How Do I Get Rid of Cookies From a Hard Drive?

Cookies are small text files many websites download to your hard drive to allow you to navigate their websites; most websites will not function properly without cookies. You may need to delete your cookies if you are having display problems. Because some gather information about you, deleting them improves online security and decreases the chances of personal information falling into the wrong hands.

Instructions

Windows

1. Launch Internet Explorer.

2. Click the "Safety" menu located on the top and click "Delete Browsing History" if you are using IE8. Select the check-box next to "Cookies" and click the "Preserve Favorites Website Data" check-box if you do not want to delete the cookies associated with websites in your Favorites list. Click "Delete" to remove the cookies from your hard drive.

3. Click the "Tools" menu and click "Internet Options" if you are using IE7. This launches the Internet Options dialog box. Click the "General" tab and click the "Delete" button under "Browsing history." Click "Delete cookies" under "Cookies," and then click "Yes" to confirm. Click "Close" and click "OK."

Mac

1. Launch Safari.

2. Click the "Safari" menu located on the top and click the "Reset Safari" option. A new dialog box launches.

3. Click the "Reset All Cookies" check-box and click "Reset" to remove the cookies from your Mac's hard drive.

References

• Microsoft Support: Delete Your Internet Cookies
• Apple Support: Resetting Safari