Cookie Expiration Settings: New "Session" Option

Summary

We’ve updated the cookie settings to give you more control over how long a visitor’s consent is remembered. You can now choose between keeping consent for a specific number of days or having the browser forget it as soon as the visitor closes their browser.

What’s New?

Previously, cookies could only expire after a specific number of days (like 30 or 365).

Now, you have two options:

1. Number of Days
   The browser remembers the visitor’s choice for a set amount of time, even if they close and reopen their browser.
2. SESSION
   The browser remembers the visitor’s choice only while the browser is open. Once they close the browser, the choice is forgotten.

What Each Setting Means

Below are the cookie expiration settings you will see. Each one controls how long a specific choice is remembered.

• Cookie expiration for the Settings cookie
  Controls how long the website remembers that a visitor opened or saved their cookie settings.
• Cookie expiration for the Accept button
  Controls how long the website remembers that a visitor accepted cookies.
• Cookie expiration for the Decline button
  Controls how long the website remembers that a visitor declined cookies.
• Cookie expiration for the Cancel button
  Controls how long the website remembers that a visitor dismissed the banner without making a choice.

Each of these settings can use either a number of days or <strong>SESSION</strong>.

How it Works

Option A: Number of Days (Standard Behavior)

If you enter a number (for example, 30), the cookie lasts for that many days.

Example behavior:
A visitor accepts cookies, closes their browser, and comes back 5 days later.
The website still remembers their choice because the 30 days have not passed yet.

Option B: SESSION (Temporary Behavior)

If you enter SESSION, the cookie only lasts until the browser is closed.

Example behavior:
A visitor accepts cookies and browses your site.
They close their browser.
When they visit again later, the website treats them like a new visitor and asks for consent again.

Why Use the SESSION Option?

• Better privacy
  No long-lasting data is kept on the visitor’s device.
• Policy and compliance flexibility
  Helpful when internal policies or regulations require cookies to stop when the user leaves.
• Short-term decisions
  Useful if you only want to remember a choice for the current visit.

How to Force Re-consent After Policy Changes

If you update your Privacy Policy (e.g., adding new analytics tools or tracking scripts), you may need all visitors to see the banner again to provide fresh consent, even if they have previously accepted or declined cookies for 365 days.

Instead of switching to SESSION (which forgets consent every time), you can simply "reset" the consent memory once.

The Solution: Rename the Cookies

The plugin identifies returning users by reading specific cookie names stored in their browser. By changing these names in the plugin settings, the browser will treat all visitors as "new", prompting them to make a choice again.

Steps to follow:

1. Navigate to Plugin Settings > Base Settings tab.
2. Locate the following fields:
   • Cookie Name (Accepted)
   • Cookie Name (Declined)
   • Cookie Name (Cancelled)
3. Change the names by adding a suffix, such as the year or a version number.

Example Configuration:

• Old Name: cpnbCookiesDeclined
• New Name: cpnbCookiesDeclined2026

Once saved, visitors who had the old cookie will no longer match the new name. The banner will appear immediately on their next visit, ensuring everyone consents to your latest policy.