What is the woocommerce_recently_viewed cookie?
woocommerce_recently_viewed is an HTTP cookie created by the WooCommerce plugin, used by most online stores built on WordPress. It is set automatically, with no special configuration needed from the site administrator, as soon as a visitor opens a product page.
Its purpose is purely functional: to remember which products the user has browsed during the current session, so the store can display a "Recently viewed products" block or widget on other pages of the site.
What data it stores
The cookie typically stores a list of WooCommerce product IDs the user has visited, separated by a comma or similar character (the exact format can vary depending on the WooCommerce version). It does not contain personal data such as name, email, or address.
It is a strictly HTTP cookie, read and written by the WordPress/WooCommerce server on each page load; it is not sent to external services or third parties, but stays in the visitor's browser and is only read by the site that set it.
What it is used for
For the store, this cookie enables a "Recently viewed" widget or shortcode, helping visitors quickly find products they already looked at without searching again. It is a convenience/personalization feature of the browsing experience, similar to a browsing history in a physical store.
For WooCommerce/the provider, the cookie has no analytics or marketing role; it is strictly a functional tool built into the plugin core, unrelated to advertising or aggregated statistics sent to third parties.
Does it require consent?
On cookiefix.ro, this cookie is classified as preferences (functional), since it personalizes content display based on user behavior but is not indispensable for the basic operation of the shopping cart or checkout.
- Under the ePrivacy Directive 2002/58/EC (transposed in Romania via Law 506/2004) and the GDPR, cookies in the preferences category generally require the visitor's prior consent, obtained through a compliant banner.
- The site administrator must declare it correctly in the cookie policy, with category, purpose, and duration (session).
- If a store considers the "recently viewed" widget essential to site functionality, it should still document and justify that classification, since data protection authorities typically treat such personalization cookies as requiring consent.
How to block or delete woocommerce_recently_viewed
A visitor can delete or block this cookie at any time from browser settings (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari), under the site data/cookie management section. Being a session cookie, it disappears automatically when the browser is closed anyway.
For site administrators, the cookie should not be set before the visitor gives consent for the preferences category. A CMP such as CookieFix can automatically block, via its consent script, the loading of the WooCommerce feature that generates this cookie until the user accepts the relevant category in the banner.
Frequently asked questions
It's a session cookie set by WooCommerce on WordPress stores, which stores the IDs of products the user recently viewed so they can be shown in a dedicated widget.
It's a session cookie, meaning it expires automatically when the browser is closed; it doesn't have a long-term fixed expiration date.
In CookieFix's classification it falls under preferences (functional), a category that, per the ePrivacy Directive/Law 506/2004 and GDPR, generally requires the visitor's prior consent.
It does not contain a name, email, or other directly identifying data; it only stores WooCommerce product IDs viewed during the current session.