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Deleting Cookies

Deleting Cookies

Introduction

Delete a cookie by setting its expiration to a past date or max-age=0.

How to Delete

// Set max-age to 0 or use a past date
document.cookie = 'session=; max-age=0; path=/';

// Alternative: set expires to a past date
document.cookie = 'session=; expires=Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 UTC; path=/';

Important: Match the Path

// Cookies are identified by name + path + domain
// To delete, you must match the same path and domain

// Set at path=/
document.cookie = 'session=abc123; path=/';

// Delete with same path
document.cookie = 'session=; max-age=0; path=/';

// If set at path=/app, you must delete at path=/app
document.cookie = 'session=; max-age=0; path=/app';

Summary

Set max-age=0 or use a past expires date
Must match the cookie’s original path and domain
document.cookie = 'key=; max-age=0' removes a cookie
Deleting all cookies at once requires iterating and matching

Further Reading

MDN: document.cookie