Sync cookies using Postman Interceptor and the Postman proxy

Postman enables you to capture and sync cookies from a web browser or another client application. You can sync cookies using either the Postman proxy or Postman Interceptor at any time, without having to start a proxy or Interceptor session.

Once configured, Postman continuously captures cookies from the browser or client applications. For the domains you specify, captured cookies are automatically synced to your Postman cookie jar. You can then use the cookies when sending requests from Postman.

You can also capture requests and cookies during a proxy or Interceptor session. Learn more about capturing requests and cookies with the Postman proxy or Postman Interceptor.

Sync cookies with Postman Interceptor

Postman Interceptor is a browser extension that captures network requests from a web browser and saves them to Postman. You can use Interceptor along with the Postman desktop app to continuously sync the cookies in your browser to the Postman cookie jar.

The cookie jar always has the latest value for a given cookie. If you need to observe how cookie values change during a request flow, start an Interceptor session.

To sync cookies using Postman Interceptor, do the following:

1. Install the Postman Interceptor extension by following the steps in Install Interceptor.

2. Open the Postman desktop app and select Cookies in the Postman footer.

   If you want to sync cookies using the Postman web app, see Sync cookies from the Interceptor extension instead.

3. In the Cookies window, select the Sync Cookies tab and select the Interceptor option.

   Make sure you get the message Connected. If you get the message Disconnected, make sure your browser is open and the Interceptor extension is installed. Also try closing any browser tabs where the Postman web app is open.

4. Enter one or more Domains. Postman will sync cookies for the specified domains to the cookie jar.

   Adding a domain automatically syncs cookies for its subdomains as well. For example, adding the domain example.com will also sync cookies from m.example.com. To sync cookies for the domain only, you can add https:// in front of the domain, such as https://example.com.

5. Select Start Syncing. Cookies for the domains you specified are automatically synced from your browser to Postman.

   • To stop syncing cookies for a domain, select next to the domain name.
   • To stop capturing and syncing all cookies, select Stop Syncing.

Sync cookies from the Interceptor extension

You can use the Postman Interceptor extension to sync cookies from your browser to the Postman cookie jar, without starting an Interceptor session. This option works with either the Postman desktop app or the Postman web app.

To sync cookies from the Interceptor extension:

1. Install the Postman Interceptor extension by following the steps in Install Interceptor.

2. Open the Interceptor extension by selecting the Interceptor icon in your browser's toolbar.

3. Select the Sync Cookies tab.

   Make sure the message Ready to sync appears at the bottom of the Interceptor window. If the message Interceptor disconnected appears, make sure either the Postman desktop app is running or the Postman web app is open in your browser.

4. Enter one or more Domains. Postman will sync cookies for the specified domains to the cookie jar.

   Adding a domain automatically syncs cookies for its subdomains as well. For example, adding the domain example.com will also sync cookies from m.example.com. To sync cookies for the domain only, you can add https:// in front of the domain, such as https://example.com.

5. Select Start Syncing. Cookies for the domains you specified are automatically synced from your browser to Postman.

   • To stop syncing cookies for a domain, select next to the domain name.
   • To stop capturing and syncing all cookies, select Stop Syncing.

Sync cookies with the Postman proxy

A proxy acts as an intermediary between a client application (like a mobile app) and a server (like an API). You can use Postman's built-in proxy to capture any cookies passing between a client and a server. The captured cookies are synced to the Postman cookie jar for later use.

The cookie jar always has the latest value for a given cookie. If you need to observe how cookie values change during a request flow, start a proxy session.

To sync cookies using the Postman proxy, do the following:

1. Open the Postman desktop app and select Cookies in the Postman footer.

   If you want to sync cookies using the Postman web app, see Sync cookies from the Interceptor extension instead.

2. In the Cookies window, select the Sync Cookies tab and select the Proxy option.

3. Enter a Port number. The default value is 5559. You will use this port number when configuring clients.

   You can't change the port number while the proxy is enabled.

4. Turn on Enable Postman as a proxy.

5. Enter one or more Domains. Postman will sync cookies for the specified domains to the cookie jar.

   Adding a domain automatically syncs cookies for its subdomains as well. For example, adding the domain example.com will also sync cookies from m.example.com. To sync cookies for the domain only, you can add https:// in front of the domain, such as https://example.com.

6. Select Start Syncing.

   • To start syncing cookies, configure one or more clients to use the Postman proxy. Learn more about configuring the proxy on a client device.
   • To stop syncing cookies for a domain, select next to the domain name.
   • To stop capturing and syncing all cookies, select Stop Syncing.