open the main Settings app, tap Apps, select Safari, tap Advanced, and then turn off the switch for Block All Cookies.
Enable Cookies in Safari
- Open the Settings app on your iPad.
- Scroll down and tap Apps, then tap Safari (on older iPadOS versions, scroll down directly to Safari).
- Scroll to the bottom and tap Advanced.
- Find Block All Cookies and turn the switch off (so it is gray).
- Optional: Make sure Prevent Cross-Site Tracking is also turned off if you are having trouble with specific login sessions.
Enable Cookies in Google Chrome
- Open the main Settings app on your iPad.
- Scroll down to the bottom and tap Apps, then select Chrome.
- Turn on the switch for Allow Cross-Website Tracking.
- Open the Chrome app itself, tap the three dots (…) in the corner, go to Settings > Privacy and Security, and ensure cookies are allowed.
If a specific website still will not work properly even after allowing cookies generally, most browsers also let you tap the small padlock or site information icon in the address bar to check and adjust permissions for that individual site.
Pro Tip
If cookies are already allowed but one website still refuses to keep you logged in, don’t immediately change every Safari privacy setting. First, clear that site’s stored website data and try signing in again. A corrupted cookie or outdated session can cause login problems even when cookies are enabled correctly.
If a website suddenly refuses to keep you logged in, keeps forgetting items in your cart, or shows a banner saying it “cannot function properly” without cookies, there is a good chance cookies are blocked somewhere on your iPad. This usually happens after an iPadOS update, after switching browsers, or after tapping a privacy setting without realizing what it actually controls. The fix takes less than a minute once you know exactly where Apple hides this setting.
Where the Cookie Setting Actually Lives
Apple does not put a switch labeled “Cookies” directly inside the Settings app icon list, which is exactly why so many people struggle to find it. Instead, it is tucked inside Safari’s own settings menu, since cookies are a browser level feature rather than a device level one.
Here is exactly how to turn cookies back on in Safari on iPad:
- Open the Settings app.
- Scroll down and tap “Safari.”
- Scroll to the section labeled “Privacy & Security.”
- Find the toggle labeled “Block All Cookies.”
- If that toggle is green or switched on, tap it to turn it off.
Turning that toggle off is what allows cookies again, which can feel backwards the first time you do it. The setting is phrased as blocking cookies, not allowing them, so switching it off is what restores normal cookie behavior across every website you visit in Safari.
Why Cookies Matter More Than People Realize
Cookies are small pieces of data websites store on your device to remember things about your visit. Without them, a shopping site cannot remember what is in your cart between pages, a news site cannot remember that you already dismissed the newsletter popup, and login sessions do not persist, meaning you get logged out constantly or cannot log in at all.
This is different from tracking cookies used for advertising, which Apple limits more aggressively through separate privacy features. Turning on standard cookies simply lets websites function the way they are designed to, while Apple’s other protections, like Intelligent Tracking Prevention, still work quietly in the background to limit cross site tracking.
Fixing Cookie Problems That Persist After Turning Them On
Sometimes flipping the toggle is not quite enough on its own, especially if a browsing session was already broken before you made the change. If a site is still misbehaving, work through these in order.
Clear existing website data. Old, corrupted cookie data can sometimes cause issues even after cookies are re-enabled. In Settings, tap Safari, then scroll down and tap “Clear History and Website Data.” Keep in mind this will log you out of sites you were previously signed into, so only do this if the problem persists after simply re-enabling cookies. This step overlaps closely with general browser cleanup, and if your iPad has been running slowly in general, our guide on how to clear cache on iPad is a useful companion read here.
Check if Private Browsing is turned on. Private Browsing tabs in Safari intentionally limit how cookies persist between sessions, even with cookies allowed generally, because that is the entire point of private browsing. If you are trying to stay logged into something across visits, make sure you are not accidentally working in a private tab. Our full walkthrough on how to turn off private browsing on iPad covers exactly how to spot and exit these tabs.
Check for content blockers or ad blocker extensions. Some third party content blockers installed through Safari extensions aggressively strip cookies regardless of your main privacy setting. Go to Settings, then Safari, then “Extensions,” and temporarily disable any content blockers to see if that resolves the issue.
Restart Safari completely. Double tap the home button or swipe up and hold on newer iPads to view open apps, then swipe Safari away to fully close it, and reopen it. This clears any temporary session issues that a simple settings change might not immediately resolve.
Should You Actually Turn On All Cookies?
It is worth understanding the tradeoff rather than just flipping the switch blindly. Allowing cookies makes the everyday internet work the way most people expect, with logins, carts, and preferences all remembered properly. The privacy tradeoff is generally small for standard first party cookies, meaning cookies set directly by the site you are visiting.
If your main concern is advertisers tracking you across different websites rather than a single site remembering your login, Apple already handles a large part of that separately through Intelligent Tracking Prevention, which stays active even with standard cookies allowed. You do not need to block all cookies just to limit cross site ad tracking specifically.
Related Settings Worth Checking While You Are Here
Since you are already deep in Safari’s privacy settings, it is worth glancing at a couple of related areas. If you have ever wondered exactly what browsing history your iPad is holding onto, our guide on how to delete internet history on iPad is a natural next step. And if intrusive popups have been an ongoing annoyance separately from the cookie issue, our guide on how to turn off the pop up blocker on iPad covers that specific setting in detail.
If you regularly download documents, tickets, or files from websites once you are properly logged in, it is also worth knowing exactly where downloads are stored on your iPad, since fixing cookies often means you can finally download or purchase something you were stuck on before.
And if your iPad’s clock has drifted, which can sometimes cause secure sites to reject cookies or sessions entirely due to time mismatches, our quick guide on how to change the time on an iPad is worth bookmarking too.
Cookies sound technical, but the fix genuinely is a single toggle in most cases. Once it is switched, logins stick, carts remember what you added, and the sites you use every day go back to working exactly the way they are supposed to.
