase cookies that fall within that time frame, and any that were stored prior to that time frame will remain.
5. Click on the down arrow next to "Details." Below this time range setting is a setting labeled "Details" with a downward arrow before it. Click on this down arrow to expand the details box.
   • The expanded box will display the types of stored Internet history that you can clear from this dialogue box.
6. Check "Cookies" from the menu. Select the check box next to “Cookies” within the expanded “Details” box in order to clear your cookies.
   • If you want to delete your cookies and nothing more, make sure that the other boxes are not checked.
   • You can clear your entire Internet history from this box if desired, however. Do so by making sure that the other options are all checked. The other types of Internet history you can check off are "Browsing & Download History," "Form & Search History," "Cache," "Active Logins," and "Site Preferences."
7. Click on the "Clear Now" button. This button is located at the bottom of the "Clear Recent History" dialogue box.
   • Once you click "Clear Now," your cookies will be removed and this dialogue box will close.
   • Note that this action is permanent and cannot be undone.

Disable Cookies for One Website

1. Visit the website. Navigate to the website that you wish to restrict. You will need to personalize your cookie settings for this website after it is already displayed in your browser.
   • You can visit any page within the website, and your cookie settings should be applied to the website as a whole. For the best results, however, navigate to the website's homepage.
2. Right-click inside the page and choose "View Page Info." Click with the right side of your mouse anywhere within the browser window displaying the chosen website. Click again on “View Page Info” from the pop-up menu that appears.
   • Avoid clicking on links or pictures. When possible, right-click on empty background space on the webpage.
   • A dialogue box should appear after you click on “View Page Info.”
3. Switch to the "Permissions" panel. There are four panel icons displayed across the top of the "Page Info" dialogue box. Click on the one labeled "Permissions."
   • The "Permissions" panel graphic looks similar to a simple switchboard.
4. Un-check "Use Default" under "Set Cookies." The third heading from the top should be labeled "Set Cookies." Un-check the box next to the words "Use Default" in order to change the default settings for cookies on your browser.
   • The default setting is to allow cookies. You will not be able to change this setting until you un-check the "Use Default" tick box.
5. Select the "Block" option. After un-checking the "Use Default" box, the options "Allow," "Allow for Session," and "Block" should appear. Select the circle next to "Block" to prevent this website from leaving cookies on your computer.
   • Note that this action will not remove cookies currently stored on your computer. This action can also be redone at a later date simply by navigating back to this dialogue box on this webpage.
6. Close the window. Click on the “x” in the upper right corner to close the dialogue box. Your new cookie settings will automatically save.
   • If you want to remove the cookies this website has already left on your computer, you will need to do so separately using the method detailed in this article.

Disable All Cookies

1. Click on the "Firefox" button. You can find the "Firefox" button in the upper left corner of the Firefox browser window.
   • The Firefox menu will open in a two-column drop-down menu after you click on this button.
2. Select "Options." Hover over the "Options" option in the right side of the Firefox drop-down menu. The "Options" sub-menu will pop out from the side. Click on "Options" at the very top of this sub-menu.
   • "Options" is the fifth sub-menu title from the top of the right column.
   • Clicking on the second "Options" will open a separate dialogue box.
   • If you are using a Mac instead of a PC, look for "Preferences" instead of "Options." The other steps will all remain the same.
3. Switch to the "Privacy" panel. The "Privacy" panel icon is the fifth icon along the top of the "Options" dialogue box.
   • This icon is labeled as "Privacy." Above this label is a masquerade mask which acts as a graphic icon for the "Privacy" panel.
   • The "Privacy" panel will open within the "Options" dialogue box already opened.
4. Customize your history settings. Look for the "Firefox will:" setting under the "History" subheading of the "Privacy" panel. Click on the adjacent drop-down box and change the setting to "Use custom settings for history."
   • Once you select "Use custom settings for history," a new list of checkboxes and buttons should appear. These new options will allow you to customize your privacy settings in greater detail.
5. Un-check "Accept cookies from sites." This checkbox is located around the middle of the newly expanded history settings.
   • The "Accept cookies from sites" box is checked by default, so you will need to manually un-check it.
   • Note that this setting will not take effect until you close the "Options" dialogue box.
6. Click on the "OK" button. This button is located at the bottom of the "Options" dialogue box, and clicking it will both save your new setting and close the box completely.

Video

Template:Video:Clear Cookies in Firefox

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Sources and Citations

See also

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