Table of Contents
- Learn more about how to enable cookies on Google Chrome on all your devices
- Managing Cookies and Other Privacy Settings
Google Chrome remains the most popular browser with a worldwide market share of over 63 percent.
If you use Chrome as your browser of choice, you might be wondering how to adjust your privacy settings to enable cookies.
Why bother enabling cookies in Chrome? Using cookies to store information for future use can speed up your web browsing experience.
Learn more about how to enable cookies on Google Chrome on all your devices
Select Customize and Control
The first step to enabling cookies in Chrome is to select the customize and control settings in the upper right corner of your browser window. The icon looks like three vertical dots.
A menu should pop up with several different options for you to choose from. Select “Settings” from the list of choices.
Finding Cookies Options on the Settings Page
Once you’re on the settings page, you have two options. You can either type “cookies” into the blue search bar near the top of the page or scroll down to the “Site Settings” option.
Typing “cookies” into the search bar (it says search settings) brings up the relevant options for you. Anything to do with your cookies settings should pop up for you to adjust.
Using the search method, you might notice Google highlights the term cookies to make it easier for you to find what you need.
Go down to where it says “Privacy and Security” and choose “Site Settings” before continuing.
Choose Cookies and Site Data
Selecting “Cookies and Site Data” takes you to a page with more options.
The first option should mention allowing sites to save and read cookies. This is a recommended setting, which means Google recommends that you keep this option ticked.
Choose your preferred settings here by clicking the slider. A blue icon means it’s enabled and a greyed out icon means it’s off or disabled.
If you want to enable cookies, make sure to turn on the first option.
Other Privacy Options
From the “Cookies and Site Data” page, you can also select “see all cookies and site data” to review which information is being stored. If you want to clean up the number of cookies you store, you can remove all or remove any related to websites you don’t need.
Another privacy option on this page is to look at any websites that you’ve blocked or allowed access to on your browser. You can also add certain websites to the “clear on exit” option, which will clean out your cookies when you close out but only from that website.
Are There Differences Between Chrome on Mac vs Chrome on PC?
If you use both a PC and a Mac computer, you’ve likely noticed the differences between the two. But is there a difference between how browsers like Chrome look and function on each device?
Thankfully, whether you need to enable cookies on a Mac or on a PC, the process of adjusting the settings remains the same. Follow the steps above to enable cookies in Chrome on Mac or PC.
Changing Chrome Settings on Mobile Devices
Now that you know how to change your settings on your browser, what about enabling cookies in Chrome on iPad, iPhone, or Android mobile devices?
By default, Apple devices like the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch have cookies enabled. You cannot turn cookies off in the Chrome app on iOS devices but you can clear cookies.
Clearing Cookies on iPhone and iPad
Once in the Chrome app, select the three dots in the bottom right corner. Choose “Settings” and then go to “Privacy”.
From here you can select “Clear Browsing Data” to view your browsing history, stored cookies and site data, saved passwords, and more. If you want to clear this stored data, select “Clear Browsing Data” at the bottom of the screen.
Once you’re finished, tap “done” or go back to your other privacy options.
Clearing or Enabling Cookies on Android Devices
Open your Chrome app on your Android phone or tablet. Tap on the three dots on the top right of your screen and go to “Settings”. From there, choose “Site Settings”.
Go to the “Cookies” option and tap on it. From here you can either turn cookies on or off for your Chrome app.
To clear your cookies, choose “Settings”, go to “Privacy”, and then choose “Clear Browsing Data”. From here you can either specify a time range or go to clear your data.
Benefits of Using Cookies in Chrome
Cookies are bits of information and files created by the sites you visit. Some examples include sign-in information, preferences, and data that helps to create targeted ads.
What are the benefits of enabling cookies on your browser?
- Cookies remain for days, months, or longer depending on your settings and website preferences
- Storing cookies makes it easier and faster to log in, checkout, and more
- Cookies help reduce server memory strain
- Using cookies makes it faster to fill out online forms that include your name and contact information
Relying on cookies can help make your web browsing experience faster and more convenient. If you don’t like storing sensitive information, you can always clear your cookies.
When to Clear Cookies
Sometimes you may get errors or experience glitches on your computer or mobile device. Clearing your cache and cookies is one way you might be able to fix these problems.
You can also delete cookies on sites where you don’t want to store your preferences anymore or on websites you no longer use. If you use a public computer, you should delete cookies to protect your privacy.
Keep in mind that some websites won’t function well without cookies enabled.
Managing Cookies and Other Privacy Settings
If you follow the steps outlined above, you can enable cookies in Chrome on any device.
Using cookies makes browsing the internet and visiting your favorite sites faster and more convenient. Plus, it can help lessen the load on server memory.
If you want to learn more about the pros and cons of using cookies or how to alter other privacy settings, check out the rest of our site. We have more guides and advice to help you optimize your computer’s performance.
