Block Cookies Now: Simple Steps for Chrome, Safari, Edge, Firefox

In recent years, third-party cookies, which track users’ activity and profile them for advertising purposes, have been increasingly phased out by certain browsers. However, they are not yet automatically deleted everywhere. This article explains how to block them by default on the major web browsers.

How to block cookies on Chrome

Although Google has decided to keep third-party cookies on its Chrome browser until April 2025, it offers a setting to block them by default. Once this feature is enabled, all trackers deployed on websites will be automatically blocked, except for those on your exceptions list. Here’s how to enable automatic blocking on Chrome:

• Open Google Chrome,
• Click on the More icon, represented by three vertical dots in the upper right corner,
• From the dropdown menu, select Settings,
• Click on Privacy and security,
• Select Third-party cookies,
• Check the Block third-party cookies option.

How to block cookies on Safari

Safari, a pioneer in this area, automatically blocks all third-party cookies. In 2017, Apple introduced a feature called Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP), which was further enhanced in 2020, to prevent websites from tracking users’ activities and exploiting their data for advertising purposes. On the world’s second most used browser, it is only possible to block first-party cookies. As the CNIL points out, these cookies “only allow tracking of the user on the website that places them”, and often contribute to its proper functioning. For example, by remembering user preferences or keeping their session open. If you still want to block them, here is how to do it:

• Open Safari,
• Click on Safari in the taskbar,
• Go to Settings,
• Click on Advanced,
• Check the Block all cookies option.
• Confirm the operation by pressing Block all.

Once this action is completed, “all existing website data and cookies” are deleted, according to the brand. Safari closes, and your tabs are automatically reloaded.

How to block cookies on Edge

Like Chrome, Microsoft’s browser does not block third-party cookies by default. However, there is an option in the settings that allows you to prevent advertising tracking. “Blocking cookies may prevent some pages from displaying correctly, or you may get a message from a site telling you that you need to allow cookies to view that site”, Microsoft notes. Here is the step-by-step procedure to activate it:

• Launch the Edge browser,
• Click on the three-dot menu at the top right of the browser,
• Select Settings,
• Click on the Privacy, search, and services tab,
• Choose Cookies,
• Enable the Block third-party cookies option.

How to block cookies on Firefox

Following Safari, Firefox became the second browser to automatically block cookies used for tracking purposes. Since 2019, its Enhanced Tracking Protection technology, initially limited to private browsing, has been automatically enabled for all users. Like Apple’s browser, Firefox also offers the option to block all cookies, including those considered more “useful,” which “contain information such as site preferences or login status”, according to the Mozilla Foundation. To activate this option, simply follow these steps:

• Open Firefox,
• Click on the hamburger menu, symbolized by three horizontal lines located at the top right of the browser,
• Go to Settings,
• Choose Privacy & Security,
• In the Enhanced Tracking Protection section, check the Custom option,
• In the Cookies section, select All cookies from the dropdown menu.

How to block cookies on Brave

One of the ways it stands out in the market is that Brave automatically blocks all elements that could be used for advertising purposes, including third-party cookies. “Brave partitions cookies by default, which enhances privacy by blocking third-party cookies without affecting website compatibility”, we can read on a help page. Since 2022, the browser also offers to automatically block cookie consent banners. This setting is theoretically configured by default, but can also be activated manually by following these steps:

• Open Brave,
• Click on the hamburger menu, accessible at the top right,
• In the dropdown menu, select Settings,
• Go to the Shields tab,
• Click on Content Filtering,
• Check the EasyList Cookie option.

How to block cookies on Arc

By default, third-party cookies are not automatically blocked on Arc. While it is possible to easily clear them using the shortcut Cmd + T or Ctrl + T, then entering Clear Cookies and Refresh in the search bar, the browser designed by The Browser Company also offers the option to block them automatically, by following these steps:

• Open Arc,
• Use the shortcut Cmd + T or Ctrl + T, or click on New Tab,
• Enter arc://settings in the search bar to access the settings.
• Click on Privacy and security,
• Select Third-party cookies,
• Check the Block third-party cookies option.