Using the Cookie Manager
A cookie is a small amount of information used by some web sites. A web site that sets cookies will ask your browser to place one or more cookies on your hard disk when you visit the site. Later, when you return to the site, your browser sends back the cookies that belong to the site.
Before loading a web page that uses cookies, your browser handles the page's cookies by doing two things:
- Accepts or rejects any requests by the web site to set (store) one or more cookies on your computer.
- Accepts or rejects any requests by the web site to read cookies it previously stored on your computer. A web site can't actually read cookies or any other data on your computer—instead, your browser gets the cookies and sends them back to the web site.
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In this section: |
Specifying How Your Browser Should Handle Cookies
You can specify how cookies should be handled by setting your cookie preferences and by using the Cookie Manager.
To change your cookie preferences:
- Open the Edit menu and choose Preferences.
- Under the Privacy & Security category, choose Cookies. (If no subcategories are visible, double-click the category to expand the list.)
- Click one of the radio buttons:
Disable cookies: Choose this to refuse all cookies.
- Enable cookies for the originating web site only: Choose this if you don't want to accept or return Foreign cookies. Cookies received through email (when the message contains a web page) are treated as foreign cookies.
- Enable all cookies: Choose this to permit all web sites to set cookies on your computer and receive them back during subsequent visits. Note: If you select this option, and later choose to reject all cookies, you may still have some older cookies stored on your computer (though no new ones will be set).
- If you want to be notified when a web site tries to set a cookie, select "Warn me before storing a cookie."
Managing Cookies Site-By-Site
To control cookies on a site-by-site basis:
- Open the Tasks menu, choose Privacy & Security, and then choose Cookie Manager.
- Choose "Unblock Cookies from this Site" or "Block Cookies from this Site."
When you are warned (while browsing) that a web site is requesting to set a cookie, you can click Yes to allow or No to deny the cookie. You can also select the option for your browser to "Remember this decision."
If you select "Remember this decision," you will not be warned the next time that site tries to set or modify a cookie, and your "yes" or "no" response will still be in effect.
If you wish to change a remembered response later, use Cookie Manager to edit your list of automatically stored cookies.
To stop automatically accepting cookies from a site:
- Open the Tasks menu, choose Privacy & Security, then choose Cookie Manager.
- Choose View Stored Cookies from the submenu. The Cookie Manager window opens with a list of all the cookies stored on your computer.
- Click the Cookie Sites tab. The web sites for which you have allowed or denied cookies are listed.
- Click to select the site from which you no longer want to accept cookies, and then click Remove Cookie. The next time you visit that site, you will be warned if the site attempts to set a cookie.
Viewing Cookies
To view detailed information about cookies:
- Open the Tasks menu, choose Privacy & Security, and then choose Cookie Manager.
- Choose View Stored Cookies from the submenu. The Cookie Manager window opens with a list of all the cookies stored on your computer.
- To see details for a particular cookie, click it. The table below explains the information you see.
| Item | Explanation |
| Name | This is the name assigned to the cookie by its originator. |
| Information | This string of characters is the information a web site tracks for you. It might contain a user key or name by which you are identified to the web site, information about your interests, and so forth. |
| Host or Domain | This item tells you whether the cookie is a host cookie or a domain cookie. A host cookie is sent back, during subsequent visits, only to the server that set it. A server is a computer on the Internet. A web site resides on one or more servers. A domain cookie is sent back to any site that's in the same domain as the site that set it. A site's domain is the part of its URL that contains the name of an organization, business, or school---such as netscape.com or washington.org. |
| Path | This is the file pathway. If a cookie comes from a particular part of a web site, instead of the main page, a path is given. |
| Server Secure | This indicates whether the cookie was sent over a secure server. If a cookie is secure, it will only be sent over a secure (https) connection. Before sending a secure cookie, your browser checks the connection and will not send if the connection is not secure. |
| Expires | This is the date and time at which the cookie is deactivated. The browser regularly removes expired cookies from your computer. |
Removing Cookies
Important: To remove cookies, follow the steps in this section. Do not try to edit the cookies file on your computer.
To remove one or more cookies from your computer:
- Open the Tasks menu, choose Privacy & Security, and then choose Cookie Manager.
- Choose View Stored Cookies from the submenu. The Cookie Manager window opens with a list of all the cookies stored on your computer.
- Select one or more cookies and click Remove Cookie, or click Remove All Cookies.
You can also choose to prevent the removed cookies from being re-accepted later.
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Using the Password Manager
Many web sites require you to type a user name and password before you can enter the site. For instance, personalized pages and web sites containing your financial information require you to log in.
The user name and password you use at a particular site can be read by the site's administrator. If this concerns you, you may wish to use a different password at every site with which you register. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to remember every single password you've ever used.
Password Manager can help you by storing your user names and passwords on your computer's hard disk, and entering them for you automatically when you visit such sites.
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In this section: Using Password Manager to Remember User Names and Passwords Entering User Names and Passwords Automatically |
Using Password Manager to Remember User Names and Passwords
When you enter your user name and password at a web site a dialog box appears asking, "Do you want Password Manager to remember this logon?" You can choose the following options:
- Yes. The next time you return to the web site you'll see that your user name and password are already filled in.
- Never for this site. Password Manager will not ask in the future if you want to save your user name and password for that site.
- No. Password Manager won't remember the user name and password, but will ask again the next time you visit the site.
Password Manager saves your user names and passwords on your own computer in a file that's difficult, but not impossible, for an intruder to read. See Encrypting Stored Sensitive Information for information on protecting your stored user names and passwords with encryption technology.
Entering User Names and Passwords Automatically
If you use Password Manager to remember your user name and password for a web site, the next time you visit the site, Password Manager will automatically fill in your user name and password on the site's log in screen.
Turning Password Manager On and Off
Password Manager is on by default. To turn it off:
- Open the Edit menu and choose Preferences.
- From the Privacy & Security category, choose Web Passwords. (If no subcategories are visible, double-click the category to expand the list.)
- In the Password Manager section, deselect "Remember passwords for sites that require me to log in" to turn Password Manager off.
Managing Stored Passwords
To see a list of the user names and passwords you have stored:
- Open the Tasks menu, choose Privacy & Security, and then choose Password Manager.
- Select View Stored Passwords from the submenu. You see the Password Manager window.
- Click the Passwords Saved tab. You see a list of all the stored user names. (Passwords are not listed.)
- To remove a user name, click it and then click Remove. The next time you visit the web site, you will be asked to enter your password.
- Click the Passwords Never Saved tab to see a list of the web sites for which you instructed Password Manager never to store user names. To remove a web site from this list, click it and then click Remove. The next time you visit the web site, you will be asked if you want Password Manager to save the user name and password for that site.
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Using the Form Manager
Many web pages contain forms for you to fill out—order forms for online shopping, information databases, and so forth.
Form Manager can save the personal data you need to enter when you fill out a form, by storing such information as your name, address, phone, credit card numbers, and so forth. Then, when a web site presents you with a form, Form Manager can fill it out automatically.
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In this section: Filling Out Forms Automatically Form Manager's Automatic Notification Feature What Happens If I Provide Personal Information to a Web Site? |
Saving Information From Forms
When you fill out an online form, Form Manager normally detects the form and gives you an opportunity to save the personal data you entered into the form. Soon, Form Manager will have enough data to begin filling out forms automatically.
There are two ways to save personal data:
- Each time you submit an online form that you've filled out, Form Manager asks if you want the information saved. Click Yes. (Note: Form Manager prompts you only if its automatic notification feature is turned on.)
- After you fill out a form (but before you submit it), open the Edit menu and choose Save Form Data.
Form Manager stores your personal data on your own computer in a file that's difficult, but not impossible, for an intruder to read. See Encrypting Stored Sensitive Information for information on protecting your information with encryption technology.
To examine or edit personal data that Form Manager has saved:
- Open the Edit menu and choose Preferences.
- From the Privacy & Security category, choose Forms. (If no subcategories are visible, double-click the category to expand the list.)
- Click View Stored Form Data.
The Form Manager dialog box appears. Click the subcategories on the left to view or edit the corresponding data. To view subcategories that aren't visible, double-click a category to expand the list.
Filling Out Forms Automatically
To fill out an online form automatically:
- Go to the online form you want to fill out.
- Open the Edit menu and choose Prefill Form.
Note that the Prefill Form menu item won't be accessible if the Form Manager hasn't yet stored any relevant information.
After you choose Prefill Form, you see a Prefill Form window that shows exactly what information Form Manager is about to fill in. To prevent a field from being filled in automatically, deselect the checkbox beside it. To prevent any fields from being filled in automatically, click Cancel.
If you don't want to verify information every time you prefill a particular form, deselect the Prefill Form window option labeled "Bypass this screen when prefilling this form in the future".
Click OK to confirm your choices and fill in the form as you have specified.
Form Manager's Automatic Notification Feature
Form Manager is set to prompt you to save information whenever it detects that you have filled out an online form. To stop these messages from appearing on your screen:
- Open the Edit menu and choose Preferences.
- Under the Privacy & Security category, choose Forms. (If no subcategories are visible, double-click the category to expand the list.)
- In the Form Manager section, deselect "Save form data from web pages when completing forms."
What Happens If I Provide Personal Information to a Web Site?
If you provide personal information such as your name, phone number, or email address to a web site, it is free to store that information in its database and use it later. A web site might use this information to improve its service to you or target advertising to your interests. A web site could sell the information it has gathered to other companies.
One way to find out how a web site uses the information it gathers is to check its privacy policy.
Before providing personal information on an online form, you must decide whether or not you trust the company—just as you judge whether or not you trust a catalog company before you provide your credit card number on the company's order form.
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Encrypting Stored Sensitive Information
If you use Password Manager or Form Manager to save passwords and personal data, then this sensitive information is stored on your computer in a file that's difficult, but not impossible, for an intruder to read.
If you are not concerned about unauthorized use of your computer, you may not need further security. However, if your computer is in an area where unauthorized people have access to it, it's possible for a determined person to read the file containing your sensitive information.
For a greater degree of security, you may want to protect the file with encryption. Encryption makes it nearly impossible for an unauthorized person to view your stored sensitive information.
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In this section: Encrypting Stored Sensitive Information |
Turning on Encryption
To turn on encryption for your stored sensitive information:
- Open the Edit menu and choose Preferences.
- Under the Privacy & Security category, choose Web Passwords. (If no subcategories are visible, double-click the category to expand the list.)
- In the Encrypting versus Obscuring section, select "Use encryption when storing sensitive data."
- Click OK. If you haven't previously set a master password, a new dialog box appears and leads you through the process of setting it.
Setting a Master Password
If you choose to encrypt your stored sensitive information, you'll need a master password. With encryption selected, you'll be asked for your master password at least once during a browser session in which you access any of your stored sensitive information.
If you choose encryption, but don't already have a master password, you'll be prompted to create one the first time you try to save or retrieve your sensitive information.
If your master password has not previously been set, you can set it yourself:
- Open the Tasks menu, choose Privacy & Security, and then choose Password Manager.
- Select Change Master Password from the submenu. You see the Set Master Password dialog box.
- Enter your new master password, and retype it to confirm the spelling.
- Click OK.
Make sure your new password is difficult to guess. For some guidelines, see the online document Choosing a Good Password.
Changing Your Master Password
To change your master password:
- Open the Tasks menu, choose Privacy & Security, and then choose Password Manager.
- Select Change Master Password from the submenu. You see the Set Master Password dialog box.
- Enter your current master password (if you have previously set one).
- Enter your new master password, and retype it to confirm the spelling.
- Click OK.
Make sure your new password is difficult to guess. For some guidelines, see the online document Choosing a Good Password.
Logging Out of Your Master Password
Normally, you are asked for your master password once during each browser session during which you access any of your stored sensitive information. However, you can log out of your master password so that it must be entered again before any sensitive information can be stored or retrieved. This is useful if you are going to leave your computer unattended for a period of time.
To log out of your master password:
- Open the Tasks menu, choose Privacy & Security, and then choose Password Manager.
- Select Log Out from the submenu.
What to Do If You Forget Your Master Password
If you forget your master password, you won't be able to access any of the stored password and form data that it protects. Your master password is your most important password. Make sure you remember it or record it in a safe place.
As a last resort, it's possible to reset your master password if you are sure you can't remember it. However, resetting your master password permanently erases all the web passwords, email passwords, and form data saved on your behalf by Password Manager and Form Manager. You will also lose all your personal certificates associated with the software security device.
Before taking this drastic action, read Reset Master Password.
If you are sure you can't remember or retrieve your master password, follow these instructions to reset it:
- Open the Edit menu and choose Preferences.
- Under the Privacy & Security category, choose Master Passwords. (If no subcategories are visible, double-click the category to expand the list.)
- Click Reset Master Password.
- In the Reset Master Password dialog box, click Reset.
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Managing Profiles
If you use the Internet at home and at work, you may want to have access to a different set of bookmarks, preferences, adddress books, email accounts, My Sidebar setup, and so on. Similarly, family members may want to share share a copy of the same browser software but keep their Internet identities separate.
The Profile Manager lets you create different profiles, each with its own booksmarks, preferences, email settings, and so on. You automatically create a default profile when you first install your browser software. When you create one or more additional profiles, you will be asked which you want to use each time you launch the browser.
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Creating a New Profile
To create a profile:
- Exit the browser. It is not possible to create a new profile while the Navigator, Mail, or any other component of your browser software is running.
- Open the Profile Manager.
- On Windows, open the Start menu and choose Programs, then Netscape 6, then Profile Manager.
- On Mac OS, open the Netscape folder and then double-click the Profile Manager.
- On Linux, type the following at the command line: ./netscape -profilemanager
- Click Create Profile, read the Profile description, and then click Next.
- Enter a profile name. This can be anything you like, such as your real name or a name that's related to what you use the profile for, such as "School."
- Accept the default directory for the storage of bookmarks and other information, or choose another directory.
- If you have Language Packs or Regional Content Packs installed, click Region and choose the Language/Content set you want.
- Click Finish.
The opening screen of the Profile Manager reappears, with the new profile listed and highlighted.
To set up your browser for the new profile, click Start Netscape 6. You'll be asked to activate the new profile for use with Netscape Webmail, Netscape Instant Messenger, and custom My Netscape page. If you don't want to activate the new profile for these purposes at this time, click Cancel, and the program will open.
As you begin using the new profile, you will be asked for additional information as you perform tasks that require it—for example, checking your email.
Deleting or Renaming a Profile
You may want to delete profiles that you don't normally use. For example, if you have more than one profile available, you can't take advantage of the Quick Launch feature.
To delete or rename an existing profile:
- Exit the browser. It is not possible to create, delete, or rename a profile while the Navigator, Mail, or any other component of your browser software is running.
- Open the Profile Manager.
- On Windows, open the Start menu and choose Programs, then Netscape 6, then Profile Manager.
- On Mac OS, open the Netscape folder and then double-click the Profile Manager.
- On Linux, type the following at the command line: ./netscape -profile
- To delete a profile, select its name and click Delete Profile.
- To rename a profile, select is name, click Rename Profile, and follow the instructions.
Privacy & Security Preferences - Cookies
This section describes how to set preferences for cookies. To view the preference settings for Cookie Manager:
- Open the Edit menu and choose Preferences.
- Under the Privacy & Security category, click Cookies. (If no subcategories are visible, double-click the category to expand the list.)
Cookie Acceptance Policy
Cookie acceptance preferences allow you to control the way Navigator handles cookies:
Disable cookies: Choose this to refuse all cookies.
- Enable cookies for the originating web site only: Choose this if you don't want to accept or return foreign cookies. Cookies received through email (when the message contains a web page) are treated as foreign cookies.
- Enable all cookies: Choose this to permit all web sites to set cookies on your computer and receive them back during subsequent visits. Note: If you select this option, and later choose to reject all cookies, you may still have some older cookies stored on your computer (though no new ones will be set).
If you want to be notified when a web site tries to set a cookie, select "Warn me before storing a cookie". Click OK to confirm your new cookie settings.
View Stored Cookies
When the "Warn me before storing a cookie" option is selected in the Cookies preferences panel, you will be warned (while browsing) each time a web site requests permission to set a cookie. The warning allows you to accept or deny the cookie. The warning also allows you to select an option for your browser to "Remember this decision."
If you select "Remember this decision," you will not be warned the next time that site tries to set or modify a cookie, and your "yes" or "no" response will still be in effect.
If you wish to change a remembered response later, you can use Cookie Manager to edit your list of automatically stored cookies and the list of web sites for which you have approved or denied cookie access. To do so, click View Stored Cookies in the Cookies preferences panel.
For more information about viewing or editing cookie settings, see Using the Cookie Manager.
Privacy & Security Preferences - Images
This section describes how to set preferences for images. To view the preference settings for images:
- Open the Edit menu and choose Preferences.
- Under the Privacy & Security category, click Images. (If no subcategories are visible, double-click the category to expand the list.)
Image Acceptance Policy
Image acceptance preferences allow you to control whether Navigator displays images:
- Do not load any images. Select this if you do not want Navigator to display images.
- Accept all images. Select this if you want Navigator to display all images.
Animated images should loop
These settings control how many times animated images repeat their animation:
- As many times as the image specifies. Select this if you want image animation to repeat as many times as specified within each image.
- Once. Select this if you want image animation to occur once, overriding the number of times specified within each image.
- Never. Select this if you do not want image animation.
Privacy & Security Preferences - Forms
This section describes how to set preferences for forms. To view the preference settings for Form Manager:
- Open the Edit menu and choose Preferences.
- Under the Privacy & Security category, click Forms. (If no subcategories are visible, double-click the category to expand the list.)
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Form Manager
When you fill out an online form and click Submit, Form Manager normally displays a dialog box that asks if you want it to save the form data you just entered. If you click Yes at least some of the time, Form Manager will soon have enough data to begin filling out forms automatically.
The option labeled "Save form data from web pages when completing forms" controls this notification feature—that is, it controls whether Form Manager asks if you want to save form data when you fill in a new form. If this option is selected, Form Manager displays the dialog box every time you click a Submit button. If this option is not selected, Form Manager never asks if you want to save form data.
Note that deselecting this option turns off the notification feature, but not Form Manager. The form data it may have already collected is still available. You can still pull down the Edit menu and choose Save Form Data any time you want to save information from a form you've just filled in, or choose Prefill Form to fill in a form automatically.
For more information, see Using the Form Manager.
View Stored Form Data
To examine or edit personal data that Form Manager has saved, click View Stored Form Data. After the Form Manager window appears, you can double-click a category to view its subcategories, and click a subcategory to view its data. You can also add or change form data in this window.
View Sites
If the Form Manager notification feature described above is turned on, Form Manager allows you to choose whether it should save the form data you enter at a particular site. But what if you change your mind later? For example, you might have selected "Never for this site" in response to the question and decide later that you want Form Manager to save form data for that site after all.
Form Manager lets you change your mind at any time. To view or site-specific information about your saved form data, click View Sites.
In the resulting Form Manager window, the Forms Never Previewed tab lists all sites for which you selected "Bypass this screen when prefilling this form in the future" after choosing Prefill Form from the Edit menu. The Forms Never Saved tab lists all sites for which you selected "Never for this site" in response to the Form Manager's request to store form data.
To remove a site from either list, select one or more entries and click Remove. If you remove an entry from the Forms Never Previewed tab, Form Manager will again preview those forms the next time you attempt to prefill them. If you remove an entry from the Forms Never Saved tab, Form Manager will again ask to store form data when you fill in forms at that site.
For more information, see Using the Form Manager.
9/07/2001
Copyright © 1994-2001 Netscape Communications Corporation.