Cookies are small files that contain information on the navigation carried out on a specific page: they can contain both the login data and the identification data for the user's navigation, so as to be able to show customized content or retrieve all the data of the user. access even after some time.Cookies have a natural expiration; once this date is reached, cookies are automatically deleted or replaced with new cookies (if we visit the page again), but some cookies have an exceptionally long expiration date or can hide ulterior motives (retrieving information about the user, selling data etc. ).
If we want to eliminate all traces of our navigation on a site we must absolutely delete the cookies stored in the web browser we use to browse the Internet.
I cookie they can be deleted from browsers both from computers and from smartphones or tablets; since the browsers listed are available for all platforms, we will show you how to delete them also from mobile, so that you can clean up all the traces left on the sites you visit and the profiles that are still active.
ALSO READ: How to Clear Cache on Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge
Delete cookies on Microsoft Edge
Microsoft Edge is the default browser in Windows 10, so we'll start with it to see how to clear browsing cookies.To proceed, open the Web browser by searching for its name in the Windows Start menu, then click on the three dots symbol at the top right, open the menu Chronology, we press on Clear browsing data, we set the check mark on the item Cookies and other site data, we choose at the top the time period to be canceled (to make a clean sweep we choose Tutto) then press on Cancel now.
Now the navigation cookies are correctly deleted, no one can trace our navigation and our access to the sites anymore.
To delete cookies on the mobile version of Edge (available for Android and for iPhone / iPad) press the icon with the three dots at the bottom, press on Settings, let's open the menu Privacy and security, we press on Clear browsing data, we check the item Cookies and site data and finally press the key Clear.
Delete cookies on Google Chrome
If we use Google Chrome as a web browser to browse the Internet, we can delete cookies quickly and easily by opening the program, clicking on the three dots at the top right, opening the menu Other toolsby pressing on Clear browsing data, ticking the item Cookie and altri dati dei siti, choosing the appropriate time period and finally pressing on Delete data.
All cookies saved by the browser will be deleted; we can also reduce the number of cookies deleted by setting only the day or week that interests us.
To delete cookies on the mobile version of Chrome (available for Android and for iPhone / iPad) press the three dots at the top right, open the menu Chronology, we press on Clear browsing data, we select the item Site data cookies and press down on the button Clear data.
How to delete cookies on Mozilla Firefox
If you are a user of the Mozilla Firefox open source browser, deleting cookies is very simple given the privacy policy that accompanies this program. To proceed, open Firefox, press the hamburger icon at the top right of the menu, open the menu options, let's get to the menu Privacy and security, click on the button Delete dati, we check the item Cookies and website data and finally press the key Delete.
The deletion of navigation data (including cookies) will be immediate, so as to be able to protect our privacy even more.
To delete cookies on the mobile version of Firefox (available for Android and for iPhone / iPad) press the icon with the three dots at the bottom right, press on Settings, let's open the menu Delete browsing data, we check the item Cookie and finally press the button Delete browsing data.
How to delete cookies on Safari
If we use a Mac to browse the Internet, Apple's default browser is Safari, for many the best to use on this system. To delete cookies on this browser, simply open it (from the bottom bar or from the Launchpad), press at the top of the menu Chronology, click on the menu Cancel the timeline, select the time span to delete and then press on Cancel the timeline.
Doing so will remove all traces of our Internet activity from the default browser of all Macs (including MacBook and Mac Mini).
If we have an iPhone or an iPad we can delete the cookies from Safari opening the app Settingsby pressing on the menu Safari, scrolling through the window that opens until you find the item Clear website data and history and finally pressing on the item Clear data and history.
How to delete cookies from all browsers
If we have a large number of browsers on our PC (perhaps used by different people or for different purposes), deleting all cookies one at a time could be quite annoying. In this sense, PC cleaning programs help us, which can detect the browsers present on the operating system and propose the deletion of cookies from all browsers in a single interface.
The best free program for clearing cookies from all browsers is without a doubt CCleaner, downloadable from the official website.
Once added to your Windows operating system (there are no surprises during the installation, just always click on Next to have it immediately available) start it and let's go straight to the screen Cleaning.
Here we will see all the navigation data of each browser on the PC, all we have to do is check that the voice Cookie is selected for all browsers (also checking in the Applications tap) and start the scan by clicking on Analyze.
The program will immediately start searching for cookies and other navigation data saved on the PC; at the end of the scan it will be sufficient to click at the bottom right on Start cleaning to delete all the cookies present in the various web browsers that we have installed on our computer in one go. With CCleaner we will finally be able to delete cookies on Edge, Chrome, Firefox, Safari and other browsers with a few simple mouse clicks.
This powerful program is also available as an app for mobile devices, so as to be able to remove cookies and unnecessary files that accumulate inside modern smartphones; if interested we can download CClenaer for Android directly from the Google Play Store.
Conclusions
By deleting cookies regularly we will protect our privacy better than any other app or any antivirus: with them the access data for websites will also be deleted, so that no one can pretend to be us when we use a shared PC and with only one user. active (perhaps without password protection).
To significantly increase security we must create a different account for each user who will use our PC; to learn more we advise you to read our guides Create a new Windows 10 user account e Protect access to Windows PC with screen lock and password.
If we are looking for other programs to delete useless files and traces of our activity on the computer, we recommend that you read our guide Best free PC cleaning programs to delete junk files (Windows).
