What is the TawkConnectionTime cookie?
TawkConnectionTime is a cookie set by Tawk.to, a live chat widget provider commonly used on e-commerce, service, and customer support websites. It appears on a site as soon as the Tawk.to chat widget script loads on the page, whether or not the visitor opens the chat window.
It is set on the Tawk.to provider's own domain (not the host site's domain) and is a session cookie, meaning it expires automatically when the browser is closed.
What data it stores
The cookie stores technical information related to the state of the chat connection, used by Tawk.to to keep a chat session continuous (for example, information about when the connection to the chat servers was established). The exact value format is not publicly documented by the provider and may vary.
The data is sent to Tawk.to's infrastructure, not just kept locally in the browser.
What it is used for
The cookie's purpose is strictly functional: it lets the chat widget maintain a stable connection and resume a conversation if the visitor navigates between pages on the same site without losing the context of the discussion with the operator.
For the site owner, this cookie enables a consistent live chat experience, without visible reconnections or lost messages during the session.
Does it require consent?
CookieFix classifies TawkConnectionTime as a preferences (functional) cookie. While it supports a technical function of the widget, it is not strictly necessary in the narrow ePrivacy sense (the site can function without live chat), so it should be treated as requiring the visitor's prior consent under Romania's Law 506/2004 (implementing the ePrivacy Directive) and GDPR.
- The site owner must declare it in the cookie policy, listing Tawk.to as the provider and session as the duration.
- The Tawk.to widget should not load before consent is obtained for the preferences/functional category.
How to block or delete TawkConnectionTime
A visitor can manually delete or block this cookie from browser settings (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari all allow deleting per-site cookies or blocking third-party cookies), though this may stop the live chat feature from working on the page.
At the site level, the owner needs a CMP that prevents the Tawk.to script from loading until consent is given. CookieFix does this automatically, blocking the chat widget script until the visitor accepts the preferences/functional cookie category.
Frequently asked questions
Not in the marketing/advertising sense; it's a functional cookie used to maintain the chat widget's connection, but since it isn't strictly necessary for the site to function, it still requires consent.
It's a session cookie, so it expires automatically when the browser is closed rather than on a fixed date.
It's set by Tawk.to, the live chat widget provider, when its script loads on a website.
Yes, any site using Tawk.to should list this cookie, its provider, and its purpose in the cookie policy, regardless of category.