To clear cookies on Android without losing your passwords, history, and cache, delete the data for only the problematic website, if your browser offers this option. This applies to Chrome, Firefox, Samsung Internet, and Edge.
This article helps when a website on your phone is stuck in the wrong session, displays the wrong account, gets stuck in a login loop, or behaves differently than usual. The steps may vary slightly depending on your version of Android and browser, but the names of the settings are usually similar.
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What Do Cookies Do in an Android Browser?
Cookies are small files stored by websites in your browser. They can store information about your login, selected language, consent settings, shopping cart, or other website preferences.
Deleting cookies can help if a website remembers an outdated state. After deleting cookies, the website treats your browser as if it were a new visit. This often resolves issues with logging in, incorrect sessions, or outdated settings.
Cookies, site data, cache, and passwords-how do they differ?
| Data type | What it contains | What happens after deletion |
|---|---|---|
| Cookies | Login sessions, consents, website settings. | Websites may ask you to log in again and re-grant consent. |
| Site data | Cookies and additional data stored by the website, such as local data. | The impact is broader than with cookies alone. The site may lose more settings. |
| Cache | Copies of images, scripts, and website files stored to speed up loading. | The website may load more slowly on the first visit. This usually does not delete passwords. |
| Saved passwords | Passwords saved in the browser or a password manager. | Once deleted, the browser may stop suggesting passwords. |
| History | A list of visited pages. | Addresses from your history will no longer be visible in this browser. |
How to limit deletion to only what’s necessary
- First, delete the data for the specific problematic website, if your browser offers this option.
- If you need to delete cookies globally, do so only in the browser where the problem occurs.
- Before deleting cookies, make sure you know the passwords for your important accounts or have access to a password manager.
- Do not check the “Saved Passwords,” “Autofill,” or “Browsing History” options if you do not want to delete them.
- Third-party apps, such as CCleaner, can delete cookies with a single click, but your browser settings give you more control over what gets deleted.
How to clear cookies in Chrome on Android
- Open Chrome on your Android phone.
- Tap the three-dot icon.
- Go to Settings.
- Select Privacy and security.
- Tap Clear browsing data.
- Select a time range. For website issues, you usually select the time period when the problem started, or “From the beginning.”
- Check the box next to Cookies and site data.
- Uncheck Browsing history, Cached images and files, Saved passwords, and any other data you don’t want to delete.
- Tap Clear data.
If Chrome shows an option to manage data for a specific site, select only the problematic domain. This prevents you from being logged out of other sites.
How to clear cookies in Firefox on Android
- Open Firefox on Android.
- Tap the menu icon.
- Go to Settings.
- Select Clear Browsing Data or a similar privacy option.
- Check the box next to Cookies and site data.
- Uncheck any data you don’t want to delete, such as history, downloads, cache, or saved logins.
- Confirm the deletion of data.
If you only want to clear data for a single website, check whether your version of Firefox allows you to delete site data from the page information or privacy settings. If this option isn’t available, deleting cookies may affect multiple websites in this browser.
How to Clear Cookies in Samsung Internet
- Open Samsung Internet.
- Tap the menu icon.
- Go to Settings.
- Select the section for browsing data or privacy.
- Tap Clear Browsing Data.
- Check the box next to “Cookies and site data.”
- Uncheck Cache, History, Passwords, and Autofill if you want to keep them.
- Confirm the deletion.
How to clear cookies in Microsoft Edge on Android
- Open Microsoft Edge on Android.
- Tap the menu icon.
- Go to Settings.
- Open the Privacy and Security section or a similar section.
- Select Clear browsing data.
- Check the box next to “Cookies and site data.”
- Uncheck History, Cache, Saved Passwords, and Form Data if you want to keep them.
- Confirm the deletion of data.
What to Expect After Deleting Cookies
- Websites may ask you to log in again. This is expected behavior.
- Cookie consent banners may reappear.
- Your shopping cart, language, or other website settings may revert to their default values.
- If you do not clear your cache, the website’s appearance may remain unchanged.
- If you don’t clear your saved passwords, your browser should still autocomplete them.
When to Clear the Cache as Well
You should only clear the cache if the issue involves the site’s appearance, old images, outdated scripts, or elements that do not refresh after a change. The cache is not the same as cookies, so you do not need to clear it every time you encounter a login problem.
If you clear the cache, your first visit to the site may take a little longer because the browser will download the files again. This is expected behavior.
Related information
For general information on deleting cookies, see the article “How to Delete Cookies?”.