What is the cart_ts cookie?
cart_ts is a first-party cookie generated automatically by Shopify's e-commerce engine, not by the store owner. It appears in the browser as soon as a visitor adds a product to the cart or otherwise interacts with the shopping cart on a Shopify-powered site.
It belongs to the group of cart-related cookies (alongside cart, cart_sig, cart_ver), all needed for the online purchasing feature to work technically.
What data it stores
The cookie stores a timestamp-type value used internally by Shopify to correlate the cart's state with the time of its last update. The exact value format isn't publicly documented in detail and may vary; as far as publicly known, it does not contain directly identifying personal data such as a name or email address.
The data is sent to Shopify's infrastructure (the store's domain and, where applicable, checkout-related subdomains), and is used solely to process that visitor's shopping cart.
What it is used for
The cookie's purpose is strictly technical: it helps Shopify determine whether and when a visitor's cart was updated, which supports keeping cart contents consistent across pages and short browsing sessions. For the store owner, this cookie is part of the infrastructure provided by Shopify and can't be disabled without breaking the purchasing function.
Does it require consent?
In CookieFix's classification, cart_ts falls under the necessary / strictly necessary category. Under the ePrivacy Directive 2002/58/EC (transposed in Romania via Law 506/2004) and GDPR, cookies strictly necessary to deliver a service explicitly requested by the user (here, the shopping cart) do not require prior consent.
- The store owner should still list this cookie in the site's cookie policy, with its purpose and duration.
- No active opt-in toggle is needed in the banner, but it should be disclosed informationally.
How to block or delete cart_ts
A visitor can manually delete or block cart_ts from browser settings (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari) under site cookies and data. Blocking it, however, may break the cart's proper functioning on that store.
For site owners, since cart_ts is strictly necessary, it should not — and typically cannot — be blocked via the consent banner without breaking the shopping experience. A platform like CookieFix can still automatically block scripts from categories that genuinely require consent (statistics, marketing) until the visitor accepts, leaving strictly necessary cookies like cart_ts untouched.
Frequently asked questions
It's a technical cookie set automatically by the Shopify platform to store a timestamp linked to a visitor's shopping cart.
No, it's classified as strictly necessary because it directly supports the cart function requested by the visitor, though it should still be listed in the cookie policy.
Its typical duration is about 2 weeks from when it's set or the cart is last updated.
You can delete it manually from your browser, but blocking it may affect how the shopping cart works on that site.