How to Clear Cookies on a Mac and Why It’s Necessary

Websites frequently store HTTP cookies in your browser to help them recognise you and customise your browsing experience with tailored content when you use the internet. Clearing this data can help your internet browser run faster or prevent others from accessing your private information if you’re using a public or shared computer. Learning how to use this feature can help you improve your browsing experience and gain more control over your data. In this article, we define cookies, explain why clearing them on your device is important, show you how to clear cookies on a Mac, and go over some helpful hints.

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What exactly are cookies?

Cookies are small pieces of data that web servers use to track your internet activity. Their purpose, among other things, is to streamline and improve any internet experience you may have by saving your login credentials or storing your preferences for the site.
There are three kinds of cookies, and each one stores information about your internet usage on your web browser. Cookies are classified as follows:

Third-party cookies: These cookies actively monitor your website usage. When you use a browser to visit a website, these cookies collect this information and share or sell it to others, including third-party advertising websites.
Session cookies: A session cookie is a text file that is saved in your browser’s temporary folder. This cookie does not collect any personal information and expires when you close your browser.
Cookie storage: This type of cookie tracks and stores your login credentials as well as other preferences for the browser accounts you use. After a certain period of time, the browser typically deletes these cookies and the information they contain.

Why is it necessary to clear cookies?

Clearing cookies on your Mac is important for a variety of reasons, including privacy and convenience. Because cookies save and store data entered into a web browser, clearing them on a regular basis can help keep your internet experience as simple, accessible, and relevant as possible. It is especially important to clear cookies from your computer because it:

Clearing your cookies protects your privacy from other device users: If you share your Mac with others, clearing your cookies ensures they don’t see your browsing history, don’t have access to your accounts on websites, and can’t find any of your saved login credentials.

Speeds up your browser: Having a lot of information stored in your browser can slow down its processing and buffering times. As a result, clearing your cookies on a regular basis is critical to ensuring that your browser runs quickly and efficiently.
Keeps ads relevant: Third-party cookies are used to assist websites in determining which ads to show you. When you clear your cookies, websites must reset which advertisements they show to you, which can help ensure they are relevant and appropriate to your current interests.

How to Delete Cookies in Safari on a Mac

Clearing cookies on your Mac’s Safari web browser, which is Apple’s web browser, can be a simple process. If you use a different browser, the steps may differ slightly, but they generally follow a similar pattern. You can clear cookies on your Mac by performing the following steps:

Open Safari
You can access the cookies deletion page on your Mac by first launching the Safari application. On your computer, you can do so by clicking on the Safari icon, which looks like a blue, white, and red compass and can be found on your desktop, applications list, or file explorer. The screen then displays your customised homepage.

Navigate to the Preferences menu.
After launching the Safari app, navigate to the top left corner of your computer screen, where the words “Safari” will appear. You can open a new menu by clicking on the word. Navigate to the “Preferences” menu and select it.
Prevent and block the generation of future cookies
You can access the “Privacy” icon, which looks like a blue circle with a white hand, from the “Preferences” menu. When you click on this icon, a menu will appear. There will be two options for deleting and preventing cookie use, including “Prevent cross-site tracking” and “Block all cookies.”You may select whichever option works best for what you want by clicking on the empty white box next to it

Delete any cookies that have been saved.
You can then choose to delete all Safari cookies. Navigate to “Manage Website Data” in the “Privacy” menu and click on it. A new menu will appear, and you can remove all cookies by selecting “Remove all,” or you can remove specific cookies by reviewing all sites that generate them and manually selecting which ones to remove cookies from.
Disallow all future cookies
Finally, Safari allows you to disable future cookie generation. To block all cookies, navigate to the “Block all cookies” box and select that option. A pop-up window will appear, and you can confirm your selection by selecting “Block all.”From there, the cookie generation process won’t occur unless you manually decide to allow it to in the future.

Tips for clearing cookies

Consider these tips for clearing cookies on your Mac:

Clear cookies occasionally: In general, clearing your browser’s cookies can help ensure that your device and browser are running efficiently, that your privacy is protected, and that your online account credential data is up to date.

Clear cookies after changing login credentials: It’s a good idea to clear your browser’s cookies after changing or updating your password or account username. When you visit sites that require usernames and passwords, this can help you log in faster.

Be mindful of the different types: If you want to speed up your browser without losing any of your login credentials, understanding the different types of cookies can help you delete the ones you don’t want while keeping the ones you do to better optimise your browsing experience.