How to Read Web Browser Cookies

Web cookies are text data transmitted by a Web server to a Web client (your Web browser normally). This data is sent back to the server by the client program every time that the server is accessed in the future. Web cookies are used by site authors for a variety of reasons to include: maintaining user information such as user preferences, session tracking and user authentication. Web servers use the information from a cookie to identify the user and can present a tailored display to the end-user based on the information contained in the cookie. To verify what information is being provided to websites, it is useful to view Web cookies.

Things You'll Need

• Computer Internet connection Text editor or Web browser

Instructions

1. 

   Open your Web browser.

2. 

   For Internet Explorer 5.0-7.0, Firefox and Netscape 7.0, open the Tools menu.

3. 

   For Internet Explorer 7.0 open the Browsing History menu. For Explorer 5.0-6.0, open the Internet Options sub-menu. In Netscape 7.0 select the "Cookie Manager." In Firefox, selection Options.

4. 

   For Explorer 7.0 select Settings. For Explorer 5.0-6.0, on the General tab, select or click on Settings. In Netascape 7.0 click "Manage Stored Cookies." In Firefox, click "Privacy."

5. 

   For Explorer 7.0 click "View Object or View Files". For Explorer 5.0-6.0, click "View Files." In Netscape 7.0 click on the "Cookie" file to view. In Firefox click "View Cookies."

6. For Explorer 5.0-7.0, click on the "Cookie" file to view. For Firefox, click on the "Cookie" file to view

Tips & Warnings

• An alternative to viewing Web cookies through the Web browser is to navigate to the directory on the computer's file system manually and view the files. A common file path for Web cookie storage on Windows operating systems is /Documents and Settings/user name/Local Settings/Temporary Internet Files. Web cookies can be viewed with any text editor. Run anti-virus software regularly to remove malicious Web cookies. Regularly viewing your cookies allows a quality check on websites encrypting your personal information when storing in a Web cookie. Cookies cannot be used to spread computer viruses.

• Web surfing can become difficult if you block all Web cookies. A malicious cookie is used to store and track your online activity.

Resources

• Junk Busters -- Information about managing Internet Browser options and controlling the information Web cookies can obtain.
• Webopedia -- Introductory article on all information regarding Web Cookies.