How to Delete Cookies on a Mac

By Andrew Tennyson

Websites use cookies to save preferences and login data in your Web browser. Deleting cookies on a Mac running OS X Yosemite varies slightly depending on whether you're using the Safari, Firefox or Google Chrome Web browser.

Safari 8

Step 1: Click Safari on the Apple menu along the top of your Mac's screen and choose Preferences.

You can also open Safari's Preferences panel by pressing "Command-Comma."
Image Credit: Image courtesy of Apple

Step 2: Click the Privacy tab and then click the Details button.

Click "Remove All Website Data" to delete all cookies, saved files, history and other user data.
Image Credit: Image courtesy of Apple

Step 3: Press the Remove All button to delete all of your cookies or select the cookies you want to delete and then click the Remove button. Click Done when you're finished.

Safari 8 (Apple)
Image Credit: Image courtesy of Apple

Firefox 37

Step 1: Click the three-line Menu button in the top-right corner of Firefox and select Preferences to launch the Preferences dialog.

You can also open Firefox's Preferences panel by clicking "Firefox" on the Apple menu and selecting "Preferences."
Image Credit: Image courtesy of Mozilla

Step 2: Click the Privacy tab.

Firefox 37 (Mozilla)
Image Credit: Image courtesy of Mozilla

Step 3: Click the Clear Your Recent History link.

Place a check mark in the "Tell Sites..." check box to ask sites to stop tracking you.
Image Credit: Image courtesy of Mozilla

Step 4: Check the Cookies box, click the Time Range to Clear drop-down menu and select how far back you want to delete cookies. Once you've selected your time period, click the Clear Now button to delete all cookies for the selected period of time.

You can also use this dialog to delete browsing data, form data, cache files, preferences and active logins.
Image Credit: Image courtesy of Mozilla

Chrome 42

Step 1: Click Chrome on the Apple menu and select Clear Browsing Data.

Chrome 42 (Google)
Image Credit: Image courtesy of Google

Step 2: Place a check mark in the Cookies and Other Site and Plug-in Data check box.

Place check marks in the other check boxes to delete the associated data for the selected period.
Image Credit: Image courtesy of Google

Step 3: Click the Obliterate the Following Items From drop-down menu and select the time period for which you want to delete cookies. Choose The Beginning of Time if you want to delete all cookies currently stored by Chrome.

Click the Clear Browsing Data button when you're finished.

Press "Ctrl-Shift-N" to switch to Incognito Mode, which prevents Chrome from accepting cookies.
Image Credit: Image courtesy of Google

Tip

To clear your cookies in older versions of the Safari browser, click Safari on the Apple menu, select Reset Safari and then click Remove All Website Data.

To clear individual cookies in Firefox, click the Remove Individual Cookies link on the Privacy tab of the Preferences dialog, select the cookies you want to delete and click the Remove Cookies button.

To delete individual cookies in Chrome, click the three-link Chrome menu in the top-right corner of the browser and select Settings. Click Show Advanced Settings and then click the Content Settings button in the Privacy section. Hover your mouse over the cookie you want to delete and press the X button that appears over the top right corner of the cookie.

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