How to Clear Site Permissions and Settings in Google Chrome

The Permission Problem

Over months of browsing, you grant various websites permission to use your hardware. You allow Zoom to access your microphone, Google Maps to access your location, and a random news site to send you desktop notifications. If you want to revoke these permissions because a website is abusing them, most users mistakenly use the “Clear Browsing Data” tool and delete their cookies. This is a massive mistake, as deleting your cookies logs you out of every single website on the internet (including your email and bank). You do not need to delete your cookies to revoke camera access; you must specifically clear your “Site Settings.”

How to Clear Site Settings Safely

You can isolate and destroy hardware permissions without touching your saved login data.

1. Open the Google Chrome desktop browser.
2. Click the three vertical dots (⋮) in the top right corner and select Settings.
3. In the left-hand sidebar, click on Privacy and security.
4. In the main window, click on Clear browsing data.
5. A pop-up window will appear. Click the Advanced tab at the very top of the window.
6. Change the “Time range” dropdown menu to All time.
7. Uncheck the box for “Cookies and other site data” (this is the most important step to stay logged in).
8. Uncheck every other box on the list (Browsing history, Passwords, etc.).
9. Scroll down and Check only the box specifically labeled Site Settings.
10. Click the blue Clear data button.

The Reset State

Because you unchecked the cookies box, you are still securely logged into all of your web accounts. However, Chrome has instantly forgotten every single hardware permission you ever granted. The next time you open a Zoom meeting in your browser, Chrome will explicitly ask you for permission to use your camera and microphone again, exactly as if it were the very first time you visited the site.