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To enable cookies in desktop Firefox, open Menu → Settings → Privacy & Security and check Enhanced Tracking Protection. Firefox’s Standard mode allows cookies except trackers. If you need cookies for only one website, set a site-specific permission instead of changing protection for every site.
How to enable cookies on Firefox for all websites
- Open the Firefox menu and select Settings.
- Select Privacy & Security.
- Under Enhanced Tracking Protection, check whether Standard, Strict or Custom is selected.
- If Strict is selected, switch to Standard or Custom. Standard is Firefox’s default and allows cookies except trackers. Mozilla’s guidance explains these options in its instructions for websites that say cookies are blocked.
- If Custom is selected, uncheck Cookies to allow all cookies. To keep blocking cross-site tracking cookies while allowing other cross-site cookies, choose Mozilla’s narrower cross-site tracking-cookie option.
- Reload the affected tabs so the change takes effect.
If Standard is already selected, continue with the site-specific checks below. The setting names are more reliable than screenshots because Firefox’s layout can vary by version.
Allow cookies for one website
A site-specific permission can resolve a cookie error without changing your policy for every website. Mozilla documents two ways to allow a site.
Use the open website’s permissions
- Open the website in Firefox and open its site-information panel.
- Select More site information, then open the Permissions panel.
- Under Set Cookies, clear Use Default and select Allow.
Add an exception in Settings
- Open Menu → Settings → Privacy & Security.
- Under Cookies and Site Data, select Manage Exceptions.
- Enter the exact website address, choose Allow, then save the changes.
Mozilla’s guide to cookie and site-data controls in Firefox explains permissions and exceptions. Use the exceptions list to review or manage sites with a specific cookie policy.
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Websites say cookies are blocked or disabled
- Check Enhanced Tracking Protection first. Strict or Custom settings may be blocking the cookies the site needs. If Standard is already active, avoid changing the browser-wide setting until you check the site’s own permission.
- Review site-specific exceptions. An explicit block for a site can matter even when the broader setting allows cookies. Check Manage Exceptions for a rule that blocks the affected site.
- Reload the page. After changing a setting or permission, reload the affected tab.
- Sign in again if necessary. Changing a permission does not restore cookies or site data that were already blocked or deleted, so the website may ask you to log in again.
What enabling cookies changes
Cookies can store website preferences and help retain login status. Allowing them can restore features a site depends on, but it also changes the tracking protection applied to that site. If you want to limit the change, use a site-specific permission rather than allowing all cookies.
Blocking cookies and clearing them are different actions: allowing cookies controls what a site can store going forward, while clearing cookies removes stored site data. Mozilla explains cookie uses and management in its Firefox cookie guide. Its support guidance also warns that some websites may not work properly when all cookies are blocked.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Does this work in Firefox for Android or iPhone?
These steps are for desktop Firefox. The Firefox menus and cookie controls on Android and iOS may differ; do not assume the desktop navigation applies to those versions.
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