Cookie Guardian - Auto Delete Cookies on Tab Close | Privacy Cleaner

Description

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. It wipes tracking cookies and third-party cookies before they can follow you across the web, while your whitelist keeps you logged in to the sites you trust. ✨ 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 - a second list for sites you only trust for now, kept separate from your whitelist and easy to clear out in one click • 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 (the reliable MV3 way to clear cookies between sessions) • 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: Unlimited whitelist slots, one-time $3.49, not a subscription. Deep cleaning of localStorage, IndexedDB, and cache is coming to Premium in the next major update • Cookie whitelist manager - Manage which sites keep cookies in two clicks from the popup • Clear cookies the moment a site's last tab closes - remove tracking cookies with no manual cleanup 🎯 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! Whitelist the sites you trust and their cookies are never touched — including shared login/SSO cookies used by services like Google, Microsoft, and Zoho (improved in v2.0.2). 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 = your permanent trusted list. Those cookies are never deleted until they naturally expire. Greylist = a separate list for sites you only trust for now, such as a shop you are ordering from. Their cookies are protected while the site is on the list, and you can clear greylisted sites out in one click when you are done. 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 alternative designed for the current platform. Q: Does this block cookie consent banners? A: No - Cookie Guardian deletes cookies after you leave a site; it's not a consent-banner blocker, so it pairs perfectly with one. Use both for full cookie hygiene. 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. Auto-delete on tab close, whitelist (15 sites free, or 23 with a quick review), greylist, cookie aging, scheduled cleanup, statistics - all free. Premium ($3.49 one-time, not a subscription) adds unlimited whitelist slots, with localStorage, IndexedDB, and cache cleaning coming in the next major update. 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 it before Chrome disabled it, here's what you need to know: • Bugs fixed - Cookie deletion is reliable, and whitelisted logins (including shared SSO cookies) now survive every cleanup • Coming from Vanilla Cookie Manager? That extension was delisted in 2025 - Cookie Guardian is a maintained whitelist-based cookie cleaner that works the same way • 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 - a separate temporary-protection list alongside your whitelist, in the spirit of CAD's greylist • 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 v2.0.5 • FIXED: Pausing now really pauses. A switched-off extension no longer deletes cookies at browser startup or when leaving a site (GitHub #12) • FIXED: Deleting a single cookie from the popup now removes the exact cookie you clicked, and every deletion is verified by reading the cookie back, so a delete that did not work says so instead of claiming success (GitHub #13) • FIXED: Sites on shared hosting and country domains (myshopify.com shops, netlify.app apps, .co.za and .co.uk sites) are no longer skipped by tab-close cleanup. Site identity is now checked against the official public suffix list • FIXED: Importing a settings file is now safe. Imported entries are tidied and validated, broken lines are skipped instead of silently stopping all cleaning, and the update automatically repairs anything an older version stored wrong • No changes to settings, whitelist, or stats: everything carries over automatically WHAT'S NEW IN v2.0.4 • FIXED: Closing a tab on a non-www subdomain (like app.example.com) now also clears the site's shared parent-domain login cookies, which previously survived every cleanup • Whitelisted sites and their subdomains remain fully protected, exactly as before WHAT'S NEW IN v2.0.3 • FIXED: Cookies are now reliably deleted when you close a tab or navigate away, even after Chrome has put the extension to sleep in the background. Previously, delete-on-close could silently fail during normal browsing and only work after a browser restart. If delete-on-close ever seemed to do nothing for you, this update is the fix • FIXED: Deletions scheduled during the clean-delay grace window now survive closing the browser and are completed on next startup • FIXED: Deletions queued before you switch the extension off are no longer executed • FIXED: A queued deletion can no longer run (and be counted in your stats) twice • No changes to settings, whitelist, or stats: everything carries over automatically WHAT'S NEW IN v2.0.2 • FIXED: Whitelisting a site now also protects its shared login/session (SSO) cookies — closing other tabs, startup cleanup, and scheduled cleanup will no longer log you out of whitelisted sites • IMPROVED: Free whitelist raised from 10 to 15 sites (23 with a quick review) • NEW: "Already paid? Log in to restore" — restore your Premium purchase on any browser via email • IMPROVED: Settings reopens on the tab you were last using • SECURITY: Premium licence verification hardened WHAT'S NEW IN v2.0.1 • FIXED: Empty coloured square no longer appears next to the toolbar icon when the cookie counter is disabled • FIXED: Support & Feedback button reliably opens the GitHub issues page • IMPROVED: Whitelist and greylist in Settings now display in alphabetical order • IMPROVED: Settings version number auto-syncs with the installed extension — no more drift between versions • THANKS: Michael DiGregorio for the v1.5.2 feedback that drove this release 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

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