Overview

The Cookie Manager identifies, organizes, and controls cookies on your website. It scans your site to discover cookies, categorizes them by purpose, and enforces consent rules through auto-blocking.

Cookie Discovery

Consently automatically scans your website to detect cookies and tracking technologies. Scans run weekly by default, ensuring your cookie list stays current as you add new tools or third-party services. You can trigger manual scans anytime to immediately detect new cookies.

Each scan catalogs:

  • Cookie names and domains

  • Expiration periods

  • Vendor information

  • Presence across your site pages

Cookie Organization

Discovered cookies are organized into six categories:

  • Essential — Required for core site functionality (security, network management, accessibility)

  • Analytics — Track site usage and visitor behavior

  • Performance — Measure and improve site performance

  • Advertising — Enable targeted ads and marketing

  • Social — Power social media integrations and sharing

  • Unclassified — Newly detected cookies awaiting categorization

Managing cookies involves reviewing each detected cookie, assigning it to the appropriate category, and providing descriptions for your preference center. Proper cookie categorization ensures visitors see accurate information and can make informed consent choices.

Consent Enforcement

The Cookie Manager enforces visitor consent through auto-blocking. Essential cookies load immediately, while non-essential cookies remain blocked until visitors grant permission. When a visitor accepts a category in your banner, Consently activates the corresponding cookies automatically.

This enforcement happens at the category level—accepting "Analytics" activates all analytics cookies, rejecting "Advertising" blocks all advertising cookies.

Scan History

The scan history maintains a record of all cookie scans with timestamps, pages scanned, cookies found, and success status. This audit trail helps you track when new cookies appear and verify your cookie list stays current.

Getting Started

Begin by running your first cookie scan to discover what cookies your website uses.

Related Topics