# Cookie Time?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cookie-time/370941>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [August 31, 2006, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cookie-time/370941 "2006-08-31T16:55:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Will\_Repair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a698b9/32.png) [@Will\_Repair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Will_Repair)\
**Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cookie-time/370941/1 "2006-08-31T16:55:24Z")

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For how long is the cookie valid when logged in with the “Remember Me” box unchecked?

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**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\
**Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cookie-time/370941/2 "2006-09-01T09:29:09Z")

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Thirty minutes? I think that’s it. Something like that.

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**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\
**Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cookie-time/370941/3 "2006-09-01T12:56:48Z")

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Is it even time limited? Most sites will install what is known as a “session cookie” – it will work until you close the browser, whether 5 minutes or 5 hours later.  
It’s technically possible to limit a session cookie, but this is usually not done except for very sensitive sites (e.g., some webmails – Yahoo does, GMail doesn’t, you can stay logged in to GMail for days as long as the browser stays open)

However I have no idea how VBulletin, specifically, works.

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**Author:** ![MizGrand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cdc98d/32.png) [@MizGrand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MizGrand)\
**Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cookie-time/370941/4 "2006-09-01T14:03:27Z")

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Every time I click on the tab I set up in my “start group” (the SDMB page loads along with Yahoo!, Yahoo! mail and my AOL mail) I’m already logged in. This is no matter what, meaning I’ve shut down and restarted, I’ve logged off the 'net or I’ve cold-booted. No matter what.

Unless I’ve cleaned my temp files and deleted cookies I’m always already logged in.

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**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\
**Post date:** [September 2, 2006, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cookie-time/370941/5 "2006-09-02T13:16:45Z")

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I don’t know about cookies… there have been squirrel problems reported lately.