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How do I set FF 5.0 to delete all cookies EXCEPT cookies set by certain websites?

  • 7 replies
  • 8 have this problem
  • 1 view
  • Last reply by vonn

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I hope my question is clear. I cannot think of anything else to add except to paraphrase the question. The Options/Privacy settings seem to allow keeping ALL cookies or deleting ALL cookies. When I close FF I want to delete everything EXCEPT one specific cookie.

I hope my question is clear. I cannot think of anything else to add except to paraphrase the question. The Options/Privacy settings seem to allow keeping ALL cookies or deleting ALL cookies. When I close FF I want to delete everything EXCEPT one specific cookie.

All Replies (7)

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-> go to Tools Menu -> Options -> Privacy -> History section -> Firefox will: select "Use Custom Settings for History" -> REMOVE Checkmark from "Permanent Private Browsing mode" -> place CHECKMARKS on:

1) Remember my Browsing History 2) Remember Download History 3) Remember Search History 4) Accept Cookies from sites -> click Exceptions... button -> click Remove All Sites at the bottom of "Exception - Cookies" window

4a) Accept Third-party Cookies -> under "Keep Until" select "They Expire" -> click Show Cookies button -> select the Cookies you want to Delete and click Remove Cookies -> click Close button

-> REMOVE CHECKMARK from CLEAR HISTORY WHEN FIREFOX CLOSES

-> When using the Location Bar, suggest: select History and Bookmarks

-> Click OK on Options window

Check and tell if its working.

Modified by Hasan

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Let all cookies expire when you close Firefox.

  • Tools > Options > Privacy > Cookies: "Keep until": "I close Firefox"

Make an Allow exception for the ones that you want to keep.

  • Tools > Options > Privacy > Cookies: "Exceptions"

You can inspect and modify the permissions for the domain in the current tab in "Tools > Page Info > Permissions"

Make sure that you do not use Delete browsing, search and download history on Firefox to clear the "Cookies" and the "Site Preferences" (Site Preferences includes the cookie exceptions)

Clearing cookies will remove all specified (selected) cookies including cookies that have an allow exception.

See also:

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Thanks for your replies cor-el and mha007.

I guess I didn't make my question clear.

I'll paraphrase it again.

When I close FF 5.0 I want it to automatically clear:

1. Browsing & Download History,

2. Form & Search History,

3. Cache,

4. Active Logins,

5. Site Preferences and

6. ALL cookies EXCEPT one.

Modified by vonn

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-> go to Tools Menu -> Options -> Privacy -> History section -> Firefox will: select "Use Custom Settings for History"

-> place Checkmark on Clear History when Firefox Closes -> click Settings... -> place Checkmarks on:

(1) Browsing History, (2) Download History, (3) Form and Search History, (4) Active Logins, (5) Cache, (6) Offline Website Data, (8) Cookies @

-> Click OK on Options window

@ If you select Cookies too ALL Cookies will be Deleted. You can't save that ONE Cookie from this method. If you want to SAVE that ONE Cookie then DON'T SELECT COOKIES in this method. Instead Manually Delete ALL Cookies before closing Firefox,

-> click Show Cookies button -> select ALL Cookies one by one & click Remove Cookie until the Cookie you want to Save is the only Surviving Cookie

Modified by Hasan

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You can't use "Clear Recent History" to clear cookies if you want to keep some.
Using CRH clears all cookies including the ones with an exception.
If you select Site Preferences then all exceptions including the cookies exceptions will be cleared as well.

So the only way to keep specific cookies is to do like I wrote above and let all cookies expire if you close Firefox and make an exception for the ones that you want to keep and also not to remove the Site Preferences.

Clearing "Site Preferences" clears all exceptions for cookies, images, pop-up windows, software installation, and passwords.

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Yeah you are right

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OK. I get it. The cookie I want to save is the one that identifies my computer for online banking (so I don't need to go through that annoying time consuming extra security step). I use CCleaner to clean the internet droppings from my computer. I was pleased with CCleander up until this morning when I read your last posts. It was then that I realized that my trouble lies with CCleaner not with FF. CCleaner allows the user to select and keep individual cookies. It can "see" IE's cookies but for FF the only choice is to keep all or delete all. Thanks again for your help.