Using Netscape, Firefox, or Mozilla, how do I view and control cookies?

On March 1, 2008, AOL ended official development of and support for Netscape software. If you use Netscape, consider switching to Mozilla programs such as Firefox, Thunderbird, or SeaMonkey. You can still download releases of Netscape from 4.x through 9.x from the Netscape Archive, and you may be able to find unofficial support through links on this site. UITS will continue to support Netscape for the present.

How you view your cookies depends upon your operating system as well as your browser. To view your cookies and control your browser's cookie settings using Netscape, Firefox, or Mozilla, follow the appropriate directions below:

Viewing your cookies

You can view your cookie files by following the appropriate steps below. Alternately, in more recent versions of Netscape or Mozilla, you can view cookie files by following the instructions in the "Changing your cookie settings" section below.

Netscape 4.x or later or Mozilla for Windows

Search for the file cookies.txt on your hard drive. For help in finding files, see In Windows, how do I locate a file if I know its name or its contents?

Netscape or Mozilla for Mac OS or Mac OS X

In the Finder, from the File menu, select Find... . Then search for the file MagicCookie. If there is more than one such file, the one you want will be inside the folder named after your Netscape profile. To view the file contents, open the MagicCookie file in BBEdit, Alpha, or another text editor.

Changing your cookie settings

Netscape 8.x

1. From the Tools menu, select Options.
   
   
2. In the left pane, click Privacy.
   
   
3. Click the plus sign next to "Cookies", and choose the action you would like:
   
   
   • To view the cookies stored on your computer, click View Cookies. In the window that appears, you can view the cookies on your computer and remove any or all of them.
   • In the box next to "Keep Cookies", select the time period you wish to keep cookies on your computer.
   • To remove cookies stored on your computer, click the Clear button. In the confirmation window that appears, click OK.
   
   
4. Click OK until you return to the Netscape window.

Firefox 1.5.x

1. From the Tools menu, select Options.
   
   
2. At the top of the window that appears, click Privacy.
   
   
3. From the Cookies tab, choose the action you wish to take:
   
   
   • To view the cookies stored on your computer, click the View Cookies button. In the window that appears, you can view the cookies on your computer, search for cookies, and remove any or all of the listed cookies.
   • To allow sites to set cookies on your computer, select the Allow sites to set Cookies option. To specify which sites are always or never allowed to use cookies, click the Exceptions button. Back in the cookies window, you can select extra options to allow sites to set cookies for the originating site only, and/or only if you have removed cookies set by the site.
   • In the box next to "Keep Cookies", select the time period you wish to keep cookies on your computer.
   • If you wish to specify how the browser should clear the private data it stores, click the Settings button at the bottom of the window. You can specify the items to be cleared as well as the settings used to clear them.
   • To remove all cookies stored on your computer, click Clear Cookies Now.
   
   
4. Click OK until you return to the Firefox window.

Netscape 6.x, 7.x, and Mozilla

1. From the Edit menu, select Preferences... . In Netscape 7.x and Mozilla for Mac OS X, from the Mozilla or Netscape menu, select Preferences... .
   
   
2. In the left pane, under "Privacy & Security", select Cookies.
   
   
3. On the right side of the Preferences window, choose the action you wish from the list below:
   
   
   • Select the appropriate radio button to disable cookies, enable all cookies, or to enable cookies only from the originating web site. This means that your browser will not accept cookies from third-party or advertising companies. In Netscape 7.x, you can also choose to enable cookies based on privacy policies. For more information about this option, click View.
   • In Netscape 7.x, for added security, you may opt to disable cookies in mail and newsgroups, as well as having Netscape ask you before it stores a cookie on your computer. You can also limit the length of time the cookie can be stored on your computer.
   • To remove all cookies stored on your computer, click Manage Stored Cookies (in Netscape 6.x, click View Stored Cookies). In the Cookie Manager window that opens, you can remove cookies, as well as view information about each cookie.
   
   
4. Click OK until you return to the Netscape window.

Netscape 4.x

1. From the Edit menu, select Preferences... .
   
   
2. In the left pane, beneath "Category:", select Advanced.
   
   
3. On the right side of the Preferences window, find the "Cookies" section.
   
   
4. Select the appropriate radio button to disable cookies, to accept all cookies, or to only accept cookies from the originating server. This last option means that your browser will not accept third-party or advertisers' cookies. Additionally, you can select the checkbox beside Warn me before accepting a cookie.
   
   
5. Click OK until you return to the Netscape window.

For Netscape 3.x

Note: You cannot disable cookies in Netscape Navigator version 3.04.

1. To enable or disable warnings before accepting cookies, from the Options menu, select Network Preferences... .
   
   
2. Click the Protocols tab.
   
   
3. In the "Show an Alert Before" section, if you check the Accepting a Cookie box, Netscape will give you the option of declining cookies when you encounter them.
   
   
4. Click OK until you return to the Netscape window.

Also see:

• For Mac OS and Mac OS X, what text editors are available?
• What are cookies?
• In Microsoft Internet Explorer for Windows, how do I view and control cookies?