The Cookie Scanner helps you discover which cookies are currently being set by your Shopify store.

By scanning your storefront, the app identifies cookies, categorizes them automatically, and provides useful information such as expiration dates, providers, and descriptions. This makes it easier to understand your store's cookie usage and maintain accurate privacy disclosures.

Whether you're reviewing compliance requirements or simply keeping your cookie inventory up to date, the Cookie Scanner provides a quick starting point. ✨

⚠️ Before You Begin

Before running a cookie scan, make sure:

• GDPR EU Cookie Banner is installed and active
• Your storefront is publicly accessible
• The homepage is loading correctly

💡 The Cookie Scanner analyzes cookies returned by your storefront's homepage response.

⚠️ Cookies created by JavaScript after the page loads may not appear in scan results.

✅ Step 1: Open the Cookie Scanner

Open the GDPR EU Cookie Banner app from your Shopify Admin.

Then:

→ Click Cookie Scanner from the left-side navigation menu

Alternatively:

→ Open the Dashboard

→ Locate the Scan Cookies task

→ Click the shortcut to open the scanner directly

This opens the Cookie Scanner page where all scan-related settings and results are displayed.

✅ Step 2: Run a Manual Scan

Inside the Cookie Scanner page:

→ Locate the Cookies Found section

→ Click Re-scan

The app will:

• Connect to your storefront homepage
• Read available cookie information
• Identify detected cookies
• Categorize the results automatically

Once complete, the results table will be populated with the latest scan information.

💡 Running a new scan is recommended whenever major storefront changes are made.

📋 What Information Is Collected?

For every detected cookie, the scanner displays:

Cookie Name

The actual cookie identifier stored by the browser.

Provider

The domain or service responsible for setting the cookie.

Category

The purpose assigned to the cookie.

Examples include:

• Strictly Necessary
• Functional
• Analytics
• Marketing
• Unclassified

Expiration

Shows when the cookie expires.

This may vary depending on how the cookie is configured.

Description

Provides a short explanation of what the cookie is used for whenever available.

✅ Step 3: Review Cookie Categories

After the scan completes, cookies are grouped into categories automatically.

🔒 Strictly Necessary

These cookies are required for essential storefront functionality.

Examples may include:

• Cart functionality
• Security protection
• Session management
• Authentication processes

These cookies generally cannot be disabled without affecting the store experience.

⚙️ Functional

Functional cookies help remember visitor preferences.

Examples may include:

• Language settings
• Currency preferences
• Accessibility settings
• Storefront customization choices

These cookies help create a more personalized experience.

📊 Analytics

Analytics cookies collect information about how visitors use the storefront.

Examples may include:

• Traffic measurement
• Visitor behavior analysis
• Performance monitoring
• Usage reporting

These cookies help merchants understand store performance.

🎯 Marketing

Marketing cookies are used for advertising and promotional activities.

Examples may include:

• Retargeting
• Advertising attribution
• Conversion tracking
• Campaign measurement

These cookies help support marketing efforts across channels.

❓ Unclassified

These are cookies that the scanner could not categorize automatically.

If a cookie appears as Unclassified:

→ Review the provider

→ Research its purpose

→ Add documentation manually if required

💡 Unclassified cookies often come from custom scripts or less common integrations.

✅ Step 4: Configure Scheduled Scans (Optional)

If you'd like the app to scan automatically, you can enable scheduled scanning.

Scroll to:

Scheduled Scan

and configure your preferred schedule.

📅 Frequency

Choose how often scans should run.

Every Day

Runs a scan once every day.

Recommended for stores that frequently install new apps or scripts.

Every Week

Runs a scan once every week.

Suitable for stores with a more stable setup.

📆 Day of Week

This option appears only when Every Week is selected.

Available options include:

• Monday
• Tuesday
• Wednesday
• Thursday
• Friday
• Saturday
• Sunday

Choose the day you would like the scan to run automatically.

🕒 Time

Choose the time for the scheduled scan.

The scanner will automatically run at the selected time using the configured schedule.

💾 Save Schedule

After making changes:

→ Click Save Schedule

The new schedule becomes active immediately after saving.

💡 If no changes have been made, the Save option may remain disabled.

✅ Step 5: Review Scan Results Regularly

Cookie usage can change over time as your store evolves.

Consider running a new scan whenever you:

• Install a Shopify app
• Add tracking scripts
• Connect a marketing platform
• Modify theme code
• Update analytics tools

This helps ensure your cookie inventory remains accurate and up to date.

⚠️ Important Notes

Homepage Only

The scanner analyzes your storefront homepage only.

Cookies that appear exclusively on:

• Product pages
• Collection pages
• Cart pages
• Checkout pages

may not be detected.

JavaScript Cookies May Not Appear

The scanner reads cookie information from server responses.

Cookies created after page load through JavaScript may not appear in the results.

Examples include:

• Tracking pixels
• Analytics libraries
• Third-party scripts

Cookie Categories Are Automatic

Cookie categories are assigned using built-in detection logic.

If a cookie cannot be matched confidently, it is placed in the Unclassified category.

Scanner and Cookie Manager Are Separate

Scanning cookies does not automatically add them to your Cookie Manager inventory.

If you want a cookie documented inside Cookie Manager, it must be added manually.

🎉 Final Result

Once the scan is complete:

✅ Your storefront cookies are discovered automatically

✅ Cookies are organized into categories

✅ Expiration and provider information is available

✅ Scheduled scans can monitor future changes

✅ Cookie inventories become easier to maintain

✅ Privacy disclosures can be reviewed with greater confidence

Using the Cookie Scanner regularly helps keep your cookie records accurate and makes it easier to understand how cookies are being used throughout your storefront. 🔍

Updated on: 14/07/2026