Cookie Policy Generator
Generate a cookie policy listing each cookie category you use, what it does and how long it lasts.
What is Cookie Policy?
A cookie policy generator. It explains the cookies a site sets in categories a reader can understand, with a typical retention period for each, and keeps the strictly-necessary group clearly separate from the ones that require consent. It is the document the consent banner points at.
How it works
Each cookie category you tick becomes its own section describing what those cookies do and how long they typically last; your overall retention figure fills the management section. The third-party section names the categories of provider that set cookies through your site — analytics, advertising, embeds, payments — and states that those providers are controllers of what they collect.
- Fill in the details the document needs. Business name, jurisdiction, dates, the clauses that apply to you. Nothing is uploaded and no account is created — the form is the only input, and the document is assembled in the page.
- Watch the blanks, not just the text. Any field you leave empty appears in the document as [[a highlighted marker]], and the panel above the output lists exactly which blanks are left. A half-finished policy should never look finished.
- Copy or download, then have it reviewed. Copy the document to the clipboard or download it as a .md file named for what it is. Every page states the same thing: this is a template, and it needs a qualified lawyer's eye before you publish or sign it.
Examples
A privacy policy for a side project
A solo developer shipping a newsletter signup needs a policy that says what is collected, why, and how to ask for deletion. Selecting the categories actually collected — rather than copying a competitor's list — takes two minutes and produces a document that is true.
Terms of service with a real liability cap
The liability clause is written from a number you supply instead of being left as "our total liability is limited to [amount]". A cap that is never filled in is a clause no one can rely on.
A DMCA notice a provider will actually action
A takedown that is missing the URL of the original work, or the statement under penalty of perjury, is one the service provider is entitled to ignore. Every required element appears in the generated letter, in the order the statute describes.
A DPA for a new vendor
Processors, security measures, breach notification window, transfers and audit rights as one document, with the subprocessor and SCC clauses switched on because this vendor uses both.
Common mistakes
Publishing a template without reading it
A policy that promises something you do not do — deleting data on request within 30 days, or never sharing data with third parties — is worse than no policy, because it is a documented misstatement. Read every clause against what actually happens and cut the ones that do not apply.
Assuming one document covers every jurisdiction
A privacy policy written for the UK does not automatically satisfy California, Brazil or Canada, and an employment clause that is standard in one country can be unenforceable in another. Name the jurisdiction you are actually writing for, and check the rules that follow from it.
Bundling consent and calling it consent
A single "I agree" covering marketing, analytics, photographs and treatment is not valid consent under most regimes, because consent has to be specific and separately given. Use one form per purpose, and never pre-tick the optional boxes.
Leaving the blanks in after generating
The marker can be more subtle to spot in a document than on the page — search the pasted text for the bracket characters before publishing, or use the missing-field list to confirm it is empty.
Frequently asked questions
Which cookies count as strictly necessary?
The ones without which the service the visitor asked for does not work: session state, security tokens, load balancing, and the record of the consent choice itself. Almost everything else — analytics, preferences, advertising — is not necessary and needs consent.
What about local storage, pixels and SDKs?
They raise the same question and are covered by the same rules as cookies in most regimes, so list them alongside the cookies rather than treating them as exempt because they are not technically cookies.
How do I find out what cookies my site actually sets?
Load the site in a fresh browser profile with the developer tools network panel open and look at the Set-Cookie response headers and document.cookie, including third-party frames. Repeat for each consent state, because a marketing pixel should only appear after consent.