Clear Browsing History to Resolve Issues resulting from the University’s Switch from Shibboleth to Okta Authentication

On June 8, 2022, the University switched many online systems from using the older Shibboleth Single Sign-on authentication system to the newer, more versatile Okta Single Sign-on authentication system. For more information on this and what Okta is, please visit this link: https://its.uchicago.edu/sso/.

SSCS has noticed that some users have reported not being able to complete their first sign-on using Okta.

The reason for this failure has to do with leftover cookies or cache from Shibboleth in the users’ web browsers.

The fix is to delete your web browser’s browsing history.  Below are instructions for how to do this.

NOTE: Clearing your cookies will log you out of all websites you are logged into. Be sure that you remember, can reset, and/or have your passwords stored securely via a password manager. 

Windows
In Google Chrome
  1. On your computer, open Chrome
  2. At the top right, click More More.
  3. Click More tools and then Clear Browsing Data…
  4. At the top, click Advanced, then set the time range to All time. Leave only the box next to “Cookies and other site data” checked.
  5. Click Clear data.
In Mozilla Firefox
  1. Open Firefox
  2. Click the menu button Fx57Menu.
  3. Click History and then click Clear recent history….
  4. Set Time range to clear: to Everything.
  5. Ensure that only Cookies is selected.
  6. Click OK to clear all cookies and close the Clear All History window.
In Microsoft Edge
  1. In Edge, select Settings and more in the upper right corner of your browser window.
  2. Select Settings > Privacy, search, and services.
  3. Select Choose what to clear under Clear browsing data > Clear browsing data now.
  4. Under Time range, choose a time range from the list.
  5. Select only Cookies and other site data, and then select Clear now.
In Internet Explorer
  1. In Internet Explorer, select the Tools  button, point to Safety, and then select Delete browsing history.

  2. Choose the types of data or files you want to remove from your PC, and then select Delete.
Mac
In Google Chrome
  1. On your computer, open Chrome
  2. At the top right, click More More.
  3. Click More tools and then Clear Browsing Data…
  4. At the top, click Advanced, then set the time range to All time. Leave only the box next to “Cookies and other site data” checked.
  5. Click Clear data.
In Mozilla Firefox
  1. Open Firefox
  2. Click the menu button Fx57Menu.
  3. Click History and then click Clear recent history….
  4. Set Time range to clear: to Everything.
  5. Ensure that only Cookies is selected.
  6. Click OK to clear all cookies and close the Clear All History window.
In Safari
  1. Open the Safari internet browser.
  2. Click on the bolded word Safari in the top left corner of your screen.
  3. When the dropdown menu appears, click on Preferences….
  4. Click on the Privacy tab at the top of the window.
  5. Click the Manage Website Data… button toward the center of the window
  6. Click the Remove All at the bottom of the window
  7. Verify that you want to remove your cookies and click Remove Now.
  8. Click Done and close the Preferences pane.
Mobile Devices
Android — Google Chrome
  1. With the Chrome app open, locate and click the three dots on the top right, in the menubar. Click Settings in the list that pops up
  2. Click Privacy and security
  3. Click Clear browsing data
  4. Check only ‘Cookies and site data’, then click the Clear data button in the lower right corner
  5. Verify that you want to clear the data and click Clear
Android — Bundled Internet Browser

The procedure to clear the cookies in your bundled internet browser will vary across each brand’s browser, but will be similar to the one for the default Samsung Internet browser below. In general, you should open the browser and locate the settings. Cookie and browsing history will typically be found within privacy and/or security sections. Contact SSCS directly if you need assistance.

  1. With Samsung Internet open, click the three lines in the bottom right corner of the screen
  2. Click Settings in the list that pops up
  3. Locate and click Personal browsing data in the Privacy section
  4. Click Delete browsing data
  5. Check only ‘Cookies and site data,’ then click the blue Delete data button at the bottom of the screen
  6. Click Delete. You should see a popup notifying you that the cookies (your personal data) have been deleted afterward.
iOS — Google Chrome
  1. With the Chrome app open, locate and click the three dots on the top right, in the menubar. Click History in the menu
  2. A window with your recent browsing history will pop up.  Click Clear Browsing Data… in the bottom left corner
  3. Set the Time Range to ‘All Time,’ then ensure only Cookies, Site Data is checked. Click Clear Browsing Data at the bottom of the window
  4. Verify that you want to clear the data and click Clear Browsing Data again
iOS — Safari
  1. Open the Settings app
  2. Locate and click Safari in the list. Click Clear History and Website Data toward the bottom of the list that pops up.
  3. Verify that you want to clear the data and click Clear. Once complete, the Clear History and Website Data button will be greyed out.
Special Note on Cisco AnyConnect VPN App
If you are experiencing trouble getting connected to Cisco AnyConnect on a Windows machine, you may need to clear the cookies in Internet Explorer, even if Internet Explorer is not your default browser.

  1. In Internet Explorer, select the Tools  button, point to Safety, and then select Delete browsing history.
  2. Choose the types of data or files you want to remove from your PC, and then select Delete.