How to Manage Cookies in Internet Explorer
Internet Explorer 6 Internet Explorer 5.X Internet Explorer 4.x
How do I find out what version of Internet Explorer I am using?

      Look at the top of your browser window and note the menus (ex. File, View, Insert, etc.) Go to the Help menu and then down to About Internet Explorer. This will open a window that will give you the Version of the browser you are using.
 

Internet Explorer 6                         Return to My Shopping Cart                                      Top

You can configure your privacy settings in Internet Explorer 6 by clicking Internet Options on the Tools menu, and then clicking the Privacy tab.

NOTE: An administrator can customize your privacy settings and remove the Privacy tab from the interface in the Internet Options dialog box. If the Privacy tab is not available, contact your administrator or see the Information for Advanced Users and IT Professionals section of this article.

These settings replace the cookies settings on the Security tab in Internet Explorer 4 and 5 (and the Advanced tab in Internet Explorer 3). The Privacy settings slider has six settings: Block All Cookies, High, Medium High, Medium (default level), Low, and Accept All Cookies.

The Privacy settings available with the slider are:
  • Block All Cookies: Cookies from all Web sites will be blocked, and existing cookies on your computer cannot be read by the Web sites that created them. Per-site privacy actions do not override these settings.
  • High: Blocks cookies that do not have a compact privacy policy or that have a compact privacy policy which specifies that personally identifiable information is used without your explicit consent. Cookies that were already on your computer before you installed Internet Explorer 6 are leashed (restricted so that they can only be read in the first-party context). Per-site privacy actions override these settings.
  • Medium High: Blocks third-party cookies that do not have a compact privacy policy or that use personally identifiable information without your explicit consent. Blocks first-party cookies that have a compact privacy policy which specifies that personally identifiable information is used without your implicit consent. First-party cookies that do not have a compact privacy policy and cookies that were already on your computer before you installed Internet Explorer 6 are leashed (restricted so that they can only be read in the first-party context). Per-site privacy actions override these settings.
  • Medium (default level): Blocks third-party cookies that do not have a compact privacy policy or that have a compact privacy policy which specifies that personally identifiable information is used without your implicit consent. First-party cookies that have a compact privacy policy which specifies that personally identifiable information is used without your implicit consent are downgraded (deleted when you close Internet Explorer). First-party cookies that do not have a compact privacy policy are leashed (restricted so that they can only be read in the first-party context). Cookies that were already on your computer before you installed Internet Explorer 6 are also leashed. Per-site privacy actions override these settings.
  • Low: First-party cookies that do not have a compact privacy policy are leashed (restricted so that they can only be read in the first-party context). Cookies that were already on your computer before you installed Internet Explorer 6 are also leashed. Third-party cookies that do not have a compact privacy policy or that have a compact privacy policy which specifies that personally identifiable information is used without your implicit consent are downgraded (deleted when you close Internet Explorer). Per-site privacy actions override these settings.
  • Accept All Cookies: All cookies will be saved on your computer, and existing cookies on your computer can be read by the Web sites that created them. Per-site privacy actions do not override these settings.
NOTE: Changing your privacy preferences does not affect the cookie acceptance policy for cookies that have already been set unless you move the slider to Accept All Cookies or Block All Cookies.

Internet Explorer displays a Privacy dialog box the first time a cookie is restricted based on your privacy preferences. This dialog box is displayed only once unless you clear the Don't show this message again check box. The Privacy dialog box explains that a new status icon (the Privacy Report icon) is placed in the status bar when you visit a Web site that does not meet your privacy preferences. You can double-click this icon to view a privacy report that explains how the Web site either has privacy practices that conflict with your preferences or has no published privacy policy. You can also view a privacy report for any site by clicking Privacy Report on the View menu.

NOTE: The Privacy slider is designed to work only in the Internet zone. All cookies are automatically accepted from Web sites in both the Local Intranet and Trusted zones, and all cookies are automatically blocked from Web sites in the Restricted zone.

For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

282846 Privacy Tab Settings Only Affect Internet Zone

Per-Site Privacy Actions

You also have the option to define cookie management practices on a per-site basis. This overrides your default privacy preferences set with the slider for any sites that you add to the Per Site Privacy Actions dialog box, unless you move the slider to Accept All Cookies or Block All Cookies (in which case per-site privacy actions are ignored).

To override cookie handling for individual Web sites, click Edit on the Privacy tab to open the Per Site Privacy Actions dialog box. You can enter individual domains in the Per Site Privacy Actions dialog box with a policy of either Block or Allow. Existing cookies from sites which you elect to block will be deleted. NOTE: If you move the slider on the Privacy tab to Accept All Cookies or Block All Cookies, the Edit button becomes unavailable because per-site privacy actions are ignored in these cases.

 

This information from Microsoft: 283185 How to Manage Cookies in Internet Explorer 6

 

Internet Explorer 5, 5.01, and 5.5             Return to My Shopping Cart                    Top

How to Access Cookies Settings

To view or modify cookies settings, follow these steps:
  1. In Internet Explorer, click Internet Options on the Tools menu, and then click the Security tab.
  2. Click the Web content zone you want, and then click Custom Level.
  3. Under Cookies, click the options you want, click OK, and then click OK.

How to Customize Cookies Settings for Each Security Zone

You can set custom cookies settings for each security zone. To do so, follow these steps:
  1. In Internet Explorer, click Internet Options on the Tools menu, and then click the Security tab.
  2. Click the Web content zone you want, and then click Custom Level.
  3. Under Cookies, click the options you want, click OK, and then repeat steps 1 through 2 for each zone.

How to Customize Settings for the Use of Session or Persistent Cookies

Session cookies are deleted when you quit Internet Explorer. Persistent cookies remain on your computer.

How to Customize Settings to Use Persistent Cookies

  1. In Internet Explorer, click Internet Options on the Tools menu, and then click the Security tab.
  2. Click the Web content zone you want, and then click Custom Level.
  3. Under Cookies, click the option you want to use under Allow cookies that are stored on your computer, click OK, and then click OK.

How to Customize Settings to Use Session Cookies

  1. In Internet Explorer, click Internet Options on the Tools menu, and then click the Security tab.
  2. Click the Web content zone you want, and then click Custom Level.
  3. Under Cookies, click the option you want under Allow Per-session Cookies (Not Stored), click OK, and then click OK.

 

For additional information managing cookies in Internet Explorer 5, 5.01, and 5.5, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

196955 How to Set and Customize Cookie Settings in Internet Explorer 5

 

Internet Explorer 4.x                      Return to My Shopping Cart                                  Top

  1. Click View, click Internet Options, and then click the Advanced tab.
  2. Scroll down to the yellow exclamation icon under Security, choose the option that you prefer for cookies, and then click OK.