How to enable, view or delete cookies? Learn how to manage cookies in Opera, for a smooth and safe browsing experience.

Last week, I walked you through some of the basics about browser cookies. These small files remember your preferences for specific websites, making your browsing experience smoother. A secure browser should give you an easy way to understand and control cookie usage, in case you want to delete them or set exceptions for some websites.

In this post, I’ll highlight how you can manage cookies in Opera.

How to enable cookies in Opera

By default, Opera allows websites to create cookies (they’re saved in the file “Cookies” located in Opera’s profile folder). If you want to change this, go to the Privacy & security tab in Settings.

You can choose to allow only session (temporary) cookies, which will be removed when you quit the browser, or to block all cookies from any websites. Keep in mind, though, that entirely disabling cookies might “cripple” your web experience – you will have to reset website preferences or refill some forms with every new session. Instead of disabling cookies, you might prefer to set site-specific preferences in Manage exceptions.

Third-party cookies

Also, there’s a separate option to Block third-party cookies. This is a type of cookie that is set by a website other than the one you’re viewing. They’re sometimes used by online advertisers to track your visit to some sites and then show you some ads based on this info. If you would like to prevent this, simply check this box.

How to view cookie details

In the same category of browser settings, you can see the full list of cookies saved by different sites on your computer. Just click on the specific cookie title, and you’ll see, for example, when it’s set to expire.

How to delete cookies

After you’ve opened the list of cookies, you can delete them one by one, if you wish (an “x” icon appears when you hover over a cookie name), or all at once (by clicking Delete all, which appears above the list).

It’s especially important to remember to clear your cookies when you’re using a shared or public computer. You can either browse in private windows to prevent the saving of cookies, or manually clear your browsing data after your session. Within Opera settings, just click Clear browsing data in the Privacy & security category.

Were you already familiar with these settings? How do you manage cookies in Opera?

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