How to Temporarily Allow Cookies in Microsoft Edge

Why Websites Need Cookies and Site Data

Websites need cookies and site data to remember your preferences and keep you logged in, making your online experience smoother and preventing you from having to sign in repeatedly.

Web browser cookies improve website use. Without cookies, websites see each page visit as new. Users must log in for every new link. Shopping carts vanish when users view other products. This problem causes user frustration.

How Microsoft Edge Protects Your Privacy

Microsoft Edge helps keep your online activity private with features like Tracking Prevention, which stops websites from following you around the internet.

• Basic: This is the least strict. It allows most trackers. Websites and ads will likely be personalized, and most sites will work normally.
• Balanced (Recommended): This is the default for most people. It blocks trackers from sites you haven’t visited yet. Your ads might be less personalized, but most sites should still work.
• Strict: This is the most aggressive. It blocks most trackers from all sites. This offers the best privacy. But some parts of websites might not work because they rely on blocked elements.

It’s the “Strict” or even the “Balanced” setting that can sometimes cause website issues. When Edge blocks a tracker or site data that a website needs, you might see a message, or the site might just break.

Step 1Knowing When You Need to Allow Site Data

You’ll know you need to allow site data in Microsoft Edge when a website pops up a message asking for permission, usually saying something like, ‘Allow [website name] to access cookies and site data?’.

“Allow [website name] to access cookies and site data?”

Websites may display a message requiring temporary cookie permission when cookies, which are small data files stored on your computer, are needed to show content or complete an action. This message signals that Microsoft Edge's privacy settings are blocking the website from working as intended.

Temporarily allowing cookies on a website grants access to essential content and trusted site features. Microsoft Edge lets users control cookie permission duration. For example, users can set cookies to be allowed for the current browsing session only, providing flexibility for browsing.

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

Microsoft Edge temporarily allows cookies and website data for a specific website. To permit cookies, confirm the pop-up message that shows the exact website name. Then, click the 'Allow' button if you trust that website and need its features to work.

• Read the Message Carefully: Make sure you know which website is asking for permission and what it’s asking for (cookies and site data).
• Click “Allow”: If you trust the website and need the content to work, click the “Allow” button.

Temporary cookie allowance grants a website access to its cookie and site data for the current browsing session. This temporary permission expires 30 days after the website initially receives allowance.

Step 3Managing and Removing Temporary Permissions

You can easily manage and remove temporary cookie and site data permissions you’ve granted to websites by going to Microsoft Edge Settings and looking for privacy options.

• Open Microsoft Edge Settings: Click the three dots (...) in the top-right corner of your Edge window. From the menu, choose Settings.
• Go to Privacy Settings: In ⚙️ the Settings menu, find and click on Privacy, search, and services in the left-hand menu.
• Find Cookies and Site Data: Scroll down in the “Privacy, search, and services” section until you find the option for Cookies. Click on it.
• See All Cookies and Site Data: Under the “Cookies and site data” settings, you’ll see an option like See all cookies and site data. Click this to see a list of all websites that have saved data on your computer. This includes sites you’ve temporarily allowed.
• Remove Specific Site Data: You’ll see a list called “Cookies and data stored for sites you have browsed.” To remove data for a specific site, find that site in the list. You’ll see a small trash can icon (Delete icon) next to it. Click this icon to remove all cookies and site data for that website.

Clearing a website's cookies and site data regularly fixes common computer problems and removes old information. For example, clearing cookies for an unused website removes that website's stored information from your computer. This cookie removal frees up approximately 1 kilobyte of disk space.

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

If you often need to allow temporary permissions or want to change how strictly Edge blocks trackers, you can adjust your Tracking Prevention settings by going to Settings, then ‘Privacy, search, and services’.

• ⚙️ Go to Settings: As before, click the three dots (...) in the top-right corner and choose Settings.
• Select Privacy, search, and services: Click this option in the left-hand menu.
• Choose Your Tracking Prevention Level: You’ll see the Tracking prevention option near the top. Click on it. Here, you can choose between Basic, Balanced, and Strict.

Adjusting Microsoft Edge privacy settings from "Strict" to "Balanced" can resolve problems on many websites. This change avoids the need for users to manually allow each individual site. If "Balanced" settings still cause website issues, some older or highly specific websites may not function correctly with strong privacy controls.

Reference:

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

Summary

This guide explains how to temporarily allow cookies and site data in Microsoft Edge when websites don’t work right, covering why sites need this data and how to manage permissions.