How to Manage Cookies With Internet Explorer

Cookies are useful bits of electronic text that certain Web sites install on your computer when you visit them. Cookies help the Web sites that use them to keep track of your settings and preferences for future visits. They can also be used to maintain the items in your shopping cart on commercial Web sites. While cookies are necessary to use certain sites, some people believe cookies are a privacy concern. If the use of cookies makes you uncomfortable, Internet Explorer gives you the option to manage them.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Internet Explorer
• Access to the Internet
• Computer

Keep Cookies in Line

1. Click on the Internet Explorer icon on your computer's 'Start' menu.

2. Click on 'Tools' in the toolbar at the top of the browser window.

3. Select the 'Internet Options' heading.

4. Go to the 'Privacy' tab.

5. Use the slider bar on the left to set your cookie preferences. You can choose to accept all cookies, no cookies or to restrict the use of cookies to the degree of your choice. You will be presented with an explanation of what sorts of cookies are blocked at each level of restriction.

6. Allow cookies from certain Web sites. Click on the 'Sites' button and then enter the URLs of Web sites from which you always want to allow cookies. Click 'Allow,' then 'OK' when you are done. You can follow the same steps to always block cookies from certain sites. Just hit the 'Block' button instead of the 'Allow' button.

7. Click 'OK' on the main cookie management window when you are finished making all of your selections.

Tips & Warnings

• When you need more answers about how to manage cookies with Internet Explorer, take a trip to the Internet Explorer FAQs page (see Resources below).
• Enjoy heightened online privacy with Internet Explorer's spyware blocker. Unlike cookies, spyware attaches itself to your computer to spy on your online activities for shady purposes. Internet Explorer automatically blocks spyware from hitching a ride on your hard drive.
• If you want to use Internet Explorer, you're going to need at least 64 MB of memory. If you have less than that, you must install more or Internet Explorer will not run.
• Instructions for how to manage cookies with Internet Explorer were prepared using Internet Explorer 7.0. Older versions of the program may work differently and not be compatible with the steps below.