What are cookies and how do I manage them?
The following article will cover the basics of cookies, from what they are to how to manage them. Our cookies are also inherently linked to our privacy policy, which you can consult here.
Are you experiencing issues while using Ecosia, for example with your personal counter or with your settings? The problem is most likely in connection with your cookies.
In this article you can find:
What are cookies?
Cookies are small pieces of text sent to your browser by a website you visit. They help that website remember information about your visit, which can both make it easier to visit the site again and make it more useful to you.
There are two types of cookies:
- First-party cookies: Created by the site you visit. The site is shown in the address bar.
- Third-party cookies: Created by other sites. A site you visit can embed content from other sites, for example images, ads or text. Any of these sites can save cookies and other data to personalize your experience.
How does Ecosia use cookies?
Ecosia uses cookies, for example, to store your settings, ensure that the product functions properly or also to customize your experience. This manifests itself in a variety of ways, like knowing in which language to display our pages to you or even being able to keep your personal counter updated!
The first-party cookies can be further split into two categories, namely essential and non-essential.
- Essential cookies: Required in order for Ecosia to function properly. This would include, for example, language settings.
- Non-essential cookies: These cookies must be explicitly opted in to. They help us to offer additional services, improve our ads on social media and identify where we need to improve our answers. A complete list of non-essential cookies is featured just a little further down.
This is what our cookie notification looks like:
When you press on “Manage cookies”, you see the following menu, where you can set your preferences in terms of which cookies you would like to allow:
For markets where Google results are available, you will see the following menu:
Not selecting the Google cookie will mean that you will receive Bing results, which has been the main search provider since Ecosia’s beginning. Please consult an in-depth description of the differences between the two experiences on Ecosia on our privacy policy.
Why did my cookies get deleted?
You may have noticed your cookies were deleted, for example, if the cookie notice comes up again upon opening the browser window or if your personal counter has reset. There are several reasons why cookies may have been deleted. However, these are the four most common:
- Browser history is deleted
- Incognito mode is used
- Anti-virus software routinely deletes cookies
- Browser deletes cookies each time it is closed
How can I delete / manage cookies?
Cookie settings can generally be accessed within a few clicks. However, cookie management on desktop browsers differs slightly from cookie management on Ecosia’s mobile apps. Please follow the links below for useful guides.
Just a note that clearing cookies will delete your personal counter. Before you do anything with cookies, please ensure that you have enabled synchronization. That way, you can get your personal counter right back!
On desktop browsers:
On the android mobile app:
On Android, cookies can be both managed and deleted directly within the Ecosia app itself. For both procedures, first follow the next two steps to access the settings menu - Three dots → Settings:
To delete, go to Privacy → Clear browsing data, then select your desired options:
To manage cookies, go to Site settings → Cookies, then select your preferences:
On the iOS mobile app:
To delete, click on the three dots, go to Settings → Data Management, then select your desired options:
