Your Cookie Choices, Explained Simply
- Cookies are small text files saved by your browser
- They help a page remember choices and recognise a returning visit
- Some are essential, others are optional
- You can review and remove them at any time in your browser
A cookie is a short piece of text that a website asks your browser to store. When you come back, the browser returns that text, so a page can recall a setting, keep a session running or count a visit. We explain, in everyday words, what cookies do and where the controls sit. Our aim is to give you the tools to decide what stays on your device.
Types of cookies and what they do
Browsers and websites tend to group cookies by purpose. Four groups are the usual ones, each with a plain description and the choice you normally have.
| Type | Purpose | Your choice |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | Keeps a session working, remembers that you are signed in and supports security checks | Usually cannot be switched off without breaking the page |
| Analytics | Counts visits and shows which pages are read, so wording and layout can be improved | Optional |
| Preference | Remembers settings such as language, layout or a dismissed message | Optional |
| Affiliate | Records that a visit arrived through a partner link, so the partner can be credited | Optional |
Essential cookies exist so that a page can function. The other three groups add convenience or measurement, and a clear consent choice should exist for them. We suggest that you read any banner you meet before accepting, because the wording tells you which groups are being requested.
Third-party cookies and what they do
Some cookies are set by a company other than the website you are reading. They arrive through embedded content, measurement tools or advertising partners.
Why they appear
A page can load a small piece of code from another company, for example a statistics tool or a video player. That company may then store its own cookie in your browser, under its own rules.
What they can record
Third-party cookies often note which pages were visited and for how long. When the same company appears on several websites, it may link those visits together to build a general picture of interests.
How to limit them
Most browsers let you block third-party cookies while keeping the first-party ones that a page needs. This is a sensible middle path if you want fewer trackers but still want to stay signed in where you choose to.
How updates are announced
Cookie practice changes as browsers, tools and rules develop, so we review this guidance from time to time. When wording changes in a meaningful way, we revise the text and move the date line to the day of the change. If you return to read it again, compare the date with the one you remember; a newer date tells you that something has been refreshed since your last visit. Small edits, such as fixing a typo or clarifying a sentence, may be made without a separate notice.
Managing and deleting cookies in your browser
Every mainstream browser keeps a privacy or security area in its settings. In that area you can see which cookies are stored, remove them one by one or all together, block third-party cookies, and choose to clear cookies each time you close the browser. Private browsing windows discard cookies when the window closes, which is useful on a shared device. Be aware that clearing everything signs you out of the pages you use and resets saved preferences, so you may wish to keep the ones you rely on. If you use several devices, repeat the steps on each of them, because settings are stored per browser.
Last updated: 28 October 2026