Cookie Policy
How ToolsHub uses cookies — essential, preference, analytics, and advertising cookies disclosed.
Effective date: May 2026
What cookies are
Cookies are small text files stored on your device by your browser. They allow websites to remember information across pages and visits — such as your login state, theme preference, or which ads you've seen. We also use similar technologies (local storage, session storage) for the same purposes; references to "cookies" in this policy include those technologies.
Categories of cookies we use
1. Essential cookies (always on)
These are required for the Site to function and cannot be turned off. Without them, basic features like staying logged in or remembering your theme will break.
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| laravel_session | Maintains your logged-in session | Session |
| XSRF-TOKEN | Cross-site request forgery protection | Session |
| siteMode | Remembers your theme choice (light/dark) | 1 year |
2. Preference cookies
Remember settings you've chosen, like favorite tools (only if you have an account) or language.
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| locale | Stores your language preference | 1 year |
| cookie_consent | Records your cookie consent choice | 1 year |
3. Analytics cookies
Help us understand how visitors use the Site so we can improve it. These cookies are set by Google Analytics. We use them in aggregate; we do not associate them with named individuals.
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| _ga | Distinguishes unique visitors | 2 years |
| _gid | Distinguishes unique visitors (24h) | 24 hours |
| _gat | Throttles request rate to Google Analytics | 1 minute |
4. Advertising cookies (Google AdSense and partners)
These cookies allow us and our advertising partners — primarily Google AdSense — to show ads that are more likely to be relevant to you. They may be used to limit the number of times you see an ad, measure ad effectiveness, and track conversions.
| Cookie | Set by | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| __gads, __gpi | Google AdSense | Ad serving and frequency capping |
| IDE, NID | Personalized advertising | |
| ANID, DSID | Tying ads to your browsing | |
| FLC, AID, TAID | Cross-device ad measurement |
Third-party advertising partners may also set their own cookies. The set of partners changes over time; for the current list, see Google's partner sites policy.
How to control cookies
Via our consent banner
The first time you visit, a banner asks whether to accept all cookies, accept only essential cookies, or customize. You can change your choice at any time by clearing the cookie_consent cookie or via the link in our footer.
Via your browser
Every modern browser lets you delete cookies, block them entirely, or block them per-site. Search "manage cookies" in your browser's help menu. Note that blocking essential cookies will break login and theme persistence on the Site.
Opt out of personalized advertising
You can opt out of Google's personalized ads at Google Ads Settings. You can opt out of third-party vendors' personalized advertising at www.aboutads.info or, in the EU, youronlinechoices.eu.
Do Not Track
We honor browser Do Not Track signals where required by law. When DNT is enabled, we suppress non-essential analytics and we ask Google AdSense to limit personalization (Google's response to DNT depends on jurisdiction).
Changes
We may update this Cookie Policy as our services and partners change. Material changes will be announced via a homepage notice. The effective date at the top reflects the latest revision.
Contact
Questions about cookies: info@freeseosmasher.com.