Cookie Guardian - Auto Delete Cookies on Tab Close | Privacy Cleaner

Cookie Guardian automatically deletes cookies when you close browser tabs, protecting your privacy without interrupting your browsing. Finally, a Cookie AutoDelete alternative that actually works.

✨ FEATURES

• Auto-delete cookies on tab close - Cookies removed the moment you close a tab
• Whitelist protection - Keep cookies for sites you trust (banks, email, favorites)
• Greylist for temporary protection - Protect sites temporarily (auto-expires after your chosen time)
• Cookie aging - Auto-delete cookies older than your chosen time (1-720 hours)
• Scheduled cleanup - Automatic cleanup at intervals (15 min to 24 hours)
• Clean on navigation - Optionally delete cookies when leaving a site
• Clean on startup - Remove all non-whitelisted cookies when browser opens
• Right-click whitelist - One click to protect any site from context menu
• Keyboard shortcuts - Alt+Shift+C (toggle), Alt+Shift+W (whitelist), Alt+Shift+X (clean)
• Deletion log - See exactly which cookies were deleted with timestamps • Daily statistics - Track cookies blocked with visual charts
• Dark/Light/System themes - Matches your system preference • Premium: Clean localStorage, IndexedDB, and cache (one-time £2)

🎯 WHO IS THIS FOR?

• Privacy-conscious users looking for a dedicated privacy extension and cookie cleaner
• Former users needing a Cookie AutoDelete replacement that is actively maintained
• Anyone tired of clearing cookies manually through browser settings
• Users who want to remove tracking cookies while staying logged into trusted sites
• People concerned about browser privacy and cross-site tracking
• Developers and testers who need to frequently clear site data

🛡️ WHY COOKIE GUARDIAN?

Unlike abandoned alternatives, Cookie Guardian is a modern cookie manager for Chrome built from the ground up for Manifest V3.

→ Built for Manifest V3 - Won't get disabled by Chrome like older MV2 extensions
→ Actually reliable - Automatic cookie deletion happens exactly when it should
→ Privacy-first - Your data never leaves your browser. Zero analytics, zero tracking, zero servers.
→ Actively maintained - Regular updates, responsive support, not abandoned
→ Modern design - Clean interface that's intuitive to use
→ Lightweight - Minimal memory footprint, no impact on browsing speed

❓ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: Will this log me out of all my websites?
A: No! You can whitelist cookies for sites you trust. Whitelisted cookies are protected and never deleted. You stay logged into banks, email, social media - only cookies from non-whitelisted sites get cleaned up.

Q: What's the difference between whitelist and greylist?
A: Whitelist = permanent protection. Those cookies are never deleted until they naturally expire. Greylist = temporary protection that auto-expires after your chosen time (default 7 days). Great for greylist cookies on sites you're visiting temporarily.

Q: Does this work with Chrome's Manifest V3?
A: Yes! This is a native Manifest V3 cookie extension built from scratch. Unlike older extensions that were disabled when Chrome enforced MV3, Cookie Guardian will continue working.

Q: What happened to Cookie AutoDelete?
A: Cookie AutoDelete was disabled by Chrome in late 2024 because it used the deprecated Manifest V2 architecture. Cookie Guardian is the premier Cookie AutoDelete alternative designed for the current platform.

Q: How is this different from Chrome's built-in "Clear cookies on exit"?
A: Chrome's built-in option only clears cookies when you close the entire browser. Cookie Guardian is designed to delete cookies when tabs close, giving you granular control. Plus, Chrome doesn't have whitelist functionality - it's all or nothing.

Q: Is the free version actually useful or is this a paid app in disguise?
A: All core features to clear cookies automatically are completely free with no limits. Auto-delete on tab close, whitelist, greylist, cookie aging, scheduled cleanup, statistics - all free. Premium (£2 one-time) only adds localStorage, IndexedDB, and cache cleaning.

Q: Does this work on other Chromium browsers?
A: Yes! It works on Chrome, Brave, Edge, Opera, Vivaldi, and other Chromium-based browsers.

Q: What data do you collect?
A: Nothing. Zero. Cookie Guardian has no analytics, no telemetry, no servers. All your settings are stored locally.

🔄 SWITCHING FROM COOKIE AUTODELETE?

If you used Cookie AutoDelete before Chrome disabled it, here's what you need to know:

• Same core functionality - Tab close cookie deletion works the same way you're used to
• Same whitelist concept - Add trusted sites, their cookies are protected
• Greylist included - Temporary protection, just like CAD's greylist feature
• Bugs fixed - The "cookies not actually deleting" issue has been addressed • Future-proof - Built for MV3, so it won't suddenly stop working

💡 TIPS FOR BEST RESULTS

Start with auto-delete OFF - Install, add your important sites to the whitelist first, then enable

Use the greylist for shopping - Temporarily protect e-commerce sites while you're checking out

Check the deletion log - If a site breaks, check what cookies were deleted to troubleshoot

Use keyboard shortcuts - Alt+Shift+W to quickly whitelist the current site

Enable "Clean on navigation" carefully - This is aggressive and may break some sites

🔒 PRIVACY COMMITMENT

Cookie Guardian collects ZERO personal data. All settings, whitelist entries, and statistics are stored locally on your device using Chrome's storage API. We don't operate servers, we don't have databases, we don't track you. The extension works entirely offline after installation.

The only external connection is to ExtensionPay.com if you choose to purchase Premium - and that's a payment processor, not us. We never see your payment details.

📋 PERMISSIONS EXPLAINED

We believe in transparency. Here's exactly why each permission is needed:

• cookies - To read and auto delete cookies from websites
• tabs - To detect when you close tabs and trigger tracking protection cleanup
• storage - To save your settings and whitelist locally on your device
• alarms - To schedule delayed cleanup and periodic cleanup intervals
• notifications - To show weekly summary notifications
• contextMenus - To add "Whitelist this site" to your right-click menu
• host_permissions (all_urls) - To access cookies from any website you visit

We request only what's necessary. No camera, no microphone, no browsing history, no bookmarks.

❓ SUPPORT

Questions, issues, or feature requests?

• GitHub: Report bugs or request features on our GitHub page
• Reviews: Leave a review to help others find a working privacy cleaner

We read every review and GitHub issue. If something's not working, let us know.

WHAT'S NEW IN v1.4.1

• NEW: Cookie aging - Auto-delete cookies older than your chosen time limit
• NEW: Scheduled cleanup - Set automatic cleanup intervals
• NEW: Premium badge shows your paid status
• NEW: Greylist button in popup for quick temporary protection
• IMPROVED: Greylist with configurable auto-expire settings
• FIXED: Premium upgrade and payment flow now works correctly
• FIXED: Premium users get unlimited whitelist slots