116 Macworld • March 2021HELP DESK
and sending any cookies at all. In
macOS, that’s Safari > Preferences
> Privacy and the Block All Cookies
checkbox; in iOS and iPadOS,
it’s a switch at Settings > Safari.
However, with all cookies disabled,
it’s unlikely most sites will allow a
proper log in at all.Private Browsing. All modern
browsers let you enable a private,
incognito, or similar mode in which the
tab you’re using picks up no stored
information for your browser, only
stores cookies and other data while
it’s open, and then deletes it all when
the tab is closed. It’s an effective way
to avoid many kinds of tracking. When
used for site logins, it also prevents
remembering your login at all, so
each subsequent visit after closing
a tab requires a fresh login. You can
tell if you’re using Private Browsing
in Safari on any platform, becausethe Location bar’s background is a
dark grey. Safari for macOS provides
no additional clues, but in iOS and
iPadOS, tap the tabs in a browser
window, and in the tabs view the word
Private appears in black type on a
white lozenge to indicate that’s the
mode you’re using.Clear History. If you use Clear History
in Safari, it will wipe out all your
browsing history, cookies, and either
site-related data for a period of time
you select (macOS) or entirely. That
option in Safari for macOS is Safari
> Clear History; in iOS and iPadOS,
it’s found at Settings > Safari labelled
Clear History and Website Data.Third-party browsing history cleaner.
A number of apps are designed to
erase tracking and traces of your
activity. If you have any ‘cleaner’ app
installed, check its configuration. It
might be
wiping out
cookies on
a regular
basis.Clearing history removes cookies needed to preserve a login.116 Macworld • March 2021HELP DESK
and sending any cookies at all. In
macOS, that’s Safari > Preferences
> Privacy and the Block All Cookies
checkbox; in iOS and iPadOS,
it’s a switch at Settings > Safari.
However, with all cookies disabled,
it’s unlikely most sites will allow a
proper log in at all.Private Browsing. All modern
browsers let you enable a private,
incognito, or similar mode in which the
tab you’re using picks up no stored
information for your browser, only
stores cookies and other data while
it’s open, and then deletes it all when
the tab is closed. It’s an effective way
to avoid many kinds of tracking. When
used for site logins, it also prevents
remembering your login at all, so
each subsequent visit after closing
a tab requires a fresh login. You can
tell if you’re using Private Browsing
in Safari on any platform, becausethe Location bar’s background is a
dark grey. Safari for macOS provides
no additional clues, but in iOS and
iPadOS, tap the tabs in a browser
window, and in the tabs view the word
Private appears in black type on a
white lozenge to indicate that’s the
mode you’re using.Clear History. If you use Clear History
in Safari, it will wipe out all your
browsing history, cookies, and either
site-related data for a period of time
you select (macOS) or entirely. That
option in Safari for macOS is Safari
> Clear History; in iOS and iPadOS,
it’s found at Settings > Safari labelled
Clear History and Website Data.Third-party browsing history cleaner.
A number of apps are designed to
erase tracking and traces of your
activity. If you have any ‘cleaner’ app
installed, check its configuration. It
might be
wiping out
cookies on
a regular
basis.Clearing history removes cookies needed to preserve a login.