---
title: Extending the session length - Web
description: How the Tag works with sessions
lastUpdated: 25 June 2026
source_url:
  html: https://docs.contentsquare.com/en/web/extending-the-session-length/
  md: https://docs.contentsquare.com/en/web/extending-the-session-length/index.md
---

> Documentation index: https://docs.contentsquare.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

The session lifecycle is handled by the Tracking Tag on the browser side.

The session ends 30 minutes after the last user event.

## Session initialization

To manage the session, the Tag creates a session cookie called `_cs_s` which has its expiration date set to 30 minutes after its initialization. When the tag is executed, it checks for the `_cs_s` cookie:

* If the cookie does not exist, it will increment the session number (stored in the `_cs_id` cookie) and will create the session cookie `_cs_s`
* If the cookie already exists, it will only update the expiration date (now +30 minutes).

## Session update

When a **pageview event** (natural or artificial) or a **user event** is triggered, the `_cs_s` cookie expiration date is updated (+30 minutes).

## Extending the session

To artificially extend the session duration, use the `extendSession` command:

```html
<script type="text/javascript">
  window._uxa = window._uxa || [];
  window._uxa.push(["extendSession"]);
</script>
```

When this command is called the Tag starts a process which:

* **Updates the expiration date of the session cookie** `_cs_s` to 30 minutes after the process is run
* **Sends a dynamic variable** with the key `session_expiry_update` and the process iteration number as value so that the Contentsquare data pipeline knows that the session should not be closed (example `{session_expiry_update: 2}`).

This process will run every 29 minutes:

* As long as the session length has not reached 4 hours (maximum duration of a session), counting from the beginning of the session, not the moment the command executed.
* Until a new **pageview event** is triggered (natural or artificial). The process is then stopped and the session management goes back to its normal behavior.

Thanks to this process, **the command only has to be called once per pageview.**

## Clear previous visitors data

Use the `session:clear:visitor` command to clear all data linked to previous visitors:

* Cvars
* Consent
* Exclusion
* Visitor ID
* Page number
* Session number

The command must be pushed **before the Tag starts**:

```html
<script type="text/javascript">
  (function () {
    window._uxa = window._uxa || [];
    window._uxa.push(["session:clear:visitor"]);
    var mt = document.createElement("script");
    mt.type = "text/javascript";
    mt.async = true;
    mt.src = "//t.contentsquare.net/uxa/{{YOUR_TAG_ID}}.js";
    document.getElementsByTagName("head")[0].appendChild(mt);
  })();
</script>
```

## Create a new visitor

Use the `session:start:newVisitor` command to trigger the creation of a new visitor. The `session:start:newVisitor` command:

1. Creates a new visitor by deleting and replacing the [`_cs_id`](https://docs.contentsquare.com/en/web/cookies/#_cs_id) cookie value.
2. Creates a new session for this visitor which deletes and recreates the [`_cs_s`](https://docs.contentsquare.com/en/web/cookies/#_cs_s) cookie.
3. Deletes all information, session, and cookies linked such as custom vars, consent cookie [`_cs_c`](https://docs.contentsquare.com/en/web/cookies/#_cs_c).
4. Triggers a new pageview.