How to Block Cookies in Your Browser: Step-by-Step Guide

This wikiHow article will teach you how to block cookies in Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, and DuckDuckGo web browsers. Cookies are usually helpful—they can make it possible for you to log into websites and use online shopping carts. Other cookies follow you around the web, silently collecting data about your browsing habits.^{[1]
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USA.GOV
Official website for the United States federal government

Go to source} Since disabling all cookies can make it hard to use your favorite websites, we’ll also show you how to keep the helpful cookies and block the ones that track you.

Disabling Cookies in Your Browser

To disable cookies in most browsers, you can toggle off the feature in your settings. In Chrome (desktop), disable cookies in ⋮ > Settings > Privacy and security > Site settings. Most mobile browser apps won't let you block all cookies. Some cookies are beneficial, and blocking all can cause websites to stop working.

Section 1 of 9:

Chrome (Mobile)

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Open Chrome on your Android. If you're using Chrome on an iPhone or iPad, you'll need to leave cookies enabled. There is no way to disable them.^{[2]
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- If you use Chrome on iOS and want to block cookies, you'll need to either browse in Incognito Mode or switch to Safari.
It's the three dots in the upper-right corner.^{[3]
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It's near the bottom of the Chrome menu.
It's under the "Advanced" header.^{[4]
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Tap Third-party cookies. It's the cookie icon near the top of the menu.
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Select "Allow cookies" to Off. This disables all cookies in Chrome on your Android.^{[5]
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- Alternatively, if you just want to disable third-party cookies, including the kind that track you on the internet, go back to the Site settings menu, select Third-party cookies, and select one of these options:
  - Block third-party cookies in Incognito mode: This option leaves cookies on but disables them when you browse an Incognito window. If you choose this option, you'll keep the standard cookie benefits and block tracking cookies when not in Incognito mode.
  - Block third-party cookies: This allows websites to save cookies used to improve your browsing experience (such as those that keep you signed in or manage an online shopping cart) while blocking invasive tracking cookies. This is the best option for blocking cookies without losing convenient website features.

Section 2 of 9:

Chrome (Desktop)

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Click the Chrome menu button ⋮. It's the icon of three vertical dots at the top-right corner of Chrome.^{[6]
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- Chrome now allows you to disable all cookies or just third-party cookies that track you. Disabling all cookies can break websites you visit—especially online shopping sites and web-based email. It is recommended that you only disable third-party tracking cookies.
It's near the bottom of the Chrome menu.^{[7]
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It's in the left sidebar toward the top.^{[8]
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It's in the "Privacy and security" section, about halfway down the page.
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Disable third-party cookies only (recommended). This option turns off the most intrusive cookies without impacting how legitimate websites work in your browser. Here's how:^{[9]
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- Click Third-party cookies under the "Content" heading.
- Select Block third-party cookies.
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Disable all cookies (not recommended). If you don't want any cookies, you can disable them all. From the Site Settings menu, follow these steps:
- Scroll down and click Additional content settings at the bottom of the right panel.
- Click On-site device site data.
- Select Don't allow sites to save data on your device (not recommended).

Section 3 of 9:

Safari (Mobile)

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This is the gear icon on your home screen or App Library.
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Scroll down and tap Apps. This option is at the very bottom of your iPhone or iPad settings menu.
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Tap Safari. Your list of apps is ordered alphabetically, so Safari will be near the bottom of the list, in the "S" section.
It's at the bottom of the menu.^{[10]
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Toggle the "Block All Cookies" switch On
. This is in the "Privacy" section. A confirmation message will warn you that websites may not work properly if you disable all cookies.^{[11]
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- There is no way to control which cookies are blocked—you can either leave cookies enabled or block them all.
Safari will no longer save cookies on your phone or tablet.

Section 4 of 9:

Safari (Desktop)

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It's in the upper-left corner in the menu bar at the top. You'll see this in the menu bar when a Safari window is open and active.
This option is on the Safari menu.^{[12]
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Select Block all cookies. This option disables all cookies, including those used by websites for legitimate purposes (such as for logging in or shopping).
- If this option makes it too difficult to browse the web, remove the checkmark, return to your Safari Advanced settings, select Privacy, and then choose Prevent cross-site tracking. This option only disables the cookies that track you across the web, while leaving useful cookies intact.^{[14]
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Section 5 of 9:

Microsoft Edge (Mobile)

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Tap the menu in Edge. It's the three vertical dots at the top-right corner on an Android, and the three lines at the bottom-right corner on an iPhone or iPad.
- There's no way to specifically block all cookies in Edge for your phone, but Microsoft does give you the option to block most trackers.
It's in the pop-up at the bottom of the screen, and has an icon of a gear.
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Tap Privacy and security. It's near the top of the screen, and has an icon of a lock.
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Tap Tracking prevention. It's the first option under the "Security" tab.
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Toggle on tracking prevention, if it's not already on. This option should be enabled by default, but if it's not on, simply tap the toggle to turn it on.
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Choose a tracking prevention option. At the bottom of the screen, you'll see three options: Basic, Balanced, and Strict. Balanced is the option that Microsoft recommends, and it's the option that is selected by default. You can change the option by tapping on a new one, however.
- Basic: This option allows most trackers across all sites, but known harmful trackers will be blocked.
- Balanced: This option blocks trackers from sites you haven't visited before, and will also block known harmful trackers.
- Strict: This option will block most trackers, including known harmful trackers. Microsoft states that this option may cause some sites to not work properly, so the Strict option likely will block some first-party cookies as well.

Section 6 of 9:

Microsoft Edge (Desktop)

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It's the three horizontal dots at the top-right corner of Edge.
It'll be near the bottom of the menu.
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Click Privacy, search, and services. It's in the left-hand sidebar, and it's got an icon of a lock.
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Click Cookies. It's near the bottom of the menu, and it has an icon of a cookie.
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Choose an option for blocking cookies. Cookies are enabled in Edge by default.^{[15]
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Microsoft Support
Technical support and product information from Microsoft.

Go to source}
- The best option is to enable "Block third-party cookies" instead by clicking its switch. This option blocks the cookies that track you across the web without breaking the helpful cookies saved by the websites you visit.
- To block all cookies, toggle off "Allow sites to save and read cookie data (recommended)." When this switch is off, many features of websites will break, which is why it isn't recommended.

Section 7 of 9:

Firefox (Mobile)

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1
Open Firefox and tap the menu button. You'll either see three dots or three lines at the top or the bottom of your screen, depending on your device and where you've chosen for your Firefox toolbar to be.
- While there's no option to completely disable cookies in Firefox for Android or iOS, you can enable Tracking Protection to block third-party tracking cookies, ads, pop-ups, and other nuisances.
This will either be at the top of your screen or the bottom of your screen, depending on the device you're using.
This is under the "Privacy" header.
If the switch at the top of the screen is turned off (gray), tap it to switch the feature on.
This option blocks most cookies, except those used by websites for features such as logins and shopping.^{[16]
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Section 8 of 9:

Firefox (Desktop)

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This is the three-line menu at the top-right corner of Firefox. If you're using a Mac, you can also click the Firefox menu at the top of the screen and select Settings.
This is in the left panel.^{[17]
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This option lets you disable some or all cookies in Firefox.^{[18]
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You won't need to change anything if this option already has a checkmark.
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Select an option from the Cookies menu. Now you can choose which cookies to block:^{[19]
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- Cross-site tracking cookies: This option blocks cookies that track you across different websites, including those used by social media websites to tailor your advertising. This is the default option and shouldn't break most websites.
- Isolate other cross-site cookies: This option blocks all tracking cookies, but allows some third-party cookies that can help you stay logged in to websites.
- Cookies from unvisited websites: This option only blocks cookies from websites you've never accessed.
- All cross-site cookies (may cause websites to break): This option blocks all cookies from sites other than the ones you visit. You'll still be able to use a website's shopping cart, but you won't be able to use social media accounts to log in. Some websites could break, but no third parties could track what you do.
- All cookies (will cause websites to break): This option blocks all types of cookies, including the ones that let you sign in to websites and shop online. This is the most severe option.

Section 9 of 9:

DuckDuckGo Browser

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DuckDuckGo blocks all third-party cookies automatically. Because the cookies that can track and harm your computer, phone, and tablet are blocked automatically, you don't need to block cookies yourself.^{[20]
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- By default, DuckDuckGo has third-party cookies blocked. You can review this in your DuckDuckGo settings by doing the following:
  - Click the three-line button in the upper-right corner of the screen.
  - Click Settings.
  - Click Web Tracking Protection in the right-hand sidebar.
  - Toggle on Enable Global Privacy Control. This should already be enabled by default, but if it's not, you can turn it on now.
    - You can review what DuckDuckGo blocks on this page, as well.
    - If you want DuckDuckGo to handle cookie notification pop-ups, click on Cookie Pop-Up Protection and check Automatically handle cookie pop-ups. Again, this should already be selected, but if not, you can do so on this page.

Community Q&A

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Can you block cookies in an app?

Community Answer

Yes. Some apps have the option to block cookies, but that will also disable the website you are using.

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What is the downside of disabling cookies?

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Many websites will disable a lot of their services if you disable cookies, and some won't even let you visit them at all.

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How do I disable cookies on Blackberry 9720 mobile phone?

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Launch the Web Browser. Tap More (located in the lower-right). Tap Settings. Tap Privacy and Security. Tap the Accept Cookies On/Off switch to turn or off.

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Warnings

Keep in mind that cookies are how most websites can store information about you. If you completely disable cookies, you may not be able to sign in to important services, like your bank account or email client. Deleting old cookies every now and then is a better idea than disabling cookies altogether.

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Tips

Disabling cookies entirely will prevent you from staying logged in at sites you visit frequently.

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If you don't want cookies saved for your current browsing session, turn on Incognito or Private mode on your browser. No cookies will be saved when this mode is enabled.

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