How to Clear Cookies and Cache in Google Chrome

A website refuses to load properly. You are stuck in a login loop, pages show old content, or a site you use every day suddenly looks broken — images missing, buttons doing nothing. Before you restart your computer or call anyone for help, there is a two-minute fix that solves an astonishing share of everyday browser problems: clearing Chrome’s cookies and cache.

Cookies and cache are helpful technologies that quietly age badly. The cache stores copies of images and files so pages load faster next time, and cookies remember who you are so you stay signed in. Over weeks and months, though, those stored files can go stale, clash with an updated website, or simply pile up into gigabytes of clutter. Clearing them forces Chrome to fetch everything fresh, and it is completely safe when you know exactly which boxes to tick.

This guide shows you how to clear cookies and cache in Google Chrome on Windows, Mac, Android, and iPhone, how to clear data for one single website instead of everything, and what actually happens afterwards — including the one consequence people never expect. Follow the steps for your device and you will be done in minutes.

Quick Answer

On desktop Chrome, press Ctrl + Shift + Delete (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + Delete (Mac), set the Time range to All time, tick Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files, then click Delete data. On mobile, go to Chrome Settings > Privacy and security > Delete browsing data and do the same. You will be signed out of most websites afterwards.

Cookies and Cache: What They Are and Why Clearing Helps

The cache is Chrome’s storage cupboard for website files. When you visit a site, Chrome saves its logo, images, stylesheets, and scripts on your device. On your next visit, it loads those pieces locally instead of downloading them again, which makes pages appear much faster and saves data. The system works brilliantly — until the website updates and your cupboard still holds the old versions. Then the page is assembled from a mix of new and outdated parts, and things break in strange ways.

Cookies are small text files that websites place in your browser. First-party cookies keep you signed in, remember your shopping basket, and store your preferences like language and dark mode. Third-party cookies are used mainly for advertising and tracking across sites. Cookies can also become the problem: a corrupted or expired session cookie is the classic cause of the dreaded login loop, where you enter your password correctly and get bounced straight back to the login page.

Clearing both gives every website a completely clean slate with your browser. As Google’s official guide to clearing cache and cookies notes, the trade-off is that sites will load a little slower on your first visit afterwards, because Chrome has to download everything again and rebuild the cache from scratch. That is a small, temporary price for fixing a site that is not working at all.

How to Clear Cookies and Cache on Windows and Mac

The steps are identical on Windows and Mac apart from the keyboard shortcut. Use this full method when a site is misbehaving or when you have not cleared anything in a long time.

Using the Settings Menu

1. Open Google Chrome and click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner of the window.
2. Go to Settings.
3. Click Privacy and security in the left-hand menu.
4. Click Delete browsing data. A dialog box opens with Basic and Advanced tabs.
5. Set the Time range dropdown at the top to All time. This matters — the default Last hour will not touch older problem files.
6. Tick Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files. Leave Passwords and Autofill form data unticked unless you specifically want to delete those too.
7. Click Delete data and wait a few seconds for the dialog to close.
8. Restart Chrome, revisit the problem website, and sign in again with your password.

One decision deserves a moment of thought: the time range. Choose Last 24 hours if a site broke today and worked yesterday. Choose All time for stubborn problems, shared computers, or a proper spring clean, because a cookie causing trouble could have been stored months ago. This selective approach is one of several small habits covered in NetworkUstad’s Chrome tips and browser how-to guides that keep a browser feeling fast without any extra software.

How to Clear Cookies and Cache on Android and iPhone

1. Open the Chrome app and tap the three-dot menu — top-right on Android, bottom-right on iPhone.
2. Tap Settings, then scroll to and tap Privacy and security.
3. Tap Delete browsing data.
4. Set the time range to All time at the top of the screen.
5. Make sure Cookies and site data and Cached images and files are ticked.
6. Tap Delete data at the bottom and confirm when asked.

How to Clear Cookies and Cache for One Website Only

1. Open the problem website in Chrome.
2. Click the tune or padlock icon at the left end of the address bar.
3. Click Cookies and site data, then click Manage on-device site data if shown, or go via Site settings for the full controls.
4. Alternatively, open a new tab and go to chrome://settings/content/all, search for the site’s name in the list, and click the trash icon beside it to delete all of its stored data.
5. Close the tab, reopen the site, and sign in fresh.

Deleting one site’s data removes its cookies, cache, and local storage together, so you will be signed out of that site and its preferences will reset — but every other site stays exactly as it was. If the single-site clear fixes the problem, you have saved yourself a dozen password re-entries.

What Happens After You Clear Cookies and Cache

Knowing what to expect stops people panicking midway. After a full clear, you will be signed out of most websites, though notably you usually stay signed in to your Google account in Chrome itself. Your saved passwords are not deleted unless you ticked that separate box — they remain in Chrome’s password manager, ready to autofill as you sign back in. Browsing history is also a separate checkbox, so a standard cookies-and-cache clear leaves your history untouched.

Websites will load slightly slower the first time you visit each one, and settings stored by sites — such as a shopping site’s currency choice or a news site’s region — will return to their defaults. Your bookmarks, installed extensions, and downloaded files are completely unaffected. Within a day of normal browsing, Chrome quietly rebuilds a fresh, healthy cache, and performance returns to normal, usually better than before.

Set Chrome to Clear Cookies Automatically

1. Go to Chrome Settings > Privacy and security.
2. Click Third-party cookies, or Site settings > Additional permissions depending on your Chrome version.
3. Find the option labelled Delete data sites have saved to your device when you close all windows, under Site data permissions, and turn it on.
4. Add exceptions for sites you trust and use daily, so you are not signing in to your email every single morning.

Common Mistakes and Tips

The most common mistake is clearing with the wrong time range. People tick the right boxes, click Delete data, and declare the fix useless — without noticing the range still said Last hour, so the three-month-old cookie causing the problem survived untouched. Always check the dropdown first.

A second mistake is ticking every box in the dialog, including Passwords and Autofill, in a hurry. That turns a two-minute fix into an afternoon of password resets. Read the list, tick only Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files, and leave the rest alone unless you have a specific reason.

Here is a professional tip before you clear anything: try an Incognito window first. Incognito starts with no cookies and an empty cache, so if the site works perfectly there, you have confirmed in ten seconds that stored data is the culprit — and clearing it will work. If the site is still broken in Incognito, the problem lies elsewhere, and you have saved yourself a needless round of signing back in everywhere.

Conclusion

Clearing cookies and cache in Chrome takes under two minutes once you know the route: Settings > Privacy and security > Delete browsing data, All time selected, the two right boxes ticked. Use the single-site method when only one website misbehaves, test in Incognito before a full clear, and expect to sign back in to sites afterwards. It is the simplest, safest troubleshooting step in all of browsing — and now you can do it on any device, the right way, first time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will clearing cookies delete my saved passwords?

No, not unless you deliberately tick the Passwords box in the Delete browsing data dialog. Saved passwords live in Chrome’s password manager, separate from cookies. You will be signed out of websites, but Chrome will offer your saved passwords to sign straight back in.

What is the difference between cache and cookies?

The cache stores website files like images and scripts so pages load faster on repeat visits. Cookies store small pieces of information about you, such as sign-in sessions and preferences. Clearing the cache fixes display and loading problems; clearing cookies fixes sign-in and personalisation problems.

Why is a website still broken after I cleared everything?

Check that you selected All time as the range, and restart Chrome completely. If the site is still broken, test it in an Incognito window and in another browser. If it fails everywhere, the problem is with the website itself, your network, or an extension — not your stored data.

Can I clear cookies for just one site in Chrome?

Yes. Go to chrome://settings/content/all, search for the site, and click the trash icon beside it, or use the icon at the left of the address bar while on the site. Only that site’s cookies and stored data are removed, and your other sign-ins stay intact.