As many affiliate marketers will be aware, cookies are quite important to their business. It is quite common to test links to merchants and then check your cookies to make sure the link is functioning properly. I was doing this myself just the other day when I decided to try and find the cookie directory on Windows Vista. As it took quite a few google searches I thought I would list the directories and explain the difference as no one seems terribly clear on it.

Finding Cookies 

Firstly lets look at where they used to be on Windows XP machines :

C:\documents and settings\[username]\Cookies

Now taking this a step forward or backwards, as Vista has done with many things, they are now located here

C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Cookies\

and

C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Cookies\Low\

Most of the cookies you are looking for are located in the low folder, meaning “lower privileged” application cookie store. So for things like Internet Explorer you will find them here.

I can’t see no cookies!

To see the cookie folder you need to uncheck ‘Hide protected operating system files’ from the folder tools dialog. Access this by opening any folder, hold down Alt, select Tools, select Folder Options, select View Tab and then half way down the list, uncheck ‘Hide….

Deleting Cookies

Remember if you wish to delete a single cookie rather than all the cookies, go to the relevant folder above, find the cookie with the domain name you wish to delete, this may be happy@domain.com and happy@www.domain.com and similarly for every subdomain you have visited at the site so make sure you find the right one. Delete the file from the folder, and then close and re-open Internet Explorer as if you don’t perform this step, and visit the site again, chances are the cookie will still be there as it is cached in it’s internal DB.

My favourite cookies

It is a fact the Marks and Spencers make the best cookies, if you hang around the shop and wait for the in-store bakery to make them, mmm, better than hot muffins.

Bookmark to: