How to Temporarily Allow Cookies in Microsoft Edge

How Microsoft Edge Protects Your Privacy

Microsoft Edge uses Tracking Prevention to block online trackers while you browse. You can pick Basic, Balanced or Strict protection. That choice decides how many cookies Edge blocks before you touch the settings for a single site.

• BasicThe least strict level. It allows most trackers, so ads and sites will likely be personalized, and most sites work normally.
• Balanced (Recommended)The default for most people. It blocks trackers from sites you haven’t visited yet. Ads may be less personalized, but most sites should still work.
• StrictThe most aggressive level. It blocks most trackers from all sites and gives the best privacy. Some parts of websites may stop working because they rely on blocked elements.

Strict, and occasionally Balanced, can cause website problems. When Edge blocks a tracker or site data that a page needs, you may see a warning message, or the site may break without any message. Typical signs are a login page that keeps sending you back to the sign-in form, or a cart that empties itself.

Step 1Knowing When You Need to Allow Site Data

Allow cookies when a website shows a prompt asking for access to your site data before it can work. Sites use these small files to remember your login, the items in your shopping cart and your site preferences.

The prompt reads something like this:

The prompt asks whether the named website may access cookies and site data. A site shows it when it needs cookies (small files that store your preferences) to display its content. It means your Microsoft Edge privacy settings are blocking something the site needs.

Allowing cookies from the prompt gives that one site access to the data it needs for its trusted features. Edge limits how long that permission lasts, so you are not handing out access forever. The permission is tied to the site you approved, not to every site you visit.

Step 2Letting a Website Use Cookies and Data for a While

To temporarily allow cookies, click the allow button on the permission pop-up the website shows. The site gets short-term access to your browser data, so you can finish what you are doing without changing your main security settings.

1. Read the message. Check which website is asking and what it wants. It should name the site and mention cookies and site data. If the site name looks unfamiliar or misspelled, don’t continue.
2. Click Allow if you trust the website and need its content to work. The prompt closes.
3. Reload the page if the content hasn’t appeared. The login, cart or other missing content should now load.

That’s it. The site now has access to its cookies and site data for a limited time set by Edge, and the rest of your privacy settings are unchanged. If you want the access gone sooner, remove the site’s data using the steps further down.

Two other options help with a single site. Click the padlock icon in the address bar, then choose Cookies, to review or manage that site’s cookies. Menu wording can differ slightly between Edge versions.

You can also open the site in an InPrivate window (a private browsing window) with Ctrl+Shift+N. Edge discards the cookies when that window closes, so nothing lingers afterwards.

Allowing a website’s cookies in Microsoft Edge gives it access for a limited time set by Edge. During that time the site can use cookies to track your activity on it. Only grant this permission to websites you trust, such as your bank, your email provider or a store you already buy from.

Step 3Managing and Removing Temporary Permissions

You manage site data from the Settings menu, under the Privacy, search, and services tab. From there you can see every website that has stored data on your computer and remove it whenever you no longer want a site to remember you.

1. Click the three dots (...) in the top-right corner of the Edge window, then choose Settings. The Settings⚙️ page opens in a new tab.
2. Click Privacy, search, and services in the left-hand menu. The privacy options appear on the right.
3. Scroll down in the “Privacy, search, and services” section until you reach Cookies, then click it. If you can’t find it there, look for Cookies and site permissions in the left-hand menu, because Edge also keeps cookie controls in that section.
4. Under Cookies and site data, click the option for seeing all cookies and site data. You now see every website that has saved data on your computer, including sites you allowed temporarily.
5. Find the site in the list called “Cookies and data stored for sites you have browsed,” then click the small trash can (Delete) icon next to it. This removes all cookies and site data for that website. You will probably be signed out of that site the next time you visit.

That’s it. The site no longer has any stored data on your computer, so any temporary allowance for it is gone too.

If you want a site to keep working every time, add it to the permanent allow list instead of repeating the prompt.

1. Go to Settings › Cookies and site permissions > Manage and delete cookies and site data.
2. Find the Allow section and click its add button.
3. Enter the site’s address and confirm. The site now appears in the Allow list.

You should now have a site that can always save cookies, even under Strict. To undo it, return to the same list and remove the site. To clear everything automatically, use the Clear on exit option under Delete browsing data.

If these options are greyed out or missing, your PC may be managed by an employer or school. Edge then shows a “Your browser is managed by your organization” notice, and only your administrator can change those settings.

Clearing a website’s cookies and site data now and then can fix common browsing problems and remove outdated information. For example, clearing cookies for a site you no longer use removes everything that site stored on your computer. A small site’s cookies take up very little disk space, so clear them for tidiness and privacy, not for storage.

Clearing cookies is also a good first step when one site misbehaves. A stale login cookie often causes a login loop, and deleting it lets the site start fresh.

Step 4Changing Tracking Prevention Settings (If You Need To)

1. Click the three dots (...) in the top-right corner and choose Settings.
2. Click Privacy, search, and services in the left-hand menu.
3. Click Tracking prevention near the top, then choose Basic, Balanced or Strict. The change takes effect straight away in Settings. Reload the affected site to test it.

That’s it. Edge now applies the tracking prevention level you picked to every site you visit. To undo the change, return to the same screen and select your previous level.

Switching from Strict to Balanced can fix problems on many websites. It also saves you from allowing each site one by one. If Balanced still causes trouble, the site may be old or built in a way that doesn’t work with strong privacy controls. In that case, use the per-site permission above for that one site rather than lowering protection further.

Reference:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/temporarily-allow-cookies-and-site-data-in-microsoft-edge

Summary

If a site still breaks after you allow it, try it in an InPrivate window, or move Tracking prevention from Strict to Balanced. To undo an allowance, delete the site’s data in Settings or remove it from the Allow list. A good next step is the Clear on exit option under Delete browsing data, which removes cookies automatically each time you close Edge.