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How to enable cookies on an iPad to streamline your web browsing experience

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You can enable cookies in your iPad's web browser to optimize your browsing. YouTube/Jonathan Morrison
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First the good news: If you've never turned cookies off on your iPad, they're probably already enabled. Apple enables cookies in Safari (the default iPad web browser) by default, so there's no extra steps required.

But if you (or someone else) has ever turned off your browser's cookies on an iPad, they're easy to re-enable.

Cookies, of course, are files that web pages save to your computer (or, in this case, iPad) which usually store preferences and personal settings. In other words, cookies help web pages remember that you're logged in, what's in your shopping cart, your preferred language, and other details that make your browsing experience more convenient and personalized.  

We recommend leaving your cookies enabled, but some users with privacy and security concerns prefer to disable them, which is why they might be turned off now. You can follow these steps to turn them back on.

How to enable cookies on your iPad

1. Open the Settings app and then, in the list on the left, tap "Safari."

2. In the Privacy and Security section on the right, make sure that "Prevent Cross-Site Tracking" is turned off by swiping the slider to the left, so it's grayed out.

3. In the same section, ensure that "Block All Cookies" is also turned off by swiping the slider to the left.

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To enable cookies in Safari, be sure to turn off both "Prevent Cross-Site Tracking" and "Block All Cookies."  Dave Johnson/Business Insider

4. Close the Settings app. Your cookies are now enabled.

How to enable cookies in other browsers on your iPad

If you have installed third-party browsers on your iPad such as Firefox or Chrome, there's nothing special  you need to do to enable cookies: they're always enabled by default, and in fact they generally can't be turned off in those apps.

If you are using a browser like Firefox or Chrome and want to browse without cookies, you should use Chrome's Incognito mode or Firefox's "Private" mode. When you return to the browser's standard mode, you will automatically re-enable cookies.

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Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider.