Most people have probably heard the term “cookies” when surfing the Internet. Here, the word “cookies” doesn’t actually mean a partner at your tea, but rather an internet term. In this article, we will provide a detailed explanation of what exactly “cookies” refers to and how to remove cookies from your Mac.
What are cookies?
Cookies are a type of small text file that a website writes to your browser or hard drive. They are used to log information such as browsing sessions, usernames, and more. Cookies can be very useful to help you remember your password or keep track of your website visits. However, it can also be used by someone with ill intent to track your privacy information and steal your personal data, especially malicious third-party cookies. Therefore, you must be very careful about handling cookies on your Mac. It’s not special, but it deserves to be noticed.
Should I delete cookies? Are computer cookies dangerous?
If your Mac is shared by many users and you don’t want them to know your browsing history, you should definitely clear all cookies after using your Mac.
In order to prevent your Mac from being tracked by malicious third-party cookies, you’d better remember to clear all cookies if you have just browsed some websites that may not be safe enough. Cookies are mostly harmless, but if third party malware takes advantage of them, they can be dangerous for your Mac.
How to clear cookies from Safari, Chrome, and Firefox on Mac:
It is not difficult to clear cookies from your Safari, but you also need to clear cookies on other browsers that you use as well. Here are the steps on how to remove cookies from different browsers:
Safari
Launch your Safari web browser.
Go to the menu bar, then click Safari > Preferences.
To manage website data, first, navigate to the Privacy tab and then select the option “Manage Website Data.”
Here, you will see a list of website cache and cookies stored in the Safari browser.
You can simply remove all cookies and cache by clicking Remove all, or just remove selected web browsing history.
FireFox
Launch your Mozilla Firefox web browser.
Go to the menu bar, then click Options.
Select the Privacy and Security panel, then go to the Cookies and Site Data section.
Click the Manage Data… button. Once you click on Manage Website Data, a window titled “Manage Cookies and Site Data” will pop up.
Click Remove All to remove all saved cookies and storage data. Click Remove Selected if you only want to remove specific data.
Chrome
On your Mac, open Chrome.
At the top right, tap More.
To clear your browsing data, click on “More tools” and select “Clear browsing data.”
At the top, choose a date range. To delete everything, select All time.
Next to “Cookies and other site data” and “Cached images and files,” check the boxes.
Click Clear data.
How to prevent cookies from tracking yourself with Antivirus One
Clearing cookies manually takes several steps. If your Mac has multiple web browsers installed, the task may take longer. Is there a simpler or more practical method to accomplish this task? Of course there is. With the help of some professional anti-tracking apps, you might be able to get the job done. Antivirus One is one of the highest rated cyber security apps in the Mac App Store. Where exactly can Trend Antivirus be located? Here’s how:
You can obtain Antivirus One by downloading and installing it from the App Store.
After you run the application for the first time, you will need to read and accept the End User License Agreement.
After opening the app, tap/click on the Privacy tab in the dashboard.
Choose the browser you want to clean, then click OK. I finish!
If you want to protect your Mac and avoid any potential risks, we recommend running a full scan with Antivirus One daily. It can also help you detect viruses and adware regularly and make your Mac fully protected.
