How Google uses cookies
This page describes the purposes for which Google uses cookies and similar technologies. It also explains how Google and our partners use cookies in advertising.
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 the site more useful to you. Similar technologies, including unique identifiers used to identify an app or device, pixel tags, and local storage, can perform the same function. Cookies and similar technologies as described throughout this page can be used for the purposes described below.
See the Privacy Policy to learn how we protect your privacy in our use of cookies and other information.
Purposes of cookies and similar technologies used by Google
Google may store or use some or all of the cookies or similar technologies in your browser, app, or device for the purposes described below. To manage how cookies are used, including rejecting the use of cookies for certain purposes, you can visit g.co/privacytools. You can also manage cookies in your browser (though browsers for mobile devices may not offer this visibility). Some of these technologies may be managed in your device settings or in an app’s settings.
Functionality
Cookies and similar technologies used for functionality purposes allow you to access features that are fundamental to a service. These cookies are used in order to deliver and maintain Google services. Things considered fundamental to a service include remembering choices and preferences, like your choice of language; storing information relating to your session, such as the content of a shopping cart; enabling features or performing tasks requested by you; and product optimizations that help maintain and improve that service.
Some cookies and similar technologies are used to maintain your preferences. For example, most people who use Google services have a cookie called ‘NID’ or ‘_Secure-ENID’ in their browsers, depending on their cookie choices. These cookies are used to remember your preferences and other information, such as your preferred language, how many results you prefer to have shown on a search results page (for example, 10 or 20), and whether you want to have Google’s SafeSearch filter turned on. Each ‘NID’ cookie expires 6 months from a user’s last use, while the ‘_Secure-ENID’ cookie lasts for 13 months. Cookies called ‘VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE’ and ‘__Secure-YEC’ serve a similar purpose for YouTube and are also used to detect and resolve problems with the service. These cookies last for 6 months and for 13 months, respectively.
Other cookies and similar technologies are used to maintain and enhance your experience during a specific session. For example, YouTube uses the ‘PREF’ cookie to store information such as your preferred page configuration and playback preferences like explicit autoplay choices, shuffle content, and player size. For YouTube Music, these preferences include volume, repeat mode, and autoplay. This cookie expires 8 months from a user’s last use. The cookie ‘pm_sess’ also helps maintain your browser session and lasts for 30 minutes.
Cookies and similar technologies may also be used to improve the performance of Google services. For example, the ‘CGIC’ cookie improves the delivery of search results by autocompleting search queries based on a user’s initial input. This cookie lasts for 6 months.
Google uses the ‘SOCS’ cookie, which lasts for 13 months, to store a user’s state regarding their cookies choices.
Security
Google uses cookies and similar technologies for security purposes to protect you as you interact with a service by authenticating users, protecting against spam, fraud and abuse, and tracking outages.
The cookies and similar technologies used to authenticate users help ensure that only the actual owner of an account can access that account. For example, cookies called ‘SID’ and ‘HSID’ contain digitally signed and encrypted records of a user’s Google Account ID and most recent sign-in time. The combination of these cookies allows Google to block many types of attack, such as attempts to steal the content of forms submitted in Google services. These cookies last for 2 years.
Some cookies and similar technologies are used to detect spam, fraud, and abuse. For example, the ‘pm_sess’ and ‘YSC’ cookies ensure that requests within a browsing session are made by the user, and not by other sites. These cookies prevent malicious sites from acting on behalf of a user without that user’s knowledge. The ‘pm_sess’ cookie lasts for 30 minutes, while the ‘YSC’ cookie lasts for the duration of a user’s browsing session. The ‘__Secure-YEC’ and ‘AEC’ cookies are used to detect spam, fraud, and abuse to help ensure advertisers are not incorrectly charged for fraudulent or otherwise invalid impressions or interactions with ads, and that YouTube creators in the YouTube Partner Program are remunerated fairly. The ‘AEC’ cookie lasts for 6 months and the ‘__Secure-YEC’ cookie lasts for 13 months.
Analytics
Google uses cookies and similar technologies for analytical purposes to understand how you interact with a particular service. These cookies and similar technologies help collect data that allows us to measure audience engagement and site statistics. This helps us to understand how services are used, and to enhance their content, quality and features, while also allowing us to develop and improve new services.