Firefox bundles cookies with cached files, local storage, and service workers in almost every panel, so the per-site clear button always removes your saved logins too.
Only the global Clear Data dialog and the Clear Recent History window let you delete site data without deleting cookies in Firefox, because each one has a checkbox you can uncheck.
Then check that your logins survived.
In this guide, I have covered:
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Delete Site Data Without Deleting Cookies in Firefox: Where It Works
Firefox files cached pages, local storage, IndexedDB, service workers, and cookies under one label: Cookies and Site Data. That is why the clear button on a single site, and the per-site removal list, always wipe both at the same time.
Only two dialogs split them apart. The global Clear Data… dialog and the Clear Recent History window each hand you a checkbox you can uncheck, and that checkbox is the whole trick behind deleting site data without deleting cookies in Firefox.
Delete Site Data Without Deleting Cookies Globally
Reach for this path when you want one broad sweep: cached pages, local storage, and service workers gone for every site, with your logins left alone. It’s the only built-in route that keeps cookies while clearing everything else.
- Open the Firefox menu
and click Settings. - Select Privacy & Security from the left sidebar.
- Scroll to the Cookies and Site Data section.
- Click the button.
- Uncheck Cookies and Site Data.
- Leave Cached Web Content checked.
- Click to confirm.
Firefox wipes cached pages and offline storage for every site you have visited, while the cookies that keep you signed in stay put. You’ll know it worked when a site you were logged into opens straight to your account, no login prompt.
You can flip the order too: leave Cached Web Content unchecked if you want to remove cookies globally and keep the cached pages.
This is a global wipe. The dialog has no option for picking a single site, so save it for a broad cleanup rather than a targeted one.
Clear Cache but Keep Cookies With Clear Recent History
Clear Recent History shows a longer category list, including separate entries for cookies and cache. Choose this route when you also want to hold on to browsing history or form data.
- Press ++ on Windows or Linux, or ++ on macOS.
- Set the time range at the top to Everything, or the narrower range you want.
- Expand the Details section if it is collapsed.
- Uncheck Cookies.
- Make sure Cache is checked.
- Click .
You should stay signed in to the sites you were signed into, and Firefox rebuilds fresh copies of cached files the next time you load those pages. If a category is greyed out, open the Time range to clear dropdown and pick a more recent range first.
Want the cookies gone as well? The cookie and cache clearing walkthrough handles both categories in one pass.
Why Per-Site Removal in Firefox Always Deletes Cookies Too
Firefox’s per-site tools treat cookies and site data as a single unit. There are two of them, and neither one lets you keep a cookie while dropping the storage behind it.
The first is the Site Information panel behind the padlock in the address bar. Clicking Clear cookies and site data… there removes cookies, local storage, IndexedDB, and cached files for the current site in one move, with no checkbox to exclude cookies. For a closer look at that panel, see the guide to viewing site info and site settings in Firefox.
The second is the Manage Data… list under Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data. Select a site and click , or , and the cookies go with the storage. Nothing in Firefox clears local storage for one domain while leaving that domain’s cookies alone.
TIP: If a single site is misbehaving, the closest workaround is the global Clear Data… dialog above, which keeps your logins on every site while rebuilding the cache. Firefox has no official path for a per-site wipe that preserves that one site’s cookies.
Verify Your Cookies Survived the Cleanup
Reopen a site you were signed into. Landing on your account without a login prompt means the cookies are intact and the cleanup did exactly what you wanted.
Still asked to sign in? Run the Clear Data steps again and confirm that Cookies and Site Data was unchecked this time. That one box decides whether your logins survive.
Both checkboxes in the Clear Data dialog are checked when it opens, and nothing on screen warns you about that. One missed click wipes your cookies along with the cache.
You can also open a fresh tab, visit a site where you have a saved login, and check whether password autofill still works. That’s a quick confirmation the cookies survived. Mozilla’s support thread on clearing cookies and site data covers the same dialogs if you want more detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as site data in Firefox?
In Firefox’s labeling, site data covers local storage, IndexedDB, service workers, cached web content, and cookies themselves. That is why the Cookies and Site Data section bundles all of them together.
Can I clear the cache for just one site without losing cookies?
Not through Firefox’s standard UI. The per-site Clear cookies and site data… button and the Manage Data list both remove cookies and storage together. The global Clear Data dialog is the closest built-in workaround.
Will unchecking the Cookies and Site Data box sign me out of everything?
No. Unchecking that box leaves your existing cookies untouched, so saved logins and active sessions should remain. Checking it and leaving Cached Web Content unchecked is the path that signs you out without touching the cache.
What is the difference between Clear Data and Clear Recent History?
Clear Data is a quick two-checkbox dialog under Privacy & Security that only handles cookies, site data, and cached content. Clear Recent History is a fuller window with a time range picker and extra items like history, form data, and active logins.
Where is the Clear Data button in Firefox?
Open the menu, go to Settings, then Privacy & Security. Scroll to the Cookies and Site Data section, and the button sits directly under the description for that section.
