How to Clean Out Your Computer's Cookies

Cookies are files downloaded to your computer when you visit certain websites. Both your computer and the websites you visit can access these files to retrieve information about your browsing history. Most of the time, cookies make browsing more convenient when you frequently visit a particular site, as they store website preferences and information about you. Occasionally, however, you may wish to clean out the cookies on your computer to protect your privacy and to open up space on your hard drive. Cleaning out the cookies on your computer is slightly different for each Web browser.

Instructions

Internet Explorer

1. Open Internet Explorer on your computer.

2. Click on the "Gear" icon, located in the upper right corner of the browser. A drop-down menu will appear. If using Internet Explorer 8 or below, click on "Tools."

3. Click on "Internet Options." The Internet Options window will appear.

4. Click the "General Tab" and click the "Delete" button, located beneath the "Browsing History" section. A new window will appear with a list of options that you can delete.

5. Place a check-mark next to "Cookies" and click "Delete."

Mozilla Firefox

1. Open Mozilla Firefox on your computer.

2. Click the "Firefox" drop-down menu in the left corner of the screen, hover over "History" and click on "Clear Recent History." The Clear Recent History window will appear.

3. Click the "Time range to clear" drop-down menu and choose "Everything."

4. Click the "Details" drop-down arrow and place a check-mark next to "Cookies."

5. Click "Clear Now."

Safari

1. Open Safari on your computer.

2. Click on "Safari" in the upper left corner of the window and select "Reset Safari." The Reset Safari window will appear.

3. Place a check-mark next to the "Remove all cookies" option.

4. Click "Reset."

References

• Simple Help; How to Clear the Cache, Cookies, History and More from Safari 5; Ross McKillop; June 2010
• Practical eCommerce; Internet Explorer 9 - Managing Cookies and Cache; Armando Roggio; October 2010
• Mozilla Firefox Help: Clearing Private Data
• Mozilla Firefox Help: Deleting Cookies