Cookie banner
Allow users to accept or reject cookies which are not essential to making your service work.
New WCAG 2.2 criteria affect this component
To use the ‘Cookie banner’ and meet the new Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 criteria, make sure that users can successfully:
See the full list of components and patterns affected by WCAG 2.2.
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner" data-nosnippet role="region" aria-label="Cookies on [name of service]">
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__message govuk-width-container">
<div class="govuk-grid-row">
<div class="govuk-grid-column-two-thirds">
<h2 class="govuk-cookie-banner__heading govuk-heading-m">
Cookies on [name of service]
</h2>
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__content">
<p class="govuk-body">We use some essential cookies to make this service work.</p>
<p class="govuk-body">We’d also like to use analytics cookies so we can understand how you use the service and make improvements.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="govuk-button-group">
<button type="button" class="govuk-button" data-module="govuk-button">
Accept analytics cookies
</button>
<button type="button" class="govuk-button" data-module="govuk-button">
Reject analytics cookies
</button>
<a class="govuk-link" href="#">View cookies</a>
</div>
</div>
</div>
{% from "govuk/components/cookie-banner/macro.njk" import govukCookieBanner %}
{% set html %}
<p class="govuk-body">We use some essential cookies to make this service work.</p>
<p class="govuk-body">We’d also like to use analytics cookies so we can understand how you use the service and make improvements.</p>
{% endset %}
{{ govukCookieBanner({
ariaLabel: "Cookies on [name of service]",
messages: [
{
headingText: "Cookies on [name of service]",
html: html,
actions: [
{
text: "Accept analytics cookies",
type: "button"
},
{
text: "Reject analytics cookies",
type: "button"
},
{
text: "View cookies",
href: "#"
}
]
}
]
}) }}
When to use this component
Use this component if your service sets any cookies on a user’s device.
Remember, you must:
- tell users about the cookies your service sets on their device
- let users accept or reject any cookies that are not essential to providing your service
The term ‘non-essential cookies’ includes:
- HTML5 local storage
- service workers
- any other technologies that store files on the user’s device
This cookie banner and the cookies page pattern are based on the approach to getting cookie consent used on the GOV.UK website.
This component page shows several options for using a cookie banner, based on the types of cookies you’re using in the service. We also tell you what to cover in your cookie banner, with some text examples.
Before you start
Audit and categorise your cookies as shown in the cookies page pattern to help you choose the best option for your service.
You must not take the information on this page as legal advice. Your organisation is responsible and accountable for what they do to comply with data protection legislation, such as:
- Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR)
- General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
Check with your organisation’s privacy expert to see how data protection legislation affects your website and service.
How it works
Show the cookie banner every time the user accesses your service until they either:
- accept or reject cookies using the buttons in the cookie banner
- save their cookie preferences on the service’s cookies page
Once the user has accepted or rejected cookies, the cookie banner should:
- hide the cookie banner message
- show a confirmation message – and a ‘hide’ button to let the user close the banner
- set a cookie to save the user’s preferences for 1 year
Make sure the cookie banner does not:
- show when the user visits again, once their preferences have been saved
- set any non-essential cookies unless the user accepted them on a previous visit
Position the cookie banner after the opening <body>
tag and before the ’skip to main content‘ link. If you’re using the Nunjucks page template, use the bodyStart
block.
Do not make the cookie banner ‘sticky’ to the top of the page by using `position: fixed` or any other method. This is to make sure it does not cover or obscure any content which has a focus applied. This is to comply with WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.11 Focus not obscured (minimum).
Do not change the padding or margins of buttons and links within the cookie banner. This is to make sure there’s adequate space for the user to interact with the buttons and links. This relates to WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.5.8 Target size (minimum).
Option 1: If you’re only using essential cookies
You can choose not to have a cookie banner if the service only sets essential or ‘strictly necessary’ cookies, as these do not need user consent.
However, you must tell users that you set essential cookies. You can do this with a cookies page – link to this page in the footer.
Option 2: If you set non-essential cookies on the server
You can choose this option if your service sets non-essential cookies on the server – your service may also set non-essential cookies on the client.
To get consent from the user, display the cookie banner inside a form that lets them submit their choice to accept or reject cookies.
All users will be able to see the banner as this approach does not rely on JavaScript.
Here’s an example of a cookie banner inside a form:
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner" data-nosnippet role="region" aria-label="Cookies on [name of service]">
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__message govuk-width-container">
<div class="govuk-grid-row">
<div class="govuk-grid-column-two-thirds">
<h2 class="govuk-cookie-banner__heading govuk-heading-m">
Cookies on [name of service]
</h2>
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__content">
<p class="govuk-body">We use some essential cookies to make this service work.</p>
<p class="govuk-body">We’d like to set additional cookies so we can remember your settings, understand how people use the service and make improvements.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="govuk-button-group">
<button value="yes" type="submit" name="cookies[additional]" class="govuk-button" data-module="govuk-button">
Accept additional cookies
</button>
<button value="no" type="submit" name="cookies[additional]" class="govuk-button" data-module="govuk-button">
Reject additional cookies
</button>
<a class="govuk-link" href="#">View cookies</a>
</div>
</div>
</div>
{% from "govuk/components/cookie-banner/macro.njk" import govukCookieBanner %}
{% set html %}
<p class="govuk-body">We use some essential cookies to make this service work.</p>
<p class="govuk-body">We’d like to set additional cookies so we can remember your settings, understand how people use the service and make improvements.</p>
{% endset %}
{{ govukCookieBanner({
ariaLabel: "Cookies on [name of service]",
messages: [
{
headingText: "Cookies on [name of service]",
html: html,
actions: [
{
text: "Accept additional cookies",
type: "submit",
name: "cookies[additional]",
value: "yes"
},
{
text: "Reject additional cookies",
type: "submit",
name: "cookies[additional]",
value: "no"
},
{
text: "View cookies",
href: "#"
}
]
}
]
}) }}
Once the user has accepted or rejected cookies and set their cookie preferences, reload the page to show a confirmation message.
Here’s an example of a confirmation message inside a form:
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner" data-nosnippet role="region" aria-label="Cookies on [name of service]">
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__message govuk-width-container">
<div class="govuk-grid-row">
<div class="govuk-grid-column-two-thirds">
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__content">
<p class="govuk-body">You’ve accepted additional cookies. You can <a class="govuk-link" href="#">change your cookie settings</a> at any time.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="govuk-button-group">
<button value="yes" type="submit" name="cookies[hide]" class="govuk-button" data-module="govuk-button">
Hide cookie message
</button>
</div>
</div>
</div>
{% from "govuk/components/cookie-banner/macro.njk" import govukCookieBanner %}
{% set acceptHtml %}
<p class="govuk-body">You’ve accepted additional cookies. You can <a class="govuk-link" href="#">change your cookie settings</a> at any time.</p>
{% endset %}
{{ govukCookieBanner({
ariaLabel: "Cookies on [name of service]",
messages: [
{
html: acceptHtml,
actions: [
{
text: "Hide cookie message",
type: "submit",
name: "cookies[hide]",
value: "yes"
}
]
}
]
}) }}
Show the same message to all users
In the cookie banner, tell the user about all the cookies you’re using in the service – whether they’ve enabled JavaScript or not. This way, you will not need to ask the user to give their consent again on their next visit.
Help users keep their place using progressive enhancement
If the user is entering information into a form as part of the service, they might lose their place when they submit their choice to accept or reject cookies.
To help users running JavaScript on their device, you can write some JavaScript code to let them submit their choice and prevent the page from reloading.
Include all possible messages that the user could see in the cookie banner when the page loads. Hide these with the hidden
HTML attribute where needed.
Here’s an example of a progressively enhanced cookie banner that includes all possible messages which are hidden using HTML – the cookie banner message is shown using JavaScript to remove the hidden
attribute:
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner" data-nosnippet role="region" aria-label="Cookies on [name of service]">
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__message govuk-width-container">
<div class="govuk-grid-row">
<div class="govuk-grid-column-two-thirds">
<h2 class="govuk-cookie-banner__heading govuk-heading-m">
Cookies on [name of service]
</h2>
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__content">
<p class="govuk-body">We use some essential cookies to make this service work.</p>
<p class="govuk-body">We’d like to set additional cookies so we can remember your settings, understand how people use the service and make improvements.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="govuk-button-group">
<button value="yes" type="submit" name="cookies[additional]" class="govuk-button" data-module="govuk-button">
Accept additional cookies
</button>
<button value="no" type="submit" name="cookies[additional]" class="govuk-button" data-module="govuk-button">
Reject additional cookies
</button>
<a class="govuk-link" href="#">View cookies</a>
</div>
</div>
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__message govuk-width-container" hidden>
<div class="govuk-grid-row">
<div class="govuk-grid-column-two-thirds">
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__content">
<p class="govuk-body">You’ve accepted additional cookies. You can <a class="govuk-link" href="#">change your cookie settings</a> at any time.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="govuk-button-group">
<button value="yes" type="submit" name="cookies[hide]" class="govuk-button" data-module="govuk-button">
Hide cookie message
</button>
</div>
</div>
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__message govuk-width-container" hidden>
<div class="govuk-grid-row">
<div class="govuk-grid-column-two-thirds">
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__content">
<p class="govuk-body">You’ve rejected additional cookies. You can <a class="govuk-link" href="#">change your cookie settings</a> at any time.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="govuk-button-group">
<button value="yes" type="submit" name="cookies[hide]" class="govuk-button" data-module="govuk-button">
Hide cookie message
</button>
</div>
</div>
</div>
{% from "govuk/components/cookie-banner/macro.njk" import govukCookieBanner %}
{% set html %}
<p class="govuk-body">We use some essential cookies to make this service work.</p>
<p class="govuk-body">We’d like to set additional cookies so we can remember your settings, understand how people use the service and make improvements.</p>
{% endset %}
{% set acceptHtml %}
<p class="govuk-body">You’ve accepted additional cookies. You can <a class="govuk-link" href="#">change your cookie settings</a> at any time.</p>
{% endset %}
{% set rejectedHtml %}
<p class="govuk-body">You’ve rejected additional cookies. You can <a class="govuk-link" href="#">change your cookie settings</a> at any time.</p>
{% endset %}
{{ govukCookieBanner({
ariaLabel: "Cookies on [name of service]",
messages: [
{
headingText: "Cookies on [name of service]",
html: html,
actions: [
{
text: "Accept additional cookies",
type: "submit",
name: "cookies[additional]",
value: "yes"
},
{
text: "Reject additional cookies",
type: "submit",
name: "cookies[additional]",
value: "no"
},
{
text: "View cookies",
href: "#"
}
]
},
{
html: acceptHtml,
actions: [
{
text: "Hide cookie message",
type: "submit",
name: "cookies[hide]",
value: "yes"
}
],
hidden: true
},
{
html: rejectedHtml,
actions: [
{
text: "Hide cookie message",
type: "submit",
name: "cookies[hide]",
value: "yes"
}
],
hidden: true
}
]
}) }}
Here’s the same example of a progressively enhanced cookie banner, with the confirmation message shown instead:
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner" data-nosnippet role="region" aria-label="Cookies on [name of service]">
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__message govuk-width-container" hidden>
<div class="govuk-grid-row">
<div class="govuk-grid-column-two-thirds">
<h2 class="govuk-cookie-banner__heading govuk-heading-m">
Cookies on [name of service]
</h2>
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__content">
<p class="govuk-body">We use some essential cookies to make this service work.</p>
<p class="govuk-body">We’d like to set additional cookies so we can remember your settings, understand how people use the service and make improvements.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="govuk-button-group">
<button value="yes" type="submit" name="cookies[additional]" class="govuk-button" data-module="govuk-button">
Accept additional cookies
</button>
<button value="no" type="submit" name="cookies[additional]" class="govuk-button" data-module="govuk-button">
Reject additional cookies
</button>
<a class="govuk-link" href="#">View cookies</a>
</div>
</div>
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__message govuk-width-container">
<div class="govuk-grid-row">
<div class="govuk-grid-column-two-thirds">
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__content">
<p class="govuk-body">You’ve accepted additional cookies. You can <a class="govuk-link" href="#">change your cookie settings</a> at any time.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="govuk-button-group">
<button value="yes" type="submit" name="cookies[hide]" class="govuk-button" data-module="govuk-button">
Hide cookie message
</button>
</div>
</div>
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__message govuk-width-container" hidden>
<div class="govuk-grid-row">
<div class="govuk-grid-column-two-thirds">
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__content">
<p class="govuk-body">You’ve rejected additional cookies. You can <a class="govuk-link" href="#">change your cookie settings</a> at any time.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="govuk-button-group">
<button value="yes" type="submit" name="cookies[hide]" class="govuk-button" data-module="govuk-button">
Hide cookie message
</button>
</div>
</div>
</div>
{% from "govuk/components/cookie-banner/macro.njk" import govukCookieBanner %}
{% set html %}
<p class="govuk-body">We use some essential cookies to make this service work.</p>
<p class="govuk-body">We’d like to set additional cookies so we can remember your settings, understand how people use the service and make improvements.</p>
{% endset %}
{% set acceptHtml %}
<p class="govuk-body">You’ve accepted additional cookies. You can <a class="govuk-link" href="#">change your cookie settings</a> at any time.</p>
{% endset %}
{% set rejectedHtml %}
<p class="govuk-body">You’ve rejected additional cookies. You can <a class="govuk-link" href="#">change your cookie settings</a> at any time.</p>
{% endset %}
{{ govukCookieBanner({
ariaLabel: "Cookies on [name of service]",
messages: [
{
headingText: "Cookies on [name of service]",
html: html,
hidden: true,
actions: [
{
text: "Accept additional cookies",
type: "submit",
name: "cookies[additional]",
value: "yes"
},
{
text: "Reject additional cookies",
type: "submit",
name: "cookies[additional]",
value: "no"
},
{
text: "View cookies",
href: "#"
}
]
},
{
html: acceptHtml,
actions: [
{
text: "Hide cookie message",
type: "submit",
name: "cookies[hide]",
value: "yes"
}
]
},
{
html: rejectedHtml,
actions: [
{
text: "Hide cookie message",
type: "submit",
name: "cookies[hide]",
value: "yes"
}
],
hidden: true
}
]
}) }}
Option 3: If you set non-essential cookies, but only on the client
You can choose to make your banner only work with JavaScript if your service only needs to set non-essential cookies on the client.
When the page loads, the hidden
html attribute hides the component, as well as all the cookie banner messages it contains, which the user might otherwise see.
Show the cookie banner only to users that have enabled JavaScript
Use JavaScript to show cookie banner messages to users that have not accepted or rejected cookies by removing the hidden
attribute as needed.
Write your own JavaScript code so that when the user accepts or rejects cookies, the cookie banner will:
- hide the cookie message by adding the hidden attribute
- show a confirmation message by removing its hidden attribute
- give the confirmation message the
tabindex="-1"
androle="alert"
attributes – this will allow the element to be focused so assistive technology can read the message - shift focus to the confirmation message
Here’s an example:
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner" data-nosnippet role="region" aria-label="Cookies on [name of service]">
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__message govuk-width-container">
<div class="govuk-grid-row">
<div class="govuk-grid-column-two-thirds">
<h2 class="govuk-cookie-banner__heading govuk-heading-m">
Cookies on [name of service]
</h2>
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__content">
<p class="govuk-body">We use some essential cookies to make this service work.</p>
<p class="govuk-body">We’d also like to use analytics cookies so we can understand how you use the service and make improvements.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="govuk-button-group">
<button type="button" class="govuk-button" data-module="govuk-button">
Accept analytics cookies
</button>
<button type="button" class="govuk-button" data-module="govuk-button">
Reject analytics cookies
</button>
<a class="govuk-link" href="#">View cookies</a>
</div>
</div>
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__message govuk-width-container" role="alert" hidden>
<div class="govuk-grid-row">
<div class="govuk-grid-column-two-thirds">
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__content">
<p class="govuk-body">You’ve accepted analytics cookies. You can <a class="govuk-link" href="#">change your cookie settings</a> at any time.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="govuk-button-group">
<button type="button" class="govuk-button" data-module="govuk-button">
Hide cookie message
</button>
</div>
</div>
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__message govuk-width-container" role="alert" hidden>
<div class="govuk-grid-row">
<div class="govuk-grid-column-two-thirds">
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__content">
<p class="govuk-body">You’ve rejected analytics cookies. You can <a class="govuk-link" href="#">change your cookie settings</a> at any time.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="govuk-button-group">
<button type="button" class="govuk-button" data-module="govuk-button">
Hide cookie message
</button>
</div>
</div>
</div>
{% from "govuk/components/cookie-banner/macro.njk" import govukCookieBanner %}
{% set html %}
<p class="govuk-body">We use some essential cookies to make this service work.</p>
<p class="govuk-body">We’d also like to use analytics cookies so we can understand how you use the service and make improvements.</p>
{% endset %}
{% set acceptHtml %}
<p class="govuk-body">You’ve accepted analytics cookies. You can <a class="govuk-link" href="#">change your cookie settings</a> at any time.</p>
{% endset %}
{% set rejectHtml %}
<p class="govuk-body">You’ve rejected analytics cookies. You can <a class="govuk-link" href="#">change your cookie settings</a> at any time.</p>
{% endset %}
{{ govukCookieBanner({
ariaLabel: "Cookies on [name of service]",
messages: [
{
headingText: "Cookies on [name of service]",
html: html,
actions: [
{
text: "Accept analytics cookies",
type: "button"
},
{
text: "Reject analytics cookies",
type: "button"
},
{
text: "View cookies",
href: "#"
}
]
},
{
html: acceptHtml,
role: "alert",
hidden: true,
actions: [
{
text: "Hide cookie message",
type: "button"
}
]
},
{
html: rejectHtml,
role: "alert",
hidden: true,
actions: [
{
text: "Hide cookie message",
type: "button"
}
]
}
]
}) }}
When the user has accepted cookies
Show a confirmation message confirming that the user has either accepted or rejected cookies by removing the hidden
attribute.
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner" data-nosnippet role="region" aria-label="Cookies on [name of service]">
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__message govuk-width-container" hidden>
<div class="govuk-grid-row">
<div class="govuk-grid-column-two-thirds">
<h2 class="govuk-cookie-banner__heading govuk-heading-m">
Cookies on [name of service]
</h2>
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__content">
<p class="govuk-body">We use some essential cookies to make this service work.</p>
<p class="govuk-body">We’d also like to use analytics cookies so we can understand how you use the service and make improvements.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="govuk-button-group">
<button type="button" class="govuk-button" data-module="govuk-button">
Accept analytics cookies
</button>
<button type="button" class="govuk-button" data-module="govuk-button">
Reject analytics cookies
</button>
<a class="govuk-link" href="#">View cookies</a>
</div>
</div>
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__message govuk-width-container" role="alert">
<div class="govuk-grid-row">
<div class="govuk-grid-column-two-thirds">
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__content">
<p class="govuk-body">You’ve accepted analytics cookies. You can <a class="govuk-link" href="#">change your cookie settings</a> at any time.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="govuk-button-group">
<button type="button" class="govuk-button" data-module="govuk-button">
Hide cookie message
</button>
</div>
</div>
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__message govuk-width-container" role="alert" hidden>
<div class="govuk-grid-row">
<div class="govuk-grid-column-two-thirds">
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__content">
<p class="govuk-body">You’ve rejected analytics cookies. You can <a class="govuk-link" href="#">change your cookie settings</a> at any time.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="govuk-button-group">
<button type="button" class="govuk-button" data-module="govuk-button">
Hide cookie message
</button>
</div>
</div>
</div>
{% from "govuk/components/cookie-banner/macro.njk" import govukCookieBanner %}
{% set html %}
<p class="govuk-body">We use some essential cookies to make this service work.</p>
<p class="govuk-body">We’d also like to use analytics cookies so we can understand how you use the service and make improvements.</p>
{% endset %}
{% set acceptHtml %}
<p class="govuk-body">You’ve accepted analytics cookies. You can <a class="govuk-link" href="#">change your cookie settings</a> at any time.</p>
{% endset %}
{% set rejectHtml %}
<p class="govuk-body">You’ve rejected analytics cookies. You can <a class="govuk-link" href="#">change your cookie settings</a> at any time.</p>
{% endset %}
{{ govukCookieBanner({
ariaLabel: "Cookies on [name of service]",
messages: [
{
headingText: "Cookies on [name of service]",
html: html,
hidden: true,
actions: [
{
text: "Accept analytics cookies",
type: "button"
},
{
text: "Reject analytics cookies",
type: "button"
},
{
text: "View cookies",
href: "#"
}
]
},
{
html: acceptHtml,
role: "alert",
actions: [
{
text: "Hide cookie message",
type: "button"
}
]
},
{
html: rejectHtml,
role: "alert",
hidden: true,
actions: [
{
text: "Hide cookie message",
type: "button"
}
]
}
]
}) }}
When the user has rejected cookies
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner" data-nosnippet role="region" aria-label="Cookies on [name of service]">
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__message govuk-width-container" hidden>
<div class="govuk-grid-row">
<div class="govuk-grid-column-two-thirds">
<h2 class="govuk-cookie-banner__heading govuk-heading-m">
Cookies on [name of service]
</h2>
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__content">
<p class="govuk-body">We use some essential cookies to make this service work.</p>
<p class="govuk-body">We’d also like to use analytics cookies so we can understand how you use the service and make improvements.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="govuk-button-group">
<button type="button" class="govuk-button" data-module="govuk-button">
Accept analytics cookies
</button>
<button type="button" class="govuk-button" data-module="govuk-button">
Reject analytics cookies
</button>
<a class="govuk-link" href="#">View cookies</a>
</div>
</div>
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__message govuk-width-container" role="alert" hidden>
<div class="govuk-grid-row">
<div class="govuk-grid-column-two-thirds">
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__content">
<p class="govuk-body">You’ve accepted analytics cookies. You can <a class="govuk-link" href="#">change your cookie settings</a> at any time.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="govuk-button-group">
<button type="button" class="govuk-button" data-module="govuk-button">
Hide cookie message
</button>
</div>
</div>
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__message govuk-width-container" role="alert">
<div class="govuk-grid-row">
<div class="govuk-grid-column-two-thirds">
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__content">
<p class="govuk-body">You’ve rejected analytics cookies. You can <a class="govuk-link" href="#">change your cookie settings</a> at any time.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="govuk-button-group">
<button type="button" class="govuk-button" data-module="govuk-button">
Hide cookie message
</button>
</div>
</div>
</div>
{% from "govuk/components/cookie-banner/macro.njk" import govukCookieBanner %}
{% set html %}
<p class="govuk-body">We use some essential cookies to make this service work.</p>
<p class="govuk-body">We’d also like to use analytics cookies so we can understand how you use the service and make improvements.</p>
{% endset %}
{% set acceptHtml %}
<p class="govuk-body">You’ve accepted analytics cookies. You can <a class="govuk-link" href="#">change your cookie settings</a> at any time.</p>
{% endset %}
{% set rejectHtml %}
<p class="govuk-body">You’ve rejected analytics cookies. You can <a class="govuk-link" href="#">change your cookie settings</a> at any time.</p>
{% endset %}
{{ govukCookieBanner({
ariaLabel: "Cookies on [name of service]",
messages: [
{
headingText: "Cookies on [name of service]",
html: html,
hidden: true,
actions: [
{
text: "Accept analytics cookies",
type: "button"
},
{
text: "Reject analytics cookies",
type: "button"
},
{
text: "View cookies",
href: "#"
}
]
},
{
html: acceptHtml,
role: "alert",
hidden: true,
actions: [
{
text: "Hide cookie message",
type: "button"
}
]
},
{
html: rejectHtml,
role: "alert",
actions: [
{
text: "Hide cookie message",
type: "button"
}
]
}
]
}) }}
What to cover in your cookie banner
Include the name of the service in the banner heading to help users understand that the cookies you’re talking about are different from the ones set by the main GOV.UK platform.
You’ll need to change the example cookie banner text if your service:
- allows third parties to set cookies (tell the user that both your organisation and other organisations will be setting cookies)
- uses cookies for reasons other than collecting analytics information or remembering the user’s settings
Keep the text as short as possible while making sure it’s an accurate description of how you use cookies. For example, if you use more than one ‘functional’ cookie and there’s not enough space to mention what each of them does, you could ask for permission to set cookies so ‘you can use as many of the service’s features as possible’.
See the cookies page for more advice on writing about cookies.
If you’re using essential cookies and analytics cookies
You can use this example text for a service which sets essential and analytics cookies. Analytics cookies are those set by your organisation to collect information about how people are using your digital service.
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner" data-nosnippet role="region" aria-label="Cookies on [name of service]">
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__message govuk-width-container">
<div class="govuk-grid-row">
<div class="govuk-grid-column-two-thirds">
<h2 class="govuk-cookie-banner__heading govuk-heading-m">
Cookies on [name of service]
</h2>
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__content">
<p class="govuk-body">We use some essential cookies to make this service work.</p>
<p class="govuk-body">We’d also like to use analytics cookies so we can understand how you use the service and make improvements.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="govuk-button-group">
<button type="button" class="govuk-button" data-module="govuk-button">
Accept analytics cookies
</button>
<button type="button" class="govuk-button" data-module="govuk-button">
Reject analytics cookies
</button>
<a class="govuk-link" href="#">View cookies</a>
</div>
</div>
</div>
{% from "govuk/components/cookie-banner/macro.njk" import govukCookieBanner %}
{% set html %}
<p class="govuk-body">We use some essential cookies to make this service work.</p>
<p class="govuk-body">We’d also like to use analytics cookies so we can understand how you use the service and make improvements.</p>
{% endset %}
{{ govukCookieBanner({
ariaLabel: "Cookies on [name of service]",
messages: [
{
headingText: "Cookies on [name of service]",
html: html,
actions: [
{
text: "Accept analytics cookies",
type: "button"
},
{
text: "Reject analytics cookies",
type: "button"
},
{
text: "View cookies",
href: "#"
}
]
}
]
}) }}
If you’re using more than one type of non-essential cookie
You can use this example text for a service that set:
- essential cookies
- analytics cookies
- functional cookies to remember the user’s settings but are not essential
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner" data-nosnippet role="region" aria-label="Cookies on [name of service]">
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__message govuk-width-container">
<div class="govuk-grid-row">
<div class="govuk-grid-column-two-thirds">
<h2 class="govuk-cookie-banner__heading govuk-heading-m">
Cookies on [name of service]
</h2>
<div class="govuk-cookie-banner__content">
<p class="govuk-body">We use some essential cookies to make this service work.</p>
<p class="govuk-body">We’d like to set additional cookies so we can remember your settings, understand how people use the service and make improvements.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="govuk-button-group">
<button type="button" class="govuk-button" data-module="govuk-button">
Accept additional cookies
</button>
<button type="button" class="govuk-button" data-module="govuk-button">
Reject additional cookies
</button>
<a class="govuk-link" href="#">View cookies</a>
</div>
</div>
</div>
{% from "govuk/components/cookie-banner/macro.njk" import govukCookieBanner %}
{% set html %}
<p class="govuk-body">We use some essential cookies to make this service work.</p>
<p class="govuk-body">We’d like to set additional cookies so we can remember your settings, understand how people use the service and make improvements.</p>
{% endset %}
{{ govukCookieBanner({
ariaLabel: "Cookies on [name of service]",
messages: [
{
headingText: "Cookies on [name of service]",
html: html,
actions: [
{
text: "Accept additional cookies",
type: "button"
},
{
text: "Reject additional cookies",
type: "button"
},
{
text: "View cookies",
href: "#"
}
]
}
]
}) }}
Creating a cookies page
You’ll need a cookies page as well as a cookie banner.
Research on this component
When the user accepts or rejects cookies, a confirmation message will display. For example, “Your cookie preferences have been saved.” The focus also shifts to this new message.
However, a visible focus indicator does not display around the confirmation message. This is different from the notification banner, which does display a visible focus indicator.
We decided to remove the visible focus indicator from the confirmation message for a few reasons, as:
- a user cannot interact with it
- it’s the first element, at the very top of the page
- it displays in place of the cookie message, which is the last thing the user interacted with
In this scenario, we assume that a visible focus indicator would be more likely to confuse users than to help them. However, we need more research to prove this.
Help improve this component
To help make sure that this page is useful, relevant and up to date, you can:
- take part in the ‘Cookie banner’ discussion on GitHub and share your research
- propose a change – read more about how to propose changes in GitHub
Tell us if your service uses this component
Take part in our usage survey (opens in a new tab) to help us improve this component to better meet the needs of the services that use it.
Need help?
If you’ve got a question about the GOV.UK Design System, contact the team.