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How to clear Safari’s cache and cookies on Mac

There are a handful of situations when clearing Safari’s cookies or cache–one of the places where Safari stores website data to avoid having to download it afresh each time you access a site–can help improve your browsing experience.

The first is when websites simply stop working when you access them on Safari. Perhaps Facebook stops updating with new posts, for example, or the images on a site don’t appear as they should. If this happens, it’s likely the cache has become corrupted.

Alternatively, if you find that personal info automatically completed on sites isn’t correct, deleting cookies can help. These are small files that sites use to save data about you and what you do on the site.

Even if none of these problems affect you, periodically cleaning browser data can help protect your privacy from snoops who want to discover what you’ve been up to online. In this article, therefore, we explain how to clear Safari’s cache and cookies on Mac.

We also have an article that explains How to clear cache on a Mac.

How to clear Safari cookies and cache for websites

Cleaning cookies and the cache data for individual sites can be done via Safari’s Settings/Preferences.

• Open Safari
• Click on Safari in the menu at the top of the screen.
• Click on Settings or Preferences (depending on the version of macOS you are running).
• Go to the Privacy tab.
• Click on Manage Website Data…
• Choose Remove All or select websites individually to remove.

After the data is loaded you’ll probably see a long list of websites. You can choose to Remove All or just select individual websites you want to remove from this list. If you want to select a number of different sites you can click on one and then press and hold the Command key to select a second, third or fourth and so on. We recommend that you don’t select hundreds this way – it’s better to delete in batches just in case you have to start over.

If you would prefer to select all and then deselect the ones you want to keep you can do so. Use Command + A to select all, then press and hold Command while clicking on any website you are happy to keep in this list. Just click Remove afterwards, not Done, as that will just undo all your hard work.

There’s a search field you can use to track down individual sites.

Bear in mind that deleting cookies might remove autocompleted login usernames and passwords for sites, and will almost certainly log you out of that site if you’ve configured it to automatically log in each time you visit.

How to clear Safari cache

The hidden Safari Developer menu can be used to clear just the cache, leaving cookies and the browser history in place. This is a very useful diagnostic step to take before removing those two items if a website behaves badly.

If you just want to clear all your cache you can do so by following these steps:

• Open Safari.
• Click on Safari in menu bar at top of screen.
• Click on Settings/Preferences (depending on the version of macOS you are running).
• Click on the Advanced tab.
• Check the box beside Show Develop Menu in Menu Bar.
• Now there will be a new Develop tab in the menu at the top of your screen. Click on this.
• Click on Empty Caches.

Alternatively click on Option/Alt + Command + E.

Close any open Safari windows and select Empty Caches on the Develop menu. Then click File > New Window to start Safari with a clean cache.

How to remove autocomplete data from AutoFill

Safari’s AutoFill tool can fill in username and password details on websites as well as credit card details and other elements like your address and email details.

This can be really useful, but it can also be annoying if the data it fills in is incorrect or out of context. It’s also a problem when AutoFill helpfully enters old or incorrect passwords or emails and addresses.

You can change this data, or delete it by following these steps:

• Click on Safari.
• Click on Settings/Preferences.
• Choose the AutoFill tab.
• Here you can edit contact information, usernames and passwords, credit cards and other data. Click on Edit beside the category you want access to.
• You’ll need to enter your password or use Touch ID to gain access.

Delete incorrect data: If you are finding that Safari is autofilling incorrect data about you–your address, for example–click Edit beside Using information from my contacts. This will open up your Contacts app. Your card will be at the top or under My Card. You can add and amend data about you here.

Delete incorrect passwords and site logins: If you wanted to delete incorrect passwords, for example, you can just click on the Passwords tab. If you know which password you want to remove search for the website or service and then find the older password option (if there is more than one) and select it and then click on the – below the column to remove it. You can then select Delete Password. If that means there is no password saved for that website, you can then recreate the entry for the site by clicking the Add button. You’ll first need to provide the URL of the site (that is, something like https://facebook.com ), and then type the username and password alongside (hit the Tab key to move from field to field).

See: How to autofill passwords, bank cards, names and addresses for more.

Delete logins and passwords system-wide

Pruning site logins can also be done via the Keychain Access app, which you’ll find in the Utilities folder of the Applications list in Finder, although you should be very careful using this app because it pretty much controls the entire security operation of your Mac! However, by removing errant username and password entries here you’ll stop virtually all of your Mac apps using them, and not just Safari.

Just type the name of the site into the Search field, and look in the list of results for entries of the kind Web Form Password. Right-click the entry and select Delete.

If you want to delete your Chrome or Firefox cache, cookies or browsing history read: How to delete your Mac browsing history . For alternative web browsers take a look at: Best web browser for Mac.

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2 Easy Ways to Delete Cookies Using the Safari Web Browser

Last Updated: May 10, 2024 Fact Checked

Using iPhone and iPad

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Rain Kengly . Rain Kengly is a wikiHow Technology Writer. As a storytelling enthusiast with a penchant for technology, they hope to create long-lasting connections with readers from all around the globe. Rain graduated from San Francisco State University with a BA in Cinema. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 587,835 times. Learn more...

Cookies are bits of website data that help Safari remember your preferences, passwords, usernames, and more. However, this data can get corrupted over time and cause issues with your browser. Clearing your cookies and cache is a good way to keep Safari functioning properly. This wikiHow teaches you how to delete cookies using the Safari web browser on a Mac, iPhone, or iPad.

Quick Steps

• Click the Safari menu and select Settings...
• Click Privacy .
• Click Manage Website Data .
• Select which websites with cookies you want to delete.
• Click Remove or Remove All .

• You can clear your cookies and cache without deleting your entire history .

• If you're unsure which websites you want to clear, you can check your history .

• Your cookies will be deleted for these websites.

• You may be prompted to confirm this action.
• Keep in mind that some websites require cookies in order to load some features. Blocking all cookies will prevent some websites from working correctly.

• If you want to delete your history along with your cookies and cache, return to the Safari settings page . Scroll down and tap Clear History and Website Data , select a timeframe, and then tap Clear History .

• Navigate to the Safari settings.
• Tap Advanced at the bottom of the page.
• Toggle on Block All Cookies .
• You can also block and unblock certain websites.

Community Q&A

• Cookies help websites remember who you are and what your preferences are. If you delete all of your cookies, you will need to log back in to any websites which previously had stored passwords or other account information. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 1

• Blocking cookies will result in some websites not functioning properly, while a few websites may cease to load or work altogether. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-is/guide/safari/sfri11471/17.0/mac/14.0
• ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/105082

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How to Delete Cookies and Stored Website Data in Safari

Websites and advertisers use cookies to identify you and follow you around the internet, and they might also save other website data to remember you by. In Safari, you can delete these cookies and other data. Let's head to Safari's privacy settings.

Stored content can include a history of your site visits or information you provided the site, such as your name and email address. You can delete all of the website data at once or for individual sites.

Delete Cookies and Saved Data on the Mac

1. Select Preferences from the Safari menu or hold down the Command key and the comma key at the same time (Command+,).

2. Go to the Privacy tab.

3. Click the Remove All Website Data button to remove all stored website data, or skip to step 5 to remove data on a site-by-site basis.

4. Click Remove Now to confirm. Note, as Safari warns you, this could log you out of sites and perhaps also change how they function. For example, instead of getting tailored ads on the site, you'll be served generic ones.

5. To remove stored data by site, click the Details button.  

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6. Select the sites with stored data you want to remov e. Hold down the Command key to select multiple sites.

7. Click Remove.

8. Click Done.

Alternatively, you can click the Remove All button to delete all of the sites' cookies and stored data. Safari will ask you to confirm your choice:

Delete Cookies and Web History in Safari in iOS

Clear your history, cookies, and browsing data from Safari on your iPad or iPhone .

1. Open the Settings app and tap Safari.

2. Tap Clear History and Website Data. If you're using iOS 7 or earlier, the menu is slightly different: Tap "Clear History" and "Clear Cookies and Data".

3. Tap Clear to confirm.

4. Tap Advanced back in the Safari Settings window to clear other stored website data.

5. Tap Website Data.

6. Tap Remove All Website Data . Alternatively, you can click the Edit link at the top right and then delete individual sites' data by tapping the minus sign next to the site names.

Doing this will not only help protect your privacy. It can also clear out precious space on your device.

Looking to learn more about your Mac — or buy a new one? Check out our how to reset a MacBook guide for more details about what to do before you sell your laptop (or other macOS machine) and our MacBook Pro 2019 rumors roundup for details on what to expect in next year's model.

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How to clear history, cache, and cookies in safari on iphone or ipad.

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We're going to assume that most How-To Geek writers know how to delete the history, cookies, and cache in Mobile Safari, but just in case you don't know, here is how to do it.

Open up the Settings app and find Safari in the left-hand list, and then scroll down the right side until you find the "Clear History and Website Data" button.

You'll be prompted to verify that you really want to do this, and it will point out that this is also going to delete the history from other devices using your iCloud account to sync Safari.

Related: How to Clear Cookies / Cache for a Single Website on iPhone or iPad

Perhaps this is a good time to point out that you should use private browsing mode if you don't want history being saved on your device!

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Turn cookies on or off

Cookies can impact how your Google Account works with other third-party apps and services.

Important: If you get a message that cookies are turned off, you need to turn them on to use your account.

Learn about cookies

The websites that you visit create files called cookies. By saving information about your visit, they make your online experience easier. For example, sites can:

• Keep you signed in
• Remember your site preferences
• Provide you locally relevant content

There are 2 types of cookies:

• First-party cookies: Created by the site you visit. The site is in the address bar. They are a type of on-device site data. Learn more about on-device site data.
• Third-party cookies: Created by other sites. The sites you visit can embed content, like images, ads, and text, from other sites. Any of these other sites can save cookies and other data to personalize your experience.

Google uses cookies to improve its services. Learn how cookies are used in the Privacy Policy .

In the Chrome app

Cookies are automatically turned on and stay on. Learn how to clear cookies .

In the Safari app

• Follow the instructions to turn cookies on or off .
• Wait 5 minutes and open the Safari app.

In other browser apps

For instructions, check the support website for your browser.

Fix problems

If you can't sign in to a third-party website with your Google Account, and get a message that cookies are turned off:

• Follow the steps above to turn on cookies.
• Try signing in again.

If you still get the error message, here are some possible solutions. Try each one, then try signing in.

• Open a new browser window.
• Clear your browser's cache and cookies. Learn how to clear cache and cookies .
• Browse in private. Learn how to browse privately in Chrome .
• Change your browser's privacy settings. Learn how to change privacy settings .

Need more help?

Try these next steps:.

We see you have a new Google Account! Learn how to improve your experience with your Google Account checklist.

Manage cookies and website data

Websites often store cookies and other data on your Mac. This data may include information that you have provided, such as your name, email address, and preferences. This data helps websites identify you when you return so the site can provide services for you and show information that might be of interest to you.

By default, Safari accepts cookies and website data only from websites you visit. This helps prevent certain advertisers from storing data on your Mac. You can change options in Safari preferences so that Safari always accepts or always blocks cookies and other website data.

Open Safari for me

Important: Changing your cookie preferences or removing cookies and website data in Safari may change or remove them in other apps, including Dashboard.

Choose Safari > Preferences, click Privacy, then do any of the following:

Change which cookies and website data are accepted: Select a “Cookies and website data” option:

Always block: Safari doesn’t let any websites, third parties, or advertisers store cookies and other data on your Mac. This may prevent some websites from working properly.

Allow from current website only: Safari accepts cookies and website data only from the website you’re currently visiting. Websites often have embedded content from other sources. Safari does not allow these third parties to store or access cookies or other data.

Allow from websites I visit: Safari accepts cookies and website data only from websites you visit. Safari uses your existing cookies to determine whether you have visited a website before. Selecting this option helps prevent websites that have embedded content in other websites you browse from storing cookies and data on your Mac.

Always allow: Safari lets all websites, third parties, and advertisers store cookies and other data on your Mac.

Remove stored cookies and data: Click Manage Website Data, select one or more websites, then click Remove or Remove All.

Removing the data may reduce tracking, but may also log you out of websites or change website behavior.

See which websites store cookies or data: Click Manage Website Data.

Change how often websites ask to use your location information: Select a “Website use of location services” option:

Prompt for each website once each day: Safari prompts you once each day for each website you visit that requests use of location services.

Prompt for each website one time only: Safari only prompts you once for each website you visit that requests use of location services.

Deny without prompting: All websites are denied access to location services and Safari does not prompt you.

Ask websites not to track you: Some websites keep track of your browsing activities when they serve you content, which enables them to tailor what they present to you. You can have Safari ask sites and their third party content providers (including advertisers) not to track you.

With this option turned on, each time Safari fetches content from a website, Safari adds a request not to track you, but it’s up to the website to honor this request.

How to allow cookies on your Mac to save passwords and other important information

• You can allow cookies on your Mac from Safari's Preferences page.
• Allowing cookies lets your browser save important information like passwords and search history. 
• If you want to keep cookies from some sites only, you can selectively remove stored cookies by site. 

Cookies are the little snippets of data used to track your internet browsing patterns, which are then stored in your computer. Many people believe that cookies are overused for targeted advertisements, which can often be labeled as "creepy ."  

But cookies can actually be quite helpful. For example, cookies allow your computer to remember important information like log-in credentials so you don't always have to enter your password. Cookies also let you save items in a shopping cart when you're looking to buy something online.

If you'd like to allow cookies on your Mac's Safari web browser, here's how. 

How to allow cookies on Mac in Safari

1. Open your Safari web browser. 

2. On the left side of the toolbar at the very top of your screen, click Safari and select Preferences in the drop-down. 

3. In Preferences, go to the Privacy tab — the icon that looks like a hand in a circle. 

4. Next to Cookies and website data , make sure the box next to Block all cookies is not checked. 

Unchecking Block all cookies will allow any and all cookies to be stored by websites you visit as well as third-party trackers, which are typically advertisers. 

How to remove data stored by certain websites using Safari on Mac

In Mac's Safari, you can remove browsing data stored by certain websites you visit on your computer. 

2. In the left side of the toolbar at the very top of your screen, click Safari and select Preferences in the drop-down.

4. Under Block all cookies , click on Manage Website Data . 

5. Here you can remove information collected by certain sites by selecting a site in the list and clicking Remove at the bottom of the window. Or, you can remove information collected from all sites by clicking Remove all at the bottom of the window. Removing your cookie data might reduce the amount websites track you, but it might also log you out of certain websites.

6. Click Done in the bottom-right corner of the window when you're finished.

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How to Enable and Allow Cookies on Mac

Unblock cookies on Safari, Chrome, and Firefox for Mac

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What to Know:

• Cookies store your personal preferences in web browsers so that the browser doesn't waste time requesting the information multiple times.
• Enabling cookies on Mac lets your browser store reusable data, such as email addresses or saved shopping cart items.

This article explains how to set up cookies in Safari, Chrome, and Firefox.

How to Enable Cookies in Safari

Safari is Apple's default browser on all Mac computers and iOS devices. To enable cookies on your Mac, start by opening Safari.

Click Safari in the menu bar and select Preferences to open the Safari General preferences screen.

Click the Privacy tab to open the Safari Privacy settings.

Clear the check mark in front of Block all cookies to enable cookies in Safari.

Want to remove specific websites from the list of websites storing your information? Select Manage Website Data and remove them.

Close Preferences to save your changes.

How to Enable Cookies in Chrome

Chrome is a web browser created by Google. To enable cookies in Chrome, start by opening the Chrome browser on your Mac.

Click the three dots at the far right side of your screen.

Click Settings in the drop-down menu.

Select Privacy and security in the left sidebar.

Select Cookies and other site data .

Click the Allow all cookies button to turn it on. It button contains a blue bullet when it is turned on.

You can also choose to keep your data only until you close your browser. To do this, move the slider next to Clear cookies and site data when you close all windows to the On position.

How to Enable Cookies in Firefox

Firefox is an open-source web browser offered by Mozilla. Open Firefox on your Mac to start changing your cookie settings.

In Firefox, click the three horizontal lines at the top right corner of the screen.

Select Settings in the drop-down menu.

Click Privacy & Security in the left sidebar.

Firefox blocks cookies by default. To enable them, select the Custom section to expand it. Remove the check from in front of Cookies to unblock cookies in Firefox.

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Safari User Guide

• Change your home page
• Import bookmarks, history and passwords
• Make Safari your default web browser
• Go to websites
• Find what you’re looking for
• Bookmark web pages that you want to revisit
• See your favourite websites
• Use tabs for web pages
• Pin frequently visited websites
• Play web videos
• Mute audio in tabs
• Pay with Apple Pay
• Autofill credit card info
• Autofill contact info
• Keep a Reading List
• Hide ads when reading articles
• Translate a web page
• Download items from the web
• Share or post web pages
• Add passes to Wallet
• Save part or all of a web page
• Print or create a PDF of a web page
• Customise a start page
• Customise the Safari window
• Customise settings per website
• Zoom in on web pages
• Get extensions
• Manage cookies and website data
• Block pop-ups
• Clear your browsing history
• Browse privately
• Autofill username and password info
• Prevent cross-site tracking
• View a Privacy Report
• Change Safari preferences
• Keyboard and other shortcuts
• Troubleshooting

Manage cookies and website data in Safari on Mac

You can change options in Safari preferences so that Safari always accepts or always blocks cookies and website data .

Open Safari for me

Prevent trackers from using cookies and website data to track you: Select “Prevent cross-site tracking”.

Cookies and website data are deleted unless you visit and interact with the trackers’ websites.

Always block cookies: Select “Block all cookies”.

Websites, third parties and advertisers can’t store cookies and other data on your Mac. This may prevent some websites from working properly.

Always allow cookies: Deselect “Block all cookies”.

Websites, third parties and advertisers can store cookies and other data on your Mac.

Remove stored cookies and data: Click Manage Website Data, select one or more websites, then click Remove or Remove All.

Removing the data may reduce tracking, but may also log you out of websites or change website behaviour.

See which websites store cookies or data: Click Manage Website Data.

Note: Changing your cookie preferences or removing cookies and website data in Safari may change or remove them in other apps.