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How to fix the “Cookie Too Big” Error
“Cookie Too Big” or the request header error can occur on any browser. This kind of error happens when the server finds the cookie of the domain you are visiting to be too large.
The browser you are using does not matter. The error will trouble you if it is not fixed. Whether you are using Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Microsoft Edge, you will encounter this error at some point.
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What is the Cookie Too Big Error?
Cookie too big error is a type of HTTP error. It is denoted as ”HTTP Error 400” and arises when the browser fails to acknowledge your request, or it accessed the request incorrectly.
In this error, the request gets ruined on the way. The main causes for this error include:
- Oversized Cookie.
- Websites that use the software are programmed to use cookies up to a specific size. If the cookie size exceeds the prescribed size, you will encounter the “400 Bad Request. Request Header or Cookie Too Large”.
- The cookie size is too big to be accessed by the software.
- Corrupted Cookie.
In some cases, the cookie might be corrupted by external factors. This corruption may also lead to the error.
What Are Cookies?
You might be asking yourself, “what are cookies?” Before we discuss how to deal with the error, let us look at the cookies first.
It is also apparent that in your browsing the internet, you have come across pop-ups reading: “This site uses cookies to improve your experience.”
You can think of cookies as small files that contain data in the form of text stored on the browser. So, why do websites use cookies?
Cookies enable websites to keep track of users who frequently visit the site and the features they regularly visit. As a result, whenever you visit the website and access that specific feature, it will take less time to process.
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Are There Different Types of Cookies?
You will encounter four main types of cookies:
1. Session Cookies
These are temporary and short term in nature and only exist until the browser is closed. Popular on ecommerce sites where they are used to improve user experience. These cookies only control the elements on the page that the user sees while visiting a website with several pages.
They pose fewer security threats.
2. Persistent Cookies
These are long term cookies with an expiration date. Unlike session cookies, they exist even after the browser has been closed.
Persistent cookies can track your activities on other websites using the same cookie. This process enables search engines like Google to create a user log.
You must have come across a pop up that says “Remember me” after you login. This the persistent cookie used to store your login information.
These cookies pose a higher security risk since they have the capability of tracking your activities across several web pages.
3. First Party Cookies
First Party Cookies are cookies that are created by the developers of the website you are visiting. These cookies are directly linked with the web page you are currently visiting.
4. Third-Party Cookies
Third-party cookies are not added by the domain you are visiting at the moment. They are added by other domains hence referred to as third party cookies.
They are incredibly insecure and are accompanied by security concerns and privacy risks.
How to Fix “Cookie Too Big” Error on Browser
Server errors that appear on the websites you visit can be very irritating. But these errors are often temporary as website owners usually fix it.
However, if the error persists for more than three hours, there might be something wrong on your side. The good news is, you can fix this error by clearing cookies for that specific domain.
Here is how you can clear cookies for specific domains in various browsers.
Google Chrome
Follow these steps to clear cookies for a specific website in the Google Chrome browser.
1. On your browser, go to Settings> Show Advanced Settings > Privacy>Content Settings.
2. You will see a new pop up screen.
3. Here, click on Cookies.
4. Then click on “All cookies and site data.”
5. Under all cookies and site data, find your domain and remove cookies.
6. Restart Google Chrome browser and open the website. You will not get the error anymore.
Firefox
Firefox can also show the “Cookie Too Big” error. Use the following procedure to fix the error on your Firefox browser.
1. Open Options > Privacy.
2. Under Privacy, click on History.
3. Select “Remove individual cookies.”
4. Then, search for the domain that is giving you the error and eliminate all cookies related to the site.
5. Finally, restart your Firefox browser and open the website, the cookie too big error should no longer show up.
Microsoft Edge
Microsoft Edge does not allow its users to remove cookies from any specific website. You are therefore forced to get rid of the whole browsing history along with cache and cookies.
To do that:
1. Click on 3-lines hub.
2. Click on History.
3. Your full browsing history will open up.
4. Select the items you want to clear, for instance, browsing history, cookies, cached data, download history, passwords, and media licenses, among others.
5. Once cleared, restart your browser and the changes will take effect.
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Use Third-Party Tools
Several third-party tools can save you the trouble of manually sorting things out. These tools enable the user to manage cookies for all browsers from one place.
Even though the manual steps are rather easy to follow and implement, some people prefer shortcuts. Therefore, they will need the services of a third party like CookieSpy to manage their browsers’ cookies. CookieSpy can get rid of the “Cookie Too Big” error.
In a nutshell, Cookies are both useful and harmful to the user if not correctly used. The do-it -yourself knowledge on how to deal with server errors is very vital.
Numerous users are browsing the internet every second of every day. Knowledge of how to solve some of the issues on your own will improve your browsing experience.
Keep in mind there is a lot of fraud perpetrated on the internet. It is essential to be knowledgeable about matters of cookies to safeguard yourself.
