How to Automatically Clear Cookies When Closing Google Chrome

Website cookies are small files saved on your computer that store your login information, site preferences, and shopping cart contents. While cookies make browsing the web far more convenient, they are also heavily used by advertising networks to track your activity and build a profile of your online behaviour.

If you share a computer with others or if you are highly concerned about your digital privacy, manually clearing your cookies after every browsing session is tedious and easily forgotten. Fortunately, you can configure Google Chrome to act like a permanent incognito window, automatically deleting all cookies and site data the moment you close the browser.

The Impact of Automatically Deleting Cookies

Before enabling this feature, it is crucial to understand how it will affect your daily browsing experience. Because cookies are responsible for keeping you logged into websites, deleting them means you will be forcibly signed out of every single account (including Gmail, Facebook, and Amazon) the moment you close Chrome.

You will need to re-enter your username and password, and potentially complete two-factor authentication, every time you reopen the browser and visit those sites. If you rely on Chrome to keep you logged in for convenience, this setting will cause significant frustration.

How to Enable Automatic Deletion in Settings

If you understand the impact and wish to proceed for maximum privacy, you can enable the setting deep within Chrome’s privacy controls.

1. Open Google Chrome.
2. Click the three vertical dots in the top-right corner of the window.
3. Select Settings from the dropdown menu.
4. In the left-hand sidebar, click on Privacy and security.
5. In the main window, click on Site settings.
6. Scroll down to the “Content” section and click on Additional content settings to expand the menu, then select On-device site data.
7. Look for the option labelled Delete data sites have saved to your device when you close all windows.
8. Click the toggle switch next to this option to turn it On.

With this setting enabled, Chrome will retain cookies while the browser is open, allowing you to log into websites and use them normally. However, the exact second you close the final Chrome window, the browser will permanently erase all stored cookies, ensuring the next person to use the computer cannot access your active sessions.

How to Add Exceptions for Important Websites

The beauty of Chrome’s cookie management is that you do not have to endure an all-or-nothing approach. If you want Chrome to delete all tracking cookies when closed, but you want to stay permanently logged into one or two essential sites (like your primary email account), you can add specific exceptions.

1. Return to the On-device site data menu using the steps above.
2. Scroll to the very bottom of the page to the Customised behaviours section.
3. Locate the section titled Allowed to save data on your device and click the Add button next to it.
4. Type the web address of the site you want to remain logged into (for example, [*.]google.com or www.amazon.com).
5. Click Add.

Chrome will now aggressively clear all tracking cookies and site data upon exit, while safely preserving the login cookies for the specific websites you added to the exception list.