What Are Tracking Cookies?
Tracking cookies are small files that websites store in your browser to identify you across different sites. When you visit a news site, ad companies drop cookies so they can show you targeted ads on other sites you visit later.
Why Tracking Cookies Are a Problem
- Cross-site tracking: Ad companies build a profile of every site you visit
- Data selling: Your browsing profile is sold to advertisers
- No consent: Many cookies are set without meaningful consent
- Persistent: Some cookies last for years if not deleted
How to Delete Cookies in Chrome
- Go to chrome://settings/clearBrowserData
- Select Cookies and other site data
- Choose time range: All time
- Click Clear data
Warning: This will log you out of all websites.
How to Delete Cookies in Edge
- Go to edge://settings/clearBrowserData
- Select Cookies and other site data
- Click Clear now
How to Delete Cookies in Firefox
- Go to about:preferences#privacy
- Click Clear Data under Cookies and Site Data
- Check Cookies and click Clear
Automatic Cookie Cleaning
Manually deleting cookies is tedious. DNDShield includes automatic cookie cleaning:
- Tracking cookies from known ad and analytics domains are cleaned automatically
- Your login cookies on trusted sites are preserved
- No manual action needed
Which Cookies to Block
| Cookie Source | Risk | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Google Analytics | Tracking | Block |
| Facebook Pixel | Tracking | Block |
| DoubleClick | Ad tracking | Block |
| Your bank/email | Essential | Keep |
| Shopping sites | Functional | Keep |
FAQ
Will deleting cookies break websites? Deleting all cookies will log you out everywhere. An features" class="doc-internal-link">ad blocker with smart cookie cleaning only removes tracking cookies, keeping your login sessions intact.
What about "Accept cookies" banners? Those banners are about consent, not cookie management. An ad blocker can auto-dismiss these banners while still blocking tracking cookies.