How To: Block Third-Party Cookies in Windows Web Browsers

Ever wondered why every time you look for something online all ads you later on stumble upon are somehow related? It’s all because your web browser keeps track of various types of data, such as browsing history, that can easily be viewed by different services.

Keeping cookies active not only helps third-party services access your preferences easier but can also have a negative impact on performance. Web browsers give you the possibility to fully customize what to allow and deny while surfing the net.

Since the web is not only full of bad or misleading things, we’re going to show you in a few detailed steps how to block third-party cookies from being saved on your computer, so you can go online safer than before.

Configuring Internet Explorer

Step 1: Run Internet Explorer.

Step 2: Press the Gear icon in the top right side of the window, next to the Home and Favorites buttons.

Step 3: Select Internet Options to bring up the panel.

Step 4: Switch to the Privacy tab and hit Advanced.

Step 5: Check to Override automatic cookie handling, then Block Third-Party Cookies.

Step 6: Click OK both here and in the Internet Options panel to confirm changes.

Configuring Opera

Step 1: Launch Opera.

Step 2: Press the Opera button in the top left corner and select Settings.

Step 3: Go to Privacy & Security.

Step 4: Under the Cookies category, choose to Block third-party cookies and site data.

Step 5: To apply changes, simply close the Settings tab.

Configuring Mozilla Firefox

Step 1: Run Mozilla Firefox.

Step 2: Hit the Hamburger button located on the top right corner, and select Options.

Step 3: Switch to the Privacy tab and look for the History panel.

Step 4: Choose the drop-down menu entry to Use custom settings for history.

Step 5: More options become available. Now make the program Never Accept third-party cookies through a drop-down menu.

Step 6: Click OK to close the screen and apply changes.

Configuring Google Chrome

Step 1: Run Google Chrome.

Step 2: Press the Hamburger button in the top right corner and select Settings.

Step 3: Follow the link to Show advanced settings, and look for the Privacy category.

Step 4: Click the Content settings button.

Step 5: Under the Cookies category, select to Block third-party cookies and site data.

Step 6: For confirmation, hit OK and close the Settings tab.