How can I delete a cookie using JavaScript?

General Discussions
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1

I have a function for creating a cookie, and I want to know if it’s correct. Additionally, how can I delete the cookie at the beginning of my program? I’m looking for a simple way to javascript delete cookie.

Here’s my code for creating the cookie:

function setCookie(c_name, value, days) {
  document.cookie = c_name + "=" + escape(value);
}

setCookie('cookie_name', mac);

And for deleting the cookie, I tried:

function eraseCookie(c_name) {
  createCookie(c_name, "", -1);
}

Is this the right approach, or is there a more efficient way to delete cookies in JavaScript?

2

Been in web development for over a decade, and honestly, the classic trick still works best for me. If you want to javascript delete cookie, the most reliable way is to set it with an expired date. Here’s a simple method I always recommend:

function deleteCookie(name) {
  document.cookie = name + "=; expires=Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 UTC; path=/;";
}

You’re on the right track if you’re doing something like this. Just make sure the path matches how the cookie was initially set — otherwise, you might think you deleted it, but it’ll still linger. For javascript delete cookie across your whole site, this is really the go-to move.

3

Been working with multi-domain web apps for years — small tip: watch the path and domain." Building on @ishrth_fathima’s point, sometimes a javascript delete cookie doesn’t work because the domain and path aren’t exactly matched. Even if you set the expiry correctly, mismatch here means the cookie survives. Here’s a version I use when my app spans folders or subdomains:

function deleteCookieExact(name) {
  document.cookie = name + "=; path=/; domain=" + window.location.hostname + "; expires=Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 UTC;";
}

Manually specifying the domain can really save you headaches. For javascript delete cookie to actually succeed, matching exactly how the cookie was originally set is critical.

4

Having handled tons of frontend projects, I realized keeping cookie handling consistent saves a lot of trouble later.

Adding to @tim-khorev’s advice — it gets even cleaner if you wrap it all in helper functions. If you’re using a createCookie() function (which you hinted at), you can also design a neat pair for setting and deleting cookies. Here’s how I handle javascript delete cookie consistently:

function eraseCookie(name) {
  setCookie(name, "", -1);
}

function setCookie(name, value, days) {
  var date = new Date();
  date.setTime(date.getTime() + (days*24*60*60*1000));
  document.cookie = name + "=" + escape(value) + "; expires=" + date.toUTCString() + "; path=/";
}

This way, your set and delete operations behave predictably — less bug hunting later. Plus, managing javascript delete cookie with utilities like this scales better as your project grows.