Analytics dictionary › Cookie

What is Cookie

Cookie is a text file placed on a visitor’s computer while browsing a website. Cookies are used to hold user related data and track returning visitors.

Today, most websites use cookies to better track their visitors. Many websites do it without telling, others are asking for users permissions.

Besides just tracking, cookies are also used to give a user a more personalized experience.

Cookies are personal, meaning that every website visitor has their own set of cookies. Cookies are stored in a visitor’s device’s local storage.

How to see which cookies are being stored?

There are multiple ways to access the list of cookies that a specific website is storing in your device’s local storage. Here are two of the most popular ones.

Browser Javascript console

  1. Open console by clicking F12 or Options -> More Tools -> Developer Tools (Chrome)
  2. Type document.cookie and press “Enter”
  3. Explore the key-value pairs listed

Browser extension

There are many browser extensions that allow you to view and edit the list of cookies that are stored in your device’s storage.

Example: EditThisCookie

Cookies stored by Amazon
Cookies stored by Amazon

Last modified: May 8, 2017


Want to see more articels like What is Cookie? Check out all definitions in the Analytics Dictionary.

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