Checking cookies used on your website is an important step to comply with the GDPR and CCPA. This article details how you can manually check for cookies being used on your website, or any website for that matter.
For compliance with the law, you need to know what cookies are being used on the website and what they are used for. It is also important to know what type of cookies they are and classify them accordingly in order to determine which of them need consent to be used. You can read more about cookies in detail here.
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Please note that to check the cookies used on a specific website or webpage, load the website/page on a private window and close any other websites. This is to ensure that there are no cookies set on the browser from any other website. Also, make sure to disable third-party cookie-blocking settings and deactivate the Do-Not-Track feature in your browser. Activating them will not show you all the cookies on the website.
How to check cookies in Chrome?
To check cookies in Chrome:
- Right-click and click on Inspect to open the developer console.
- Go to the Applications tab on the console.
- Expand the Cookies dropdown under the Storage section. Under Cookies, select the website to see the cookie details.
Click on each domain to see the cookies installed by them.
Other than the developer console, you can also view cookies in Chrome from the browser address bar. For that, click on the padlock symbol (or the ‘i’ symbol) on the left of the address bar to view the site information and click on cookies.
It will show the cookies on the website in the Allowed tab. If there are any cookies blocked on the browser, they will be shown on the blocked tab.
Check cookies in Chrome developer console:
Check cookies using Chrome address bar:
Watch how you can check cookies in Chrome:
1. Using Chrome developer console:
2. Using Chrome address bar:
How to check cookies in Firefox?
To check cookies in Firefox:
- Right-click and click on Inspect Element to open the developer console.
- Go to the Storage tab.
- Expand the Cookies menu and select the website to check cookies. On the right side of the console, you will see the cookies that have been set on the website.
The site information option on the top address bar on the browser will also list the source of the tracking cookies and third-party cookies being used on the website although it does not show individual cookies.
To view all the tracking cookies used on the website, make sure to turn off blocking for the website in Firefox.
View cookies using Firefox address bar:
Watch here how to check cookies in Firefox:
1. Using Firefox developer console:
2. Using Firefox address bar:
How to check cookies in Safari?
To check cookies in Safari:
- Right-click on the web page and select Inspect Element.
- From the developer console, go to the Storage tab.
- Click on Cookies to see the cookies the website has installed on the browser.
Watch here how to check cookies in Safari:
Sometimes a website uses third-party services in the inner pages, like a video streaming service. In such a case, there will be cookies on those specific pages. So, it is important to check the inner pages of the website for cookies and not just the homepage. Therefore, it is recommended to check the cookies of the entire website instead of just the homepage.
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How to check cookies on iPhone
Safari is the default web browser on iPhones.
To check cookies stored on iPhone:
- Go to Settings and search for Safari
- Tap on Advanced
- Select Website Data and there you will see all data stored on Safari including cookies
Checking cookies isn’t enough
Identifying the cookies your website uses is only the first step. To meet data privacy requirements like the GDPR, CCPA, and ePrivacy Directive, you must also manage how those cookies are used—especially if they collect personal data.
If your website sets cookies that track visitors, you are legally required to:
- Inform users about those cookies
- Obtain clear consent before setting them
- Give users the ability to opt in or opt out
To move from cookie detection to full compliance, you need more than browser tools or manual checks. You need a reliable consent management solution.
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What CookieYes helps you do
With CookieYes, you can:
- Add a fully customizable cookie banner compliant with GDPR and CCPA
- Automatically block third-party cookies until user consent is obtained
- Scan your website and auto-categorize cookies based on function
- Log and store user consent records for proof of compliance
- Translate your cookie banner into 30+ languages automatically
- Display location-based consent banners tailored to the user’s region
- Offer granular cookie preferences for users to opt in or out by category
- Generate legally sound privacy and cookie policy pages in minutes
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, your website most likely uses cookies. Some are installed by default by your website CMS and some are installed without your knowledge by third-party cookies. You can either check cookies manually or use a free cookie scanner. The online cookie scanner is faster and gives you a free detailed scan report.
Cookies are considered bad if their usage is privacy-intrusive in nature. Websites can use cookies to collect private or sensitive information and share them with third parties.
To view all cookies stored in Chrome:
- Click on the three dots at the top right corner and click Settings.
- Select Privacy and security and click Cookies and other site data.
- Click See all cookies and site data.
In Firefox, you cannot view every cookie stored but which website stores them and how many. To view all cookies, you can use the browser inspect element as discussed in the article.
To view cookies in Safari, use the inspect element as discussed in the article.
To block cookies in Chrome:
- Click on the three dots at the top right corner and click Settings.
- Select Privacy and security and click Cookies and other site data.
- Select any of the option:
- Block all cookies (not recommended as it will break the website)
- Block third party cookies in Incognito
- Block third-party cookies
You can scroll down and enter websites under Customized behaviors to block cookies for specific websites.
To clear or remove cookies in Chrome:
- Click on the three dots at the top right corner and click Settings.
- Select Privacy and security and click Cookies and other site data.
- Click See all cookies and site data and choose Remove all.
- Click Clear all to confirm.
To enable cookies in Chrome:
- Click the three dots at the top-right corner and select Settings.
- Select Privacy and security tab on the left side pane.
- Click Cookies and other site data and enable Allow all cookies or uncheck any option that blocks cookies.
- Tap on three lines at the top right corner.
- Click Settings and select Privacy & Security on the left side pane.
- Select Custom settings to expand it.
- Uncheck the checkbox for Cookies.
- Click on Safari at the top left corner and select Preferences.
- Click on the Privacy tab.
- Uncheck Block all cookies checkbox next to Cookies and website data to allow all cookies.
To view all the cookies stored in Chrome:
- Click on the three dots at the top right corner and click Settings.
- Select Privacy and security and click Cookies and other site data.
- Click See all cookies and site data.
Shreya is the Senior Content Writer at CookieYes, focused on creating engaging, audience-driven blog posts and related content. Off the clock, you’ll find her happily lost in the world of fiction.
