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If every website signs you out after a computer restart, the most likely cause is that your browser is deleting cookies or other site data when it closes. Cookies commonly hold the browser-side token that tells a site you have already authenticated. Microsoft describes Edge’s delete-on-close behavior plainly: “This signs you out of most sites.” Check clear-on-exit settings first, then rule out Guest or private browsing, work or school policies, damaged profiles, extensions, and cleanup software. The steps below help you identify which layer is removing your sessions without deleting passwords or reinstalling the browser prematurely.
What is being lost when all websites sign you out?
A website normally keeps you signed in with a session cookie or related site-storage record. After you enter a password, the service gives the browser a token. On later visits, the browser sends that token back, so you do not have to authenticate again. Mozilla explains that cookies can store login status and that Firefox can be configured to delete them when the browser closes.
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Your saved password and your active login are separate. A password manager or the browser’s password store may still offer your credentials after a restart even though the session cookie has disappeared. This is why you can see a username filled in yet still be asked for a password or a security code.
A computer restart closes the browser as part of shutting down. If the browser is set to clear cookies on exit, the same deletion occurs whether you close the browser manually, sign out of the operating system, install an update that restarts it, or restart the computer. When unrelated sites all lose their sessions at the same time, shared browser storage is a stronger suspect than individual account settings.
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First check: clear-on-exit settings
Microsoft Edge
- Open Edge’s Settings.
- Choose Privacy, search, and services.
- Under Clear browsing data, select Choose what to clear every time you close the browser.
- Turn Cookies and other site data off. Leave other categories enabled only if you deliberately want them removed.
- Close Edge normally, reopen it, sign in to one test site, and restart the computer to verify the change.
Deleting cookies on close is useful on a shared or public computer, but it intentionally ends most web sessions. If you want automatic cleanup without signing out everywhere, keep cookies and other site data while clearing less sensitive items, or use per-site exceptions where Edge provides them.
Mozilla Firefox
- Open the Firefox menu and select Settings.
- Open Privacy & Security.
- Review the history and cookie controls. Look for automatic deletion of cookies or site data when Firefox closes.
- If Custom history settings are selected, inspect each deletion option rather than assuming the standard setting applies.
- Check whether Firefox is configured to use private browsing permanently; that mode does not preserve ordinary sessions in the same way as a normal window.
Firefox can also retain cookies generally while deleting selected categories or individual site data. If only one service is affected, inspect that site’s exception rather than changing global privacy settings.
Google Chrome
Chrome’s normal profile is designed to retain cookies across restarts unless a setting, extension, or administrator policy removes them. Review its privacy and site-data controls for any option that deletes cookies when all windows close. If the setting is unavailable, keeps reverting, or is marked as managed, skip to the policy section below.
Make sure you are using a normal browser profile
Guest mode
Chrome Guest mode deletes browsing activity when the guest session ends. It is intended for temporary use, not for accounts that must remain signed in. A restart ends that temporary context, so all sessions disappear by design.
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Private or incognito windows
Private windows in Firefox, Chrome, Edge, and similar modes keep their storage temporary. Closing the final private window generally removes its cookies. Sign in through a regular window when you need a session to survive a restart. A private window can still be useful for a one-time task, but it should not be the test environment for persistent logins.
Profile switching
Browsers can have multiple profiles, each with its own cookies, extensions, and settings. Confirm that the profile shown in the browser menu is the one you normally use. A shortcut, taskbar icon, or managed launch command may open a different profile after reboot, making familiar sites appear signed out even though the original profile still contains its sessions.
Could a work or school policy be deleting cookies?
On an organization-managed computer, an administrator can enforce browser behavior that overrides your visible preferences. Microsoft documents an Edge policy named ClearBrowsingDataOnExit, which can delete browsing data whenever Edge closes. Microsoft also documents SaveCookiesOnExit, the policy used to preserve cookies. Google documents administrative controls for Chrome that can delete cookies and other site data on close.
Policy symptoms include a setting that is greyed out, a message saying the browser is managed, or a choice that returns to its old value after every restart. You may also see the same behavior on multiple browsers if your organization manages them centrally.
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- Open the browser’s settings and look for a “managed by your organization” notice or policy page.
- Record which browser, profile, and data categories are affected.
- Do not try to bypass a company or school control on a managed device.
- Ask the administrator whether a clear-on-exit policy is intentional and whether an approved exception is available.
If the computer belongs to an employer or school, an administrator’s answer is the only reliable way to distinguish a deliberate policy from a local configuration error.
Use the symptom pattern to narrow the cause
| What you observe | Most likely area | Next check |
|---|---|---|
| Every site signs out after any browser close or computer restart | Global cookie deletion or an enforced policy | Clear-on-exit controls, then managed-browser settings |
| Only one site signs out | That site’s security policy, cookie exception, or account setting | Inspect the site’s stored data and account security options |
| Sessions vanish only from Guest or private windows | Temporary browsing mode | Use the normal profile for persistent accounts |
| Settings look correct but revert after reboot | Organization policy, extension, or cleanup utility | Check management status, then isolate extensions and other software |
| One browser works while another loses sessions | Browser-specific profile or setting | Compare cookie controls and create a clean profile in the affected browser |
The scope matters. A single-site failure is usually not evidence that the whole browser is clearing data. A simultaneous sign-out from email, shopping, social, and work sites points to a shared storage event.
Isolate extensions, security software, and cleanup tools
When clear-on-exit settings and profile mode are correct, another program may be deleting browser data. Privacy extensions, antivirus suites, system “cleaners,” and browser-maintenance tools can be configured to remove cookies at shutdown. Cookie-cleaning utilities are especially counterproductive when your goal is persistent sign-in.
Test with extensions disabled
- Open the browser’s extensions or add-ons manager.
- Disable extensions that advertise privacy protection, tracking cleanup, automatic history deletion, or session management. Do not uninstall them yet.
- Sign in to two unrelated sites in the normal profile.
- Close the browser, restart the computer, and test those sites.
- If the sessions survive, re-enable extensions one at a time and repeat the restart until the offending extension is identified.
Changing one variable at a time prevents a false conclusion. If the problem persists with every extension disabled, restore the extensions and continue with the profile test.
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- FAST & CONVENIENT LOGIN: Plug in your Security Key NFC via USB-A and tap it, or tap it against your phone (NFC) to authenticate. No batteries, no internet connection, and no extra fees required.
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Review security and cleanup software
Check the schedules and shutdown actions of antivirus, privacy, and cleanup applications. Look specifically for options that erase browser cookies, site data, history, or “privacy traces” when Windows or the browser exits. Temporarily pause only the relevant browser-cleaning feature, then perform one controlled restart. Keep real-time malware protection enabled unless the software vendor or your administrator gives you a safer diagnostic procedure.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Create a clean profile before reinstalling anything
A temporary clean profile separates a damaged profile from a browser-wide problem. It does not require deleting your existing profile.
- Create a new browser profile using the browser’s profile menu.
- Do not import extensions or browsing data during the initial test.
- Open a normal, non-private window in that profile.
- Sign in to two unrelated sites.
- Close the browser and restart the computer.
- Check whether both sessions remain.
If the clean profile preserves logins, the original profile likely has a setting, extension, corrupted storage record, or profile-specific policy causing the deletion. Move to the clean profile gradually, adding only essential extensions and settings so you can identify the change that reintroduces the problem.
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If the clean profile also loses every session, the cause is more likely a global browser policy, an external cleanup program, or a system environment shared by profiles. Compare a second browser. If the second browser retains cookies, concentrate on the first browser’s policies and installation. If both browsers clear sessions, investigate organization management or system-wide cleanup software before considering a reinstall.
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- POWERFUL SECURITY KEY: The Security Key C NFC is the essential physical passkey for protecting your digital life from phishing attacks. It ensures only you can access your accounts.
- WORKS WITH 1000+ ACCOUNTS: Compatible with Google, Microsoft, and Apple. A single Security Key C NFC secures 100 of your favorite accounts, including email, password managers, and more.
- FAST & CONVENIENT LOGIN: Plug in your Security Key C NFC via USB-C and tap it, or tap it against your phone (NFC) to authenticate. No batteries, no internet connection, and no extra fees required.
- TRUSTED PASSKEY TECHNOLOGY: Uses the latest passkey standards (FIDO2/WebAuthn & FIDO U2F) but does not support One-Time Passwords. For complex needs, check out the YubiKey 5 Series.
Check per-site cookie exceptions and account security
Browsers can allow or block cookies on a site-by-site basis. A blocked or immediately deleted cookie can affect one service while every other site works normally. In the affected browser, open the site’s permissions or stored-data panel and confirm that cookies are allowed for the site and any authentication domains it uses.
Some services intentionally require a fresh sign-in after a password change, security alert, device change, or administrator-set session lifetime. Those controls are independent of the browser’s cookie retention. If one account signs out while unrelated sites remain signed in, review that service’s security activity, trusted-device list, and “remember me” choice. Do not weaken multi-factor authentication merely to avoid a sign-in prompt.
Preserve privacy without losing every login
Keeping cookies across restarts is a convenience and a security trade-off. Anyone who can use your operating-system account or unlocked browser may be able to open sites that still have active sessions. On a personal, protected computer, persistent cookies are usually expected. On a shared computer, clearing them on exit or using a separate operating-system account may be appropriate.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors- Use the browser’s normal profile only on a device you control.
- Lock the operating system when you step away.
- Use private or guest browsing for temporary visitors and expect those sessions to disappear.
- Prefer per-site deletion or exceptions when you need to protect a sensitive account without signing out of everything else.
- Keep multi-factor authentication enabled for important services.
A practical order of operations
- Confirm whether all sites or only one site are affected.
- In Edge, disable Cookies and other site data under Choose what to clear every time you close the browser; in Firefox, review Privacy & Security and custom history deletion; in Chrome, inspect equivalent site-data controls.
- Verify that you are not using Guest, private, or incognito browsing and that the expected profile opens after reboot.
- Check for a managed-browser notice or settings controlled by an employer or school.
- Run one restart with relevant extensions disabled.
- Check antivirus, privacy, and cleanup software for browser-data deletion at shutdown.
- Test a clean browser profile and, if needed, a second browser.
- Only after these tests consider repairing or reinstalling the browser, and back up any locally stored data you need first.
This sequence starts with reversible settings and uses controlled comparisons. It avoids deleting the profile, passwords, or bookmarks before you know what is removing the session cookies.
When the problem is fixed
Sign in to two unrelated sites, close the browser normally, restart the computer, and test again. Repeat once with a full shutdown and power-on if that is how the problem originally appeared. Then confirm that your browser still blocks unwanted third-party tracking according to your chosen privacy level, because preserving first-party login cookies does not require accepting every kind of web storage.
If sessions survive in the normal profile after these checks, the root cause was a deletion rule or temporary browsing context rather than a failure of your accounts. If they still disappear in a clean profile across browsers, provide your administrator or security-software support team with the exact symptom, browser versions, profile type, and whether settings are locked; those details identify policy enforcement much faster than repeatedly resetting passwords.
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