Mandatly Knowledge Base
How to Identify and Review Cookies Used on Your Website?
Understanding the cookies used on your website is essential for achieving GDPR cookie compliance and building trust with your visitors. Whether you’re managing first-party cookies, third-party cookies, or using a Consent Management Platform (CMP), it’s important to regularly check and audit your cookie usage. This guide walks you through various methods to identify the cookies your website sets and how to ensure your cookie policy is up-to-date and compliant.
To find out what cookies are being used on your website, follow these steps:
1. Use Your Browser’s Developer Tools:
You can quickly check cookies using your web browser:
- Open your website in Google Chrome (or another browser).
- Right-click on the page and select Inspect, or press Ctrl+Shift+I.
- Click on the Application tab, then select Cookies under the “Storage” section.
This shows all cookies currently active, including:
- Cookie name
- Domain
- Expiration date
- Type (first-party or third-party)
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2. Use a website Cookie Scanner or Auditing Tool:
For a more complete cookie overview, use an automated cookie scanner. These tools crawl your site and provide a full cookie audit.
Try tools like Mandatly’s Cookie Scanner to:
- Detect all cookies used on your site
- Categorize them (e.g., essential, marketing, analytics)
- Generate a clear cookie report
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3. Review Third-Party Tools and Plugins:
- Many third-party cookies are set by tools such as:
- Google Analytics
- Facebook Pixel
- Chatbots
- YouTube videos
- Social media share buttons
- Check your CMS settings or plugin documentation to see what cookies they set. This is important for keeping your cookie policy accurate.
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4. Check Your Consent Management Platform (CMP)
- If you use a cookie banner or CMP, it may already list cookies and categories. Review it regularly to make sure it reflects your current cookie usage.
- Keeping your cookie list updated helps you meet GDPR requirements and give users accurate information.
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