Cookies are tiny text files that get downloaded onto your website visitor's device (i.e. laptop or smartphone) when they visit your site. These files allow your website to recognize the user's device and store details about their preferences.
Developers and businesses regularly use cookies to enhance the user experience of a website. Using cookies can also help provide you with useful information to help improve your understanding of your visitors.
For example, cookies can:
- Save user login details
- Measure how often a user visits your website and which pages they visit
- Target relevant advertising to your visitors
Managing Cookies
Most web browsers allow some control of cookies through the browser settings. Below are guidelines for managing your cookies in the most popular browsers:
Internet Explorer
Open Internet Explorer, click the Tools button, select Safety then click Delete browsing history, select the Cookies checkbox and then click Delete.
Firefox
Open Firefox, click the Firefox button (top left) then Options, select the Privacy tab then select "remove individual cookies".
Google Chrome
Open Google Chrome, click the Spanner image in the top right corner, select Settings, then click "show advanced settings". In the Privacy section click the Content Settings button, in the Cookies section click the "All cookies and site data" button, then click the Remove all button at the top of the list.
Safari
Open Safari, select the Options icon (top right corner 'spanner image'), then select Preferences, click the Privacy tab, select the Details button and then click Remove all.
To find out more about cookies, including how to see what cookies have been set and how to manage and delete them, visit allaboutcookies.org.