What is the _hjIncludedInSessionSample_ cookie?
The _hjIncludedInSessionSample_ cookie belongs to the Hotjar cookie family, a behavioral analytics service (heatmaps, session recordings, surveys) used by website owners to understand how visitors interact with their pages.
The full cookie name includes a unique numeric identifier (the Hotjar site ID), so the actual name seen in the browser looks like _hjIncludedInSessionSample_123456. It is set by the Hotjar script the first time a page with the tracking code loads, provided the visitor has consented to statistics cookies.
What data it stores
The cookie stores a boolean value (true/false) indicating whether the current session was randomly selected by Hotjar to be included in the statistical sample (not every session is fully recorded, only a percentage). It does not contain a name, email address, or other directly identifying data.
The value is read by the Hotjar script and sent to Hotjar Ltd.'s servers to determine the data-collection behavior (heatmap, recording) for that specific session.
What it is used for
The cookie's purpose is purely technical: it lets Hotjar apply consistent sampling logic within the same session, preventing a visitor from being alternately included and excluded while navigating between pages. For the site owner, this ensures coherent statistical data about how users move through pages, without overloading Hotjar's infrastructure by recording every single visit.
Does it require consent?
In CookieFix's classification, this cookie falls under the statistics (analytics) category. Under the GDPR and Romania's Law 506/2004 (the ePrivacy transposition), statistics cookies are not strictly necessary for the site to function, so they require the visitor's prior consent, obtained through a consent banner.
Site owners must disclose this cookie in their cookie policy, assign it to the "statistics" category in the consent banner, and make sure the Hotjar script does not load before consent is given.
How to block or delete _hjIncludedInSessionSample_
A visitor can manually delete or block this cookie from browser settings (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari all have dedicated per-domain cookie management sections), or use Do Not Track / anti-tracking browser extensions.
- From browser settings: clearing cookies for the site's domain also removes this cookie.
- Via anti-tracking extensions that block the Hotjar script before it executes.
For site owners, the most reliable approach is using a consent management platform (CMP) such as CookieFix, which automatically blocks the Hotjar script (and this cookie by extension) until the visitor explicitly consents to the statistics category.
Frequently asked questions
It's a Hotjar cookie that indicates whether the current session was selected for the tool's analyzed sample. The real name also includes a numeric site ID.
Its typical duration is about 2 minutes, so it expires quickly even if the user stays on the site.
Yes, as a statistics cookie it requires the visitor's prior consent under the GDPR and Romania's ePrivacy legislation.
It only stores a technical sampling flag, with no directly identifying data such as a name or email address.