Cookie Guardian - Auto Delete Cookies on Tab Close | Privacy Cleaner
Extension Actions
- Extension status: Featured
- Extension status: In-App Purchases
- Live on Store
Auto-delete cookies when tabs close. Whitelist trusted sites. Cookie AutoDelete alternative that works. Privacy-first, MV3 ready.
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 — now with a refreshed teal interface built for clarity.
✨ 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 $3.49)
🎯 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
• Users looking for a cookie remover that works automatically — no manual clearing needed
🛡️ WHY COOKIE GUARDIAN?
Unlike abandoned alternatives, Cookie Guardian is a modern cookie cleaner and remover for Chrome built from the ground up for Manifest V3. It automatically removes tracking cookies, third-party cookies, and session cookies while keeping the ones you trust.
→ 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 ($3 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
• Removes third-party cookies and session cookies automatically — no setup needed
💡 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
Works on all Chromium browsers - Chrome, Brave, Edge, Opera, and Vivaldi
🔒 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 v2.0.0
• MAJOR REBRAND: Refreshed teal identity, shield + tick icon, new "cookie guardian" wordmark • NEW TAGLINE: "delete cookies. keep your logins."
• REFRESHED UI: Popup, onboarding, options, and privacy pages fully redesigned for clarity • ACCESSIBILITY: WCAG AA contrast across the interface, keyboard-nav focus styles, proper ARIA labels
• UNCHANGED: Your whitelist, greylist, settings, and stats carry over as-is
• Prior v1.5.x fixes (www-cookie detection, weekly notifications, cookie aging perf, delayed cleanup, cookie viewer paths, greylist/onboarding guards, security, screen-reader toggle) all still in place
WHAT'S NEW IN v1.5.2
• FIXED: Cookies set on www-specific domains now properly detected and deleted
• FIXED: Weekly summary notifications now fire correctly
• FIXED: Cookie aging performance improved significantly
• FIXED: Delayed cleanup now respects whitelist changes made after tab close
• FIXED: Cookie viewer correctly identifies cookies by path
• IMPROVED: Greylist prevents adding domains already covered by whitelist
• IMPROVED: Onboarding respects review bonus whitelist limit
• SECURITY: Settings import hardened against tampering
• ACCESSIBILITY: Popup toggle now works with screen readers
Latest reviews
- Martin Goebel
- I just found this extension and it is exactly what I needed. Every so often I would manually clear cookies, but I would lose the setup for certain sites such as my bank where cookies controlled the login options. With this, I don't need to manually clear cookies and the whiteboard feature lets me keep my setup. It was easy to install and configure. A+++
- Emmanuel
- works well
- Mike Noss
- Works well to remove unwanted cookies and whitelist cookies you need to keep- I've had zero problems so far.
- Eleni Lamp
- Very good.
- Steve Holvoet
- One of the cleanest, most efficient and most intuitive cookie cleaners i've used. I dont mind donating to a good cause, and a wonderfull piece of programming, but i'm not a fan of the licensing system currently used. i dont want to deal/register with yet another licensing service, but its developer choice, which i repect. I was surprised with the new overhaul though. I really liked the whole comic/superhero style theme. I found it quite apealing and refreshing. Now it looks a bit stiff. but nontheless, its the functionality that counts. Great work
- Hassan Ali
- need payment to use
- BlckTV
- Great addon.
- Smart Home Products
- I recently discovered Cookie Guardian, and I can’t believe how much it has transformed my browsing experience! Every time I close a tab, all those pesky cookies vanish into thin air. It feels like I'm releasing my browsing history from a cluttered jail! Not only am I enjoying a cleaner and faster experience, but I also feel a sense of freedom knowing my privacy is protected. The setup was super simple, and it works seamlessly in the background. I never have to think about those annoying cookies again. If you value your online privacy, this is a must-have!
- Janeyanna Chicken
- Works just like Cookie Auto Delete, but limits the length of your Whitelist unless you pay a small fee.
- Leonardo Madia
- efficient
- Jonathan C
- I've used this for a week and it says if you whitelist a site that it will keep the cookies. But for all the sites I've whitelisted, I have to keep re-logging into them everytime I open my browser. AND I just took a look at the cookies still in my browser and there are thousands in there that weren't whitelisted that should have been deleted but weren't!
- secro cruz
- Awsome!
- Ben Hambleton
- So far I am very happy with it as it does what I need. Read through the privacy policy and I am happy with it and do not see any traffic that shows otherwise.
- ima underwater
- kind of worrisome that the github listing has been removed
- Anthony Lukasik
- Very ease to use. The whitelist feature is great. Having a settings export/import is also very helpful. Thx!!
- Andreas Zeitler
- Please do not install. For some reason the developer has removed the GitHub repo. On the website, there does not seem to be a way to contact them either (to ask about the extension). As far as I can tell no support anymore from the creator, for whatever reason.
- Colin Alway
- So simple to use
- Harold Baumritter
- Easy setup. Works as promised. Very happy with it.
- Captcher
- Works well with new Chrome update, but I would like a blacklist feature to only affect websites in that list in addition to the whitelist.
- Burhan Gültekin
- Very good, content with it
- Majutsu
- works fine
- T. Fortin
- Great ui, simple to use
- Gabe Sweetman
- Very clean interface. One recommendation: Please add Proton as a default option during setup the same way you have Google/Youtube. More people are de-googling their accounts (like me, which is how I found this extension!). Just a suggestion. Very reasonable free tier limit as I actually don't WANT most of my accounts to remain logged in aside from the bare minimum daily visits like Youtube. Cheers.
- Vasilis
- Reviewing just to get the extra 5 greylist slots...
- Joseph Munno
- Seems to be working - but the limitation of only 10 slots to test it out is a tad annoying. Hopefully the review will give me enough to finish testing.
- AbdelHamed Mostafa
- Only 10 whitelist slots on the free edition.
- Mohammed Miah
- So far so good! Will go for paid option if any good
- Reginald Lytle
- I needed a replacement for auto cookie delete .. you guys did not disappoint Thanks again . Great plugin !!!!!!
- AG
- After my favorite cookie blocker got removed, I searched hogh and low for a replacement. This is it.
- aghjghjng
- normal features locked behind premium only zzzz
- Lolita Ellul
- Brilliant extension, I can't work without it. Consistent updates and you know it's developed and updated by someone who actually cares and has thought carefully about the important details. Thank you for publishing this! :)
- Brian Robson
- Works very well and zaps all snooping cookies that are not whitelisted. 5/5
- Alf
- Former Cookie Autodelete user here. Cookie Guardian is an amazing replacement for CAD and outshines it in many areas. Highly recommended for sure.
- emails emails
- Does what it says on the tin
- Rogerio Nazare
- Nice add on. Simple, yet effective. Good interface; it has everything to be one of the best in its kind.
- Rhys Turner
- Nice UI. Saves a lot of time as you don't have to do anything, it does everything for you.
- AniFran Inc
- Very nice start to it. Looks to work pretty good over all the other. Nice and simple. Like the old cookie autodelete that does not supported anymore.