How to Enable and Allow Cookies on Mac

Unblock cookies on Safari, Chrome, and Firefox for Mac

By
Brenna Miles
Brenna Miles
Brenna Miles
Writer
  • The University of Phoenix
Brenna Miles is a technology writer with a B.A. in Business Management and HR Management. She's been writing about technology for 6+ years.
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Updated on October 17, 2021
Reviewed by
Jerrick Leger
Jerrick Leger headshot
Reviewed by Jerrick Leger
    Jerrick Leger is a CompTIA-certified IT Specialist with more than 10 years' experience in technical support and IT fields. He is also a systems administrator for an IT firm in Texas serving small businesses.
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    Browsers

    What to Know:

    • Cookies store your personal preferences in web browsers so that the browser doesn't waste time requesting the information multiple times.
    • Enabling cookies on Mac lets your browser store reusable data, such as email addresses or saved shopping cart items.

    This article explains how to set up cookies in Safari, Chrome, and Firefox.

    How to Enable Cookies in Safari

    Safari is Apple's default browser on all Mac computers and iOS devices. To enable cookies on your Mac, start by opening Safari.

    1. Click Safari in the menu bar and select Preferences to open the Safari General preferences screen.

      Safari browser on a Mac showing Preferences screen

    2. Click the Privacy tab to open the Safari Privacy settings.

      Privacy tab in Safari preferences

    3. Clear the check mark in front of Block all cookies to enable cookies in Safari.

      Safari privacy settings on a Mac

      Want to remove specific websites from the list of websites storing your information? Select Manage Website Data and remove them.

    4. Close Preferences to save your changes.

    How to Enable Cookies in Chrome

    Chrome is a web browser created by Google. To enable cookies in Chrome, start by opening the Chrome browser on your Mac.

    1. Click the three dots at the far right side of your screen.

      A screenshot of Chrome with the More Options menu highlighted

    2. Click Settings in the drop-down menu.

      Settings option in drop-down menu of Chrome browser

    3. Select Privacy and security in the left sidebar.

      Privacy and Security selection in Chrome

    4. Select Cookies and other site data.

      Chrome browser privacy settings on Mac

    5. Click the Allow all cookies button to turn it on. It button contains a blue bullet when it is turned on.

      Cookies settings in Chrome

      You can also choose to keep your data only until you close your browser. To do this, move the slider next to Clear cookies and site data when you close all windows to the On position.

    How to Enable Cookies in Firefox

    Firefox is an open-source web browser offered by Mozilla. Open Firefox on your Mac to start changing your cookie settings.

    1. In Firefox, click the three horizontal lines at the top right corner of the screen.

      Hamburger menu in Firefox browser

    2. Select Settings in the drop-down menu.

    3. Click Privacy & Security in the left sidebar.

      Privacy & Security settings in Firefox

    4. Firefox blocks cookies by default. To enable them, select the Custom section to expand it. Remove the check from in front of Cookies to unblock cookies in Firefox.

      Custom settings for privacy in Firefox
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