How To Disable Cookies on Firefox: Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS

Disabling cookies is a default setting for Firefox, but you can take your online privacy a step further by also blocking third-party cookies and trackers.
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If you’re looking for an anonymous browsing experience, you'll want to consider removing cookies from your browser. Keep reading to learn how to disable cookies on Mozilla Firefox, as well as how to block cookies with the best ad blockers.

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In this article
Manage Firefox cookies on your computer
Manage Firefox cookies on your phone
Block cookies and trackers
FAQs
Bottom line

How to delete Firefox cookies on your computer

Disabling cookies in Firefox on your computer is the same process regardless if you’re using a Windows PC or Mac. By preventing websites from storing cookies on your browser, you can enhance your online privacy experience. But keep in mind that web cookies can actually enhance your browsing experience.

Mozilla Firefox is a popular privacy browser, in part because Firefox's default settings don't allow cross-site tracking cookies, social media trackers, cryptominers, and fingerprinting. Even though this disables most cookies, it doesn't block all types of tracking.

The fastest way to clear cookies on any browser is to use the shortcut to your History: Ctrl + H. From there, you can select clear browsing data or delete browsing data (depending on your browser). You'll be prompted to select what you want to delete, including your browsing history, cookies and other site data, and cached images and files.

Here are step-by-step instructions on how to disable all cookies and cross-site trackers:

1. Open the Firefox browser and open the menu in the upper right corner. (The menu button might look like three horizontal lines.)

2. Select Preferences.

3. Select the Privacy & Security tab.

4. Under Enhanced Tracking Protection, choose the Custom option.

A screenshot of the Firefox Privacy & Security settings and the Enhanced Tracking Protection section with the Custom setting selected.

5. Check the box next to Cookies and use the drop-down menu to select the types of cookies you want to block.

6. Choose All third-party cookies to block them.

A screenshot of the Firefox Privacy & Security settings and the Enhanced Tracking Protection section. The Custom setting is selected, and the option to block all third-party cookies is chosen.

Now, all third-party cookies are disabled on your Firefox browser. However, you may notice websites start to break or not display content correctly.

Although this is normal, it may affect your browsing experience. You may want to temporarily enable third-party cookies again to view a specific website or keep the Firefox default settings to ensure a smooth browser experience.

If you're looking to delete cookies from your computer and keep other data, the process looks like this:

1. Open the Firefox browser and open the menu in the upper right corner. (The menu button might look like three horizontal lines.)

2. Select Preferences and open the Privacy & Security tab.

3. Under the History section, click the Clear History… button.

A screenshot of the Firefox Privacy & Security settings with the Clear History button showing.

4. In the Time drop-down menu, choose Everything.

5. Check the box next to cookies and leave all other options unchecked.

6. Hit OK to clear all cookies stored on your browser.

A screenshot of the Firefox Privacy & Security settings showing Cookies selected for deletion.

How to enable cookies on Firefox

Although cookies can be invasive, they’re also sometimes necessary for websites to load properly. If you find disabling cookies leads to poor website performance, you may wish to enable third-party cookies. 

To enable cookies on specific websites, take the following steps:

1. Visit the website with your Firefox web browser.

2. Click on the shield icon located to the left of the address bar.

3. A drop-down window showing Enhanced Cookie Protection is on will appear. Toggle the switch on the right to turn it off.

A screenshot of the drop-down menu that appears when you click the shield icon next to the URL in Firefox. Enhanced Tracking Protection is toggled off for this particular website to allow all cookies.

4. The page will reload and allow third-party cookies and trackers for the website.

If you want to enable Enhanced Cookie Protection again, follow the same steps but toggle the switch to turn it back on.

How to disable cookies in Firefox on your cell phone

Disabling cookies on your cell phone is similar to the desktop version of Mozilla Firefox. Enhanced Cookie Protection is the default privacy setting and stops cross-site tracking cookies, social media trackers, cryptominers, and fingerprinting.

If you want more strict settings on Android, here are the steps you need to follow:

  1. Open the Firefox browser on your phone and open the menu in the upper right corner. (It looks like three dots.)
  2. Select Settings.
  3. Scroll down to Privacy and Security, and then tap Block cookies.
  4. Select which cookies you want to block.
  5. Exit to automatically save your new settings.

If you’re using an iPhone, follow these steps to change cookie permissions in your Firefox browser:

  1. Open the Firefox browser on your iPhone and navigate to the website where you want to block tracking cookies.
  2. Tap the shield icon next to the URL bar in the browser window.
  3. A drop-down window should appear, so toggle Enhanced Tracking Protection on.
  4. You can also choose which tracking cookies to block: Advertising, Analytics, Social, and Content. Toggle each one on or off based on your preferences.
  5. Tap Done to save your settings.

You may find some websites don't load properly when you block all third-party cookies. If this happens, you may want to turn on third-party cookies for a website to load properly.

How to block cookies on Firefox

If you're still concerned about cookies, there are additional ways you can block cookies to enhance your privacy. We recommend using an ad blocker or a virtual private network (VPN) that bundles with an ad and tracker blocker. The best ad blockers can block ads and online trackers, which helps you stay anonymous online. 

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FAQs

Does Firefox stop cookies?

Firefox launched Enhanced Cookie Protection to help stop unwanted tracking cookies. The tool makes it easy for you to remove all cookies from your browser — even the sneaky third-party cookies. For example, your favorite website may have a Facebook Like button, which counts as a third-party cookie tracking your data. Enhanced Cookie Protection ensures your favorite website and Facebook can't collect your information. You'll need to enable Strict Tracking Protection in your Firefox browser to access this feature.

Is Firefox cookie protection good?

Firefox is on the frontier of online data privacy, and its cookie protection is good. Total Cookie Protection is Firefox's default setting, meaning websites can't share cookies or build a profile about you. If you're looking for a browser that prioritizes your data privacy while providing a fast browsing experience, Firefox is one of our top recommended privacy browsers

Does Firefox automatically delete cookies?

Firefox's default settings will save cookies, cache, and browsing history. However, you can change the settings to delete cookies automatically when you exit the browser. Another option is to delete cookies from specific websites manually. To automatically delete cookies, configure your preferences by navigating to Privacy & Security > History > Use custom settings for history and selecting Clear history when Firefox closes.

Does clearing cookies delete passwords?

Clearing cookies may delete any passwords saved to your Firefox browser. It depends if you’ve enabled your browser to save your password. Firefox has a password manager which will save your login credentials even if you delete cookies. If you don't use a password manager, you may lose saved passwords when clearing cookies.

Bottom line

Firefox has many options to control how cookies are used while using the browser. Even though default settings are turned on for Total Cookie Protection, you may want to utilize the Enhanced Cookie Protection feature to remove all cookies and trackers.

Alternatively, you can manually select cookie enablement for specific websites, which may provide a better browsing experience while maintaining your data privacy to a comfortable level.

Overall, Firefox offers a more privacy-focused browsing experience than other browsers. We've compiled a list of the best ad blockers for Firefox to help you make a decision.

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Author Details
Sara J. Nguyen is a freelance writer specializing in cybersecurity. She aims to help people protect their data while enjoying technology. She has written about online privacy and tech for over 5 years for several organizations. When she's not writing about the latest cybersecurity trends, you can find her on LinkedIn.