Cookies and cached data accumulated while visiting websites in Microsoft Edge Chromium have a purpose. Cookies help the browser remember your preferences, while cached data helps speed things up significantly when revisiting websites. But keeping the old cache and cookies can cause problems. So, clearing cookies and cache in Microsoft Chromium Edge will help refresh the data.
For starters, cookies can pose a risk to both privacy and security. In shared device scenarios, someone else may be able to access a secure web portal to which you have previously logged in, using cookies already present in previous visits.
On the other hand, browser cache can be the root cause of various errors and problems when interacting with sites in Microsoft Edge Chromium. Simply put, sites will not function as they should if cached content becomes outdated.
It is always a smart idea to clear your cookies and cache to prevent such problems from occurring or to fix some site related glitches. There are multiple ways to do this in Microsoft Edge Chromium. Let’s check them one by one.
1. Visit Microsoft Edge Settings
You can easily clear cookies and cache by visiting the Settings panel in Microsoft Edge Chromium. It’s not the fastest way to clean up your data, but it’s one worth remembering in case the faster methods below fail.
Stage 1: Open the Edge menu (click the three-dot icon in the upper-right corner of the screen). Next, click on Settings to go to the Edge Settings panel.
Step 2: Click on the side tab labeled Privacy and Services.
Stage 3: Go to the section labeled Clear Browsing Data and then click the Select What to Clear button next to Clear Browsing Data Now.
Step 4: Use the drop-down menu under Time Range and then choose the time period you want to delete your data – last hour, 24 hours, 7 days, 4 weeks or all data.
Step 5: Check the boxes next to Cookies and Other Site Data and Cached Images and Files. You can also choose to clear other forms of data that may pose a privacy risk, such as browsing history and download history.
Warning: Leave the Passwords and Autofill Form Data boxes (later in the list) unchecked before continuing. Otherwise, you will have to add passwords and also create data again.
Step 6: Click the button labeled Clean Now.
This will prompt Microsoft Edge Chromium to delete both cookies and cache for the selected period of time.
2. Use a Keyboard Shortcut
A pretty quick way to get to the Clear Browsing Data box in Step 4 of the above method involves a simple key press. Press Shift+Ctrl+Delete simultaneously and the Clear Browsing Data box should instantly open in a new tab.
Next, you just need to select the checkboxes next to Cookies and Other Site Data and Cached Images and Files (including any other data formats you want to delete), select an appropriate time, then click Clear Now.
3. Clear Cookies on Exit
If you prefer to clear your cookies and cache regularly, there is a way to make the process less tedious. Microsoft Edge Chromium has the ability to automatically delete accumulated cookies and cache it every time you exit, similar to using InPrivate windows. The following steps will help you understand how to set up the scanner to do this.
Stage 1: Open the Edge menu and then click on Settings.
Step 2: Click on the side tab labeled Privacy and Services.
Stage 3: Go to the section labeled Clear Browsing Data and then click Choose What to Clear Every Time You Close the Browser.
Step 4: Turn on the switches next to Cookies and Other Site Data and Cached Images and Files. Also, turn on the switches next to any other data formats that you want Microsoft Edge Chromium to automatically delete.
Microsoft Edge Chromium will then delete your cookies and cache every time you exit the browser. Note that you have to exit all Edge windows for this to happen.
4. Clear Individual Site Data
Microsoft Edge Chromium also allows you to delete cookies and cache for a single site. This will help you deal with security or performance issues for any particular site, while allowing you to avoid the downsides of clearing all browser cache and cookies (like having to log into all sites from scratch afterwards).
Stage 1: Open the Edge menu and then click on Settings.
Step 2: Click on the side tab labeled Site Permissions.
Stage 3: Click Cookies and Site Data under Site Permissions.
Step 4: Click on the option labeled See All Cookies and Site Data.
Step 5: Search for the site you want to clear cookies and cache for using the search bar in the top right corner of the screen.
Step 6: Click the trash can icon next to each search result to clear site-related cookies and cache (some sites may appear more than once).
Microsoft Edge Chromium then caches a new instance of the site (and creates a new set of cookies) the next time you visit the site.
5. Use Extension
Microsoft Edge Chromium has an exciting library of extensions. There are also several extensions in the Microsoft Edge Add-ons store that can help you clear your cookies and cache in just a few clicks. Let’s check how to install such an extension – Clear Browsing Data plugin.
Stage 1: Install Clear Browsing Data from the Microsoft Edge Add-ons store.
Step 2: Right-click the Clear Browsing Data icon next to the address bar and then click Extension Options.
Stage 3: Make sure the Cookies, Cached Images and Files, and Cached Storage Data options are selected. Also, select other data formats you want to delete while using the extension.
Step 4: Then exit the Extension Options screen. Then you can click the Clear Browsing Data icon to clear cookies and cache in Microsoft Edge Chromium at any time.
Other extensions in the Microsoft Edge Add-ons store that offer similar functionality include Click&Clean, CookiesClear, and Super History and Cache Cleaner.
Take out the Trash
Despite their use, cookies and cache in Microsoft Edge Chromium are problematic and you should learn how to delete them. Using the Shift+Ctrl+Delete keyboard shortcut will work for you, but don’t forget to use an extension to make the process easier.
So, what is your preferred way to clear cookies and cache in Microsoft Edge Chromium? Leave a comment below.
Next: Microsoft Edge Chromium’s dark mode is more than a theme. Here’s how to get full-fledged dark mode functionality everywhere.
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