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How to clear Safari’s cache and cookies on Mac

There are a handful of situations when clearing Safari’s cookies or cache–one of the places where Safari stores website data to avoid having to download it afresh each time you access a site–can help improve your browsing experience.

The first is when websites simply stop working when you access them on Safari. Perhaps Facebook stops updating with new posts, for example, or the images on a site don’t appear as they should. If this happens, it’s likely the cache has become corrupted.

Alternatively, if you find that personal info automatically completed on sites isn’t correct, deleting cookies can help. These are small files that sites use to save data about you and what you do on the site.

Even if none of these problems affect you, periodically cleaning browser data can help protect your privacy from snoops who want to discover what you’ve been up to online. In this article, therefore, we explain how to clear Safari’s cache and cookies on Mac.

We also have an article that explains How to clear cache on a Mac.

How to clear Safari cookies and cache for websites

Cleaning cookies and the cache data for individual sites can be done via Safari’s Settings/Preferences.

Open Safari
Click on Safari in the menu at the top of the screen.
Click on Settings or Preferences (depending on the version of macOS you are running).
Go to the Privacy tab.
Click on Manage Website Data…
Choose Remove All or select websites individually to remove.

After the data is loaded you’ll probably see a long list of websites. You can choose to Remove All or just select individual websites you want to remove from this list. If you want to select a number of different sites you can click on one and then press and hold the Command key to select a second, third or fourth and so on. We recommend that you don’t select hundreds this way – it’s better to delete in batches just in case you have to start over.

If you would prefer to select all and then deselect the ones you want to keep you can do so. Use Command + A to select all, then press and hold Command while clicking on any website you are happy to keep in this list. Just click Remove afterwards, not Done, as that will just undo all your hard work.

There’s a search field you can use to track down individual sites.

Bear in mind that deleting cookies might remove autocompleted login usernames and passwords for sites, and will almost certainly log you out of that site if you’ve configured it to automatically log in each time you visit.

How to clear Safari cache

The hidden Safari Developer menu can be used to clear just the cache, leaving cookies and the browser history in place. This is a very useful diagnostic step to take before removing those two items if a website behaves badly.

If you just want to clear all your cache you can do so by following these steps:

Open Safari.
Click on Safari in menu bar at top of screen.
Click on Settings/Preferences (depending on the version of macOS you are running).
Click on the Advanced tab.
Check the box beside Show Develop Menu in Menu Bar.
Now there will be a new Develop tab in the menu at the top of your screen. Click on this.
Click on Empty Caches.

Alternatively click on Option/Alt + Command + E.

Close any open Safari windows and select Empty Caches on the Develop menu. Then click File > New Window to start Safari with a clean cache.

How to remove autocomplete data from AutoFill

Safari’s AutoFill tool can fill in username and password details on websites as well as credit card details and other elements like your address and email details.

This can be really useful, but it can also be annoying if the data it fills in is incorrect or out of context. It’s also a problem when AutoFill helpfully enters old or incorrect passwords or emails and addresses.

You can change this data, or delete it by following these steps:

Click on Safari.
Click on Settings/Preferences.
Choose the AutoFill tab.
Here you can edit contact information, usernames and passwords, credit cards and other data. Click on Edit beside the category you want access to.
You’ll need to enter your password or use Touch ID to gain access.

Delete incorrect data: If you are finding that Safari is autofilling incorrect data about you–your address, for example–click Edit beside Using information from my contacts. This will open up your Contacts app. Your card will be at the top or under My Card. You can add and amend data about you here.

Delete incorrect passwords and site logins: If you wanted to delete incorrect passwords, for example, you can just click on the Passwords tab. If you know which password you want to remove search for the website or service and then find the older password option (if there is more than one) and select it and then click on the – below the column to remove it. You can then select Delete Password. If that means there is no password saved for that website, you can then recreate the entry for the site by clicking the Add button. You’ll first need to provide the URL of the site (that is, something like https://facebook.com ), and then type the username and password alongside (hit the Tab key to move from field to field).

See: How to autofill passwords, bank cards, names and addresses for more.

Delete logins and passwords system-wide

Pruning site logins can also be done via the Keychain Access app, which you’ll find in the Utilities folder of the Applications list in Finder, although you should be very careful using this app because it pretty much controls the entire security operation of your Mac! However, by removing errant username and password entries here you’ll stop virtually all of your Mac apps using them, and not just Safari.

Just type the name of the site into the Search field, and look in the list of results for entries of the kind Web Form Password. Right-click the entry and select Delete.

If you want to delete your Chrome or Firefox cache, cookies or browsing history read: How to delete your Mac browsing history . For alternative web browsers take a look at: Best web browser for Mac.

Clear Safari cache on Mac
Clear Safari cache on iPhone or iPad
How to save passwords when clearing your cache

How to clear your Safari browser cache on a Mac, iPhone, or iPad

You can clear your cache on Safari in just a few steps on a Mac, iPhone, or iPad.
Clearing your cache, as well as history and cookies, can help resolve your device's performance issues.
Clearing your cookies will clear your passwords as well, unless you save them with keychain.

A cache is a store of data. When you visit a website on your Mac, iPhone, or iPad, the Safari browser keeps a snapshot of the pages you view.

If you go back to that website, Safari loads the cached page in an instant, instead of taking the time to retrieve the page from the internet again.

But an overloaded cache can take up storage space and cause your device to run inefficiently — and it could use a periodic clearing.

Here's what you need to know to clear your cache on Safari, as well as your cookies and browsing history.

How to clear Safari cache on Mac

You can either clear just your cache or your cache, history, and cookies.

Clear your cache

1. Click on the Safari tab at the top left of your screen and choose Preferences from the dropdown menu.

2. Click the Advanced tab of the menu that pops up.

3. At the end of the tab, select the Show Develop menu in menu bar box and close the Preferences menu.

4. Click the Develop tab from the Safari menu at the top of the page.

5. Click Empty Caches from the dropdown menu.

Clear your cache, history, and cookies

You may also want to clear your browsing history and cookies in addition to emptying your cache. Here's how to do that.

1. Choose the History tab at the top of your screen.

2. At the very bottom of the dropdown menu, choose Clear History.

3. A box pops up with a choice to clear the last hour, today, today and yesterday, or all history. Choose your time frame and click the Clear History button.

Once you clear the history, it will also clear the cache and cookies associated with that time period.

How to clear Safari cache on iPhone or iPad

To clear your cache and browsing history:

1. Open the Settings app.

2. Tap Safari .

3. Tap Clear History and Website Data .

4. On the screen that pops up, choose Clear History and Data .

To clear your cache but not your browsing history:

3. Tap Advanced .

4. Tap Website Data .

5. Choose Remove All Website Data .

What happens to saved passwords when you clear your cache

When you clear your cache, history, and cookies, you may discover that Safari has logged you out of your favorite websites.

While clearing Safari's cache alone will not delete your passwords, clearing your history and cookies can. That's because when you empty your cookies, you will lose their password data saved in Safari as well. And keep in mind that clearing your history also clears its associated cookies.

Luckily, Apple has a solution to this problem. If you use iCloud, check your iCloud settings on your phone or computer.

Make sure that you've checked the box for Safari. As long as this box is checked, any passwords you save through your browser will stay safe in your keychain .

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How to Clear Safari Browsing History and Cache

Whenever you browse the web in Safari, the browser stores website data so that it doesn't have to download it again each time you revisit a site. In theory this should speed up your browsing experience, but there are some scenarios where you might want to clear the cache and start anew. Keep reading to learn how it's done on Mac, iPhone , and iPad .

If a site you regularly frequent has elements that have stopped working, or if a site has stopped loading completely, there may be a conflict between an older version of it that Safari has cached and a newer one.

Or perhaps you simply want to protect your privacy by wiping the slate clean and removing all the data associated with websites you've visited. Either way, here's how it's done on macOS and iOS.

How to Clear Safari's Cache on Mac

There are two ways to clear Safari's cache on a Mac. The first method outlined below deletes everything relating to a website you've visited, including not only the cached versions of the site, but also cookies and any other related data. The second method described offers a more targeted approach and clears only Safari's cache, but it does involve enabling a hidden menu.

Launch Safari browser on your Mac.

How to Clear Safari's Cache on iPhone and iPad

Note that the following steps clear all history, cookies and website data on your device, regardless of when the sites were accessed.

Launch the Settings app on your iOS device.
Scroll down and select Safari .
Scroll down and select Clear History and Website Data .
Choose the timeframe to clear ( Last hour , Today , Today and yesterday , or All history ), choose the profile or select All Profiles , then tap Clear History .

For another way to protect your privacy while browsing the web, be sure to check out our guide on how to use Safari's Private Browsing Mode .

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Consequences of clearing Safari History and Website Data

Records of visited web pages are deleted.
A list of the frequently visited sites is also cleared.
It may reduce tracking by websites. (a good thing)
You may be logged out of websites.
Records of blocked or allowed location access, notification, etc. are also reset. So, if you visit a website, it will again ask your permission for these.
The download list is deleted. (Actual downloaded files are not.)
If you have several Apple devices that sync via iCloud, the changes will reflect on all.

How to clear Safari history on Mac

You can choose to clear all history in a few clicks. Or choose to delete them date-wise or by specific pages. Let me show you how.

Open Safari on Mac.
Click on History from the top menu bar

Open Safari, tap on History at top menu bar, select Clear History

Dropdown menu will show all history . Click on it if you want to select another option, like the last hour, today, today, and yesterday.

Select All history, tap on Clear history

Now, if you don’t want to clear the entire history but just a few specific pages, here’s what you need to do.

How to delete specific webpage from Safari history on Mac

From the top menu bar, click on History .

Or, click on the tiny triangle arrow ▶ to expand.

Tap dropdown arrow, right click on particular page, select Delete

How to clear Safari cache and cookies on Mac

To clear cache and cookies of your existing Safari profile, you need to delete all of its Website Data. Here’s how you can do that:

Launch the Safari browser .

Choose Safari in menu bar and select Settings

The above-mentioned method will only delete website data for a particular profile in Safari.

If you’re like me and enjoy using multiple profiles on Safari to maintain a separation between your personal and professional activities, then I’d like to notify you about something.

However, if you wish to clear the cookies and cache for all your Safari profiles, then you must employ the following method.

How to clear cache of all Safari profiles on Mac

Launch Safari → Click Safari in the menu bar → Select Settings .

Head to Advanced tab and tick the checkbox next to Show features for web developers

How to block all cookies for Safari on Mac

Cookies are tiny data packets that a website saves on your device. It helps the site know that you are revisiting it. (If this is your first visit to iGeeksBlog, you might have seen a banner at the bottom asking for your cookie consent.)

When you clear history and website data, cookies are also deleted. However, here is how you can remove cookies (cache, etc. too) individually and how you can block them from accumulating further.

Launch Safari browser → Click Safari in the menu bar → Select Settings .

Click Advance and enable Block all cookies

No, clearing your Safari history will not lead to the removal of your bookmarks or saved passwords.

Yes, clearing cookies will log you out from websites and services where you were previously signed in. This process removes stored login credentials.

Yes, clearing cache, history, and cookies might have a temporary impact on your browsing experience. Websites could a bit slowly.

If you want to remove the Safari cache, history, and cookies on your Mac, just follow the instructions above. Furthermore, I’d highly recommend our complete guides if you’re thinking of changing your default search engine for normal and private windows in Safari.

Did you find this guide helpful? Let me know in the comments!

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I have been an Apple user for over seven years now. At iGeeksBlog, I love creating how-tos and troubleshooting guides that help people do more with their iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods, and Apple Watch. In my free time, I like to watch stand up comedy videos, tech documentaries, news debates, and political speeches.

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How to clear the cache in Safari on Mac and iPhone - and what it does

Like every web browser, Safari stores data on your Mac , iPhone , and iPad , with the express purpose of speeding up your online life. You may have the kind of internet speed that Apple Park takes for granted, but even so, it's better to spend that speed where it's needed.

So when you revisit a website, Safari makes it so that as far as possible, you only need to download what has changed. Even with a news site that is being updated all day, the basic layout, the furniture of the page, doesn't change all that often, so Safari might as well download it once.

Behind the scenes, then, whenever you ask Safari to go to a site, it goes there with half an eye on what elements of the site it has already stored on your device. Then it will load up anything it can from your device, because retrieving locally stored data is always faster than downloading it.

No question, a Safari cache is a good thing. Except when it isn't.

When you should clear Safari's cache

It's possible for things to go wrong. If Safari doesn't appear to be loading a site, it could be that there's some data corruption in the cache.

Or it could be simply that you are tight on space and all of this invisibly stored cache data is taking up a lot of room. When you're particularly low on space, you know it, too, because your device runs noticeably slower.

So if you are having problems any time you're browsing the web on a Mac, iPhone, or iPad, clearing the cache is at the very least a good first troubleshooting step.

You don't want to inadvertently introduce new problems or inconveniences, though. And clearing caches could also remove passwords that you thought Safari was saving for you.

So before you empty the cache, make sure that Safari is saving those passwords. On the Mac, go to System Preferences, click on Apple ID , then iCloud .

Or on iOS, open Settings , tap on your name at the top, then iCloud .

In either case, then check that Safari is turned on. With the Mac, that means a tick box is on, and with iOS, it means the slider button is turned on and showing green.

On the Mac, you'll need Safari to show you the normally hidden Develop menu

How to clear the cache in Safari on Mac

Launch Safari
Click on the Safari menu at top left
Choose Preferences
Click on Advanced
Tick the Show Develop menu in menu bar to set it to on
Close the Preferences window, and open the Develop menu
Choose Empty Caches

There is no OK button, and then no visible confirmation that the caches have been cleared. But they have been.

Choose Empty Caches from the Develop menu

How to clear the cache in Safari on iPhone and iPad

Open Settings
Scroll down to Safari and tap
Choose Clear History and Website Data
Confirm by tapping the new Clear History and Data button that pops up

Unlike with the Mac, there is a visible indication that the cache has been cleared. The option for Clear History and Website Data is greyed out and unavailable.

Note that it won't stay unavailable. It is immediately available the moment you do anything more in Safari.

On iPhone and iPad, you have to clear both Safari's cache and history

What happens next

Once you have cleared the cache, you will typically find that some site loading problems are resolved. You'll also find that your device runs faster.

Except, of course, the next time you browse to a website, it will load a little slower than you're used to. But that will speed up again - once Safari has once more cached the site.

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How-To Geek

How to clear history, cache, and cookies in safari on iphone or ipad.

We're going to assume that most How-To Geek writers know how to delete the history, cookies, and cache in Mobile Safari, but just in case you don't know, here is how to do it.

Open up the Settings app and find Safari in the left-hand list, and then scroll down the right side until you find the "Clear History and Website Data" button.

You'll be prompted to verify that you really want to do this, and it will point out that this is also going to delete the history from other devices using your iCloud account to sync Safari.

Related: How to Clear Cookies / Cache for a Single Website on iPhone or iPad

Perhaps this is a good time to point out that you should use private browsing mode if you don't want history being saved on your device!

Back to Basics: How to Clear the Cache on Your iPhone

If your iphone is sluggish, here's how to wipe the browser history or offload little-used apps..

Cache rules everything around me, including my phone and yours.

Cache is all the data your phone acquires and stores as you visit websites and use apps, just in case you need it again. In theory, all this data collection will speed up future visits. But over time, cache can build up to the point where it slows down (and sometimes overheats) your phone .

Clearing the cache in your phone's browsers and apps can improve its performance. It’s an easy-enough task that you should perform once every few months to keep your phone functioning well.

Let’s start with browsers. After you’ve closed all those tabs that you’ve lost track of (don’t worry, everyone does it), you’re going to delve into the data they’ve stored.

For Safari, go to Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data . Here, you can choose whether to clear the last hour, today, today and yesterday, or all history. (There's also the option to close all your tabs from this menu.)

For Chrome, open the app and select More > Clear Browsing Data . You’ll be able to select what you want to remove. When you’re done, tap Clear Browsing Data > Done .

For Firefox, open the app and select Settings > Privacy > Data Management . Make sure Cache is toggled on; you can also clear browsing history, cookies, online website data, tracking protection and downloaded files. Select what you want and tap Clear Private Data at the bottom.

You can’t clear individual app cache on an iPhone but if you offload an app, it will achieve the same thing. Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage . You’ll be able to see what apps you use the least. Tap any apps you don’t need on your phone right now and select Offload App. The app will remain on your home screen, but you'll need to tap to re-download to get back in.

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My title is Senior Features Writer, which is a license to write about absolutely anything if I can connect it to technology (I can). I’ve been at PCMag since 2011 and have covered the surveillance state, vaccination cards, ghost guns, voting, ISIS, art, fashion, film, design, gender bias, and more. You might have seen me on TV talking about these topics or heard me on your commute home on the radio or a podcast. Or maybe you’ve just seen my Bernie meme .

How to clear your browser cache

It’s quick, simple, and useful.

By Barbara Krasnoff , a reviews editor who manages how-tos. She’s worked as an editor and writer for almost 40 years. Previously, she was a senior reviews editor for Computerworld.

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A sage-colored Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 with its screen open and facing the viewer in front of a pink and yellow backdrop.

One of the best ways to restore space to your computer or phone — or to fix a problem that may have been caused by a temporary file screwing up the works — is also one of the simplest: to clear the browser cache. However, unless you’ve been instructed sometime in the past to clear your cache, you may be unaware of this otherwise invisible feature.

Here’s how to clear your cache on the major browsers and on your Android or iOS devices. We’ve also included instructions on how to clear the data for a single site if you need to.

Click on the three dots in the upper right corner.
On the desktop version, select More Tools > Clear Browsing Data... On the mobile app, select Settings > Privacy and security > Clear browsing data .
Make sure the Cached images and files box is checked. (You can also choose to clear your browsing history and cookies if you want — click on the Advanced tab if you want to get more specific.)
Use the Time range drop-down menu to choose how far back to go. (In the case of clearing your cache, All time is best.)
Click on the Clear data button.

To clear the data for a specific site

Click on the three dots on the top right
Select Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies and other site data .
Scroll down and click on See all cookies and site data.
Search for the website’s name in the upper right corner and select the trash can icon to the right.

Interestingly, Safari makes it very easy to clear all your data — including cache, browsing history, and cookies — at one blow. But it’s not as obvious if you just want to clear your browser cache.

To do it the easy way:

While you’re in the Safari browser on your desktop, go to the top menu and select Safari > Clear History...
Select the time period (last hour, today, today and yesterday, all history) you want to clear and click on Clear History .
Or, on your iPhone, tap the Bookmarks icon at the bottom of the screen (it looks like an open book) and then on the History icon (the clock).
Tap on the Clear button and select your time period.

If you want to just clear out the browser cache on your web browser, it’s a little more complicated.

Look to see if there is a Develop section in your Safari’s top menu. If not, go to Safari > Preferences... > Advanced and check Show Develop in menu bar .
Click on Develop > Empty Caches .
Click on Safari > Preferences...
Click the Privacy tab and then Manage Website Data...
You’ll get a list of websites. To remove one, click on it and then click Remove . To remove all website data from Safari, click Remove All .

Microsoft Edge

The Edge browsers for desktop and mobile are different enough, so we’ll describe the process separately.

Desktop browser

As in Chrome, just check the correct box to empty your cache.

Click the three dots in the upper right corner
Select Settings > Privacy, search, and services
Scroll down to Clear browsing data and click on Choose what to clear
Make sure Cached images and files is checked (and check any other data you want to clear out)
Use the Time range drop-down to select the last hour, last 24 hours, last four weeks, or all time
Click on Clear now
Select Settings > Cookies and site permissions > Manage and delete cookies and site data .
Search for the website’s name in the upper right corner or scroll down to find it
Click on the “down” arrow next to the site name, and then use the trash can icons to delete the cookies and data.
You can also use the buttons on top to Remove all shown or Remove third-party cookies .

Mobile browser

In mobile Edge, click the bottom three dots and then choose Settings.

Tap on the three dots at the bottom of the screen and select Settings > Privacy and security
Select Clear browsing data
Make sure Cached images and files is checked, and use the drop-down menu to pick your time range.
If you want, you can toggle on Clear browsing data upon exit to clear out all your data each time you exit Edge.

Click on the three lines in the upper right corner of the app, then select Settings > Privacy & Security
Scroll down to Cookies and Site Data ; click on Clear Data...
Make sure Cached Web Content is checked (you can also check off the Cookies and Site Data box if you want to clear that as well)
Select Clear

In Cookies and Site Data , there is also a box you can check to delete all cookies and site data when you close the browser. A button called Manage Exceptions... lets you choose any sites whose cookies you want to keep.

If you’re on the website you want to clear:

Look for a lock icon to the left of the address bar and click on it.
Click on Clear cookies and site data... and then click Remove on the pop-up box.

If you want to clear data from one or more specific sites:

Go to Firefox > Preferences > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data . Click on Manage Data .
Scroll down to find the site you want to clear or type its name into the search box.
Highlight the site and click on Remove Selected . (If you want, you can also click on Remove All .)

Update July 6th, 2022, 2:10PM ET: This article was originally published on July 4th, 2022, and has been updated to add information on Firefox.

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How to clear the cache on your iPhone (and why you should)

How many tabs are open on your mobile browser right now? Go ahead, check -- you might be surprised by what you find.

Americans spend over five hours a day on their smartphones. That's over five hours of your phone potentially accessing, retrieving, and saving cache and cookies, which can negatively impact your iPhone's storage space .

What is cache?

Cache is the temporary storage of some data, like parts of a website from the last time you visited it, for example. Browser cache is content from a website that is stored on your phone during a browser session to help the browser execute faster the next time you visit that page.

Also: How to clear Google search cache on Android

Cache data can slow down your phone's overall browsing performance, however, since it takes up storage space on your device, so it's good to clear it out regularly. In this article, we mainly focus on clearing web browser cache on an iPhone, but you should know that other types of cache include mobile app cache and CPU cache.

How to clear cache on iPhone

What you'll need: Everything you need to clear your browser cache is within the iPhone's settings app or the Safari app, so grab your iPhone to get started.

Keep in mind that clearing the cache can clear private data, which can close all open tabs in Safari. This is also likely to log you out of all your websites, prompting you to sign in again the next time you open them.

How do I clear the cache from Chrome on iPhone?

If Google Chrome is your preferred browser, it may have a substantial amount of data stored on your device, which could also slow down performance.

To clear the cache in Chrome, open the Google Chrome app and follow these steps:

Tap Settings .
Go to Privacy and Security .
Select Clear Browsing Data .
Select the time from which to delete the data (if you want to delete all your browsing history, choose All Time ).
Go through the items you'd like to delete, like your Browsing History, Cookies and Site Data, Cached Images and Files, Saved Passwords , and Autofill Data.
Confirm by tapping Clear Browsing Data at the bottom of the screen.
Tap Done when you've deleted the Chrome cache.

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Clearing the browsing and cache data in Google Chrome doesn't close all open tabs, but it will refresh each tab and log you out of websites. Once you tap on one of the tabs you want to access, you'll have to log back in.

How can I browse on Safari without history?

If you're learning how to clear cache on an iPhone, you may also be wondering if there's a way to use Safari without saving any browsing history. You can turn on Private Browsing by following these steps:

Open Safari .
Tap on Tabs .
Choose Private .

You can also enable private browsing by going to your iPhone Settings, finding Safari, and toggling on the private option.

How do I clear my app cache on my iPhone?

To clear the app cache from your iPhone Settings app, you can either delete the app and reinstall it, offload it, or try to clear the cache from within the app. Unfortunately, iOS apps don't have consistent settings across the board that would allow you to clear the cache of every app.

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Apps like TikTok and CapCut, for example, have options to Clear Cache within their respective settings. Amazon lets users delete their browsing history, while the Reddit app can clear local history. It all depends on what the app's settings let you do.

Is "clear cache" the same as offloading?

Not exactly, though app offloading can help if your phone is slowed down by low storage. To offload an app means to uninstall an app without deleting any documents or data associated with it.

Also: Apple secures iMessage against threats from the future

To offload an app, go to Settings , then General , choose iPhone Storage and select the app to offload, then tap Offload App . If you ever download it again, you'll pick up where you left off for that app.

Are cookies and cache the same thing?

Cookies and cache are not the same. Cookies are data files that websites send to your phone, including things like saved passwords to keep you logged into an account or even the website preferences from the previous time you visited.

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Though they do sound harmless, cookies can also track how you browse the internet. They monitor patterns in your browsing and search history, even seeing what you clicked on or what your mouse hovered over. Ever made an innocuous search on Amazon only to find ads for it on all the apps you use? Cookies likely made that possible.

Can I block cookies on my iPhone?

While you can block cookies on Safari, the ranks are divided on whether you should. Blocking cookies entirely means that websites won't be able to get information from you, but it also means that some websites may not even work correctly on your browser. A lot of users actually enjoy a more personalized browsing experience, so cookies are a good thing for them.

If you'd like to block cookies in Safari, follow these steps:

Go to Settings and select Safari .
Tap on the toggle next to Block All Cookies .

There are also third-party extensions that help you block cookies and trackers in Google Chrome, like Ghostery and Disconnect .

How do I check iPhone storage?

On an iPhone, Settings can show you what's taking up most of your media storage, like photos, videos, and music. You can also see what each particular app's storage consumption is, which includes temporary data. To view the details of your iPhone's storage space, follow these steps:

Go to the iPhone Settings .
Tap on General .
Select iPhone Storage .
Scroll through to find the app you're looking for.
Tap on the app to view storage status and options.

Unfortunately, you can't clear your iPhone cache for third-party apps by going into your Settings app, but this gives you a visual of your iPhone's storage and the option to delete or offload apps.

Also: Here's the fastest way to declutter your iPhone and free up Gigabytes of space

When you look at your device's storage space, you'll probably see recommended steps you can take to optimize your iPhone's storage, like offloading unused apps.

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How to clear the cache on your iPhone (and why you should)

iPhone & iPad: How to clear cache, history, and cookies

It doesn’t take long for caches to fill up on iOS. From the default Safari browser, to third-party apps, follow along for how to clear the cache, history, and cookies on iPhone and iPad.

While clearing the cache in Safari is quick and easy with one fell swoop, the process can be different with third-party apps. We’ll first look at how to clear the cache in Safari on iPhone and iPad and then tackle other apps.

We’ve also got a walkthrough on clearing the cache, history, and cookies on Mac, check that out here .

How to clear cache on iPhone & iPad in Safari and other apps

Open Settings
Swipe down and tap Safari
Swipe down again and tap Clear History and Website Data , tap it once again to confirm
If you’d like to clear data from individual websites without clearing the entire Safari cache, at the very bottom of Safari settings choose Advanced > Website Data > Edit (or swipe from right to left to delete individual items).

Keep in mind website data deleted from iPhone or iPad will be removed from your other Apple devices signed in to the same iCloud account if they sync with Safari.

Clear cache on iPhone for third-party apps

Clearing the cache of third-party apps varies from developer to developer. Some like Slack offer an option in the app preferences in iOS Settings, while others like Facebook don’t. Check out the settings of your apps to see your options (Settings app > app name).
For apps that don’t provide a clear cache button, deleting the app and reinstalling it is another option.

You can always take a look at Settings > General > iPhone Storage to prioritize which third-party apps you may want to tackle first.

Thanks for reading our guide on how to clear cache on iPhone and iPad!

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How to clear your browser cache in Chrome, Edge, or Firefox

A stocked computer cache may be convenient for logging into and out of go-to sites in seconds flat, but a major buildup of these tracking codes could significantly impact your PC’s performance. If you’ve noticed that your PC has been running rather slow of late, or you’re using a new browser and don’t know how to clear its cache, we’ve got you covered with the following guide.

Why you might want to clear your cache

How to clear cache in google chrome, how to clear cache in firefox, how to clear cache in safari, how to clear cache in opera, how to clear cache in microsoft edge, what’s the difference between a cache and cookies, what happens after i clear my cache, how often should i clear my cache, what you need.

A web browser (such as Google Chrome, Opera, Safari, Firefox, or Microsoft Edge)

Clearing your browser’s cache can prove fruitful for several reasons. First off, purging the stored data in your cache forces your browser to seek and retrieve the most recent webpage elements instead of recycling the same old components, whether they’re up to date with the developer’s standards or not.

Furthermore, resetting your cache will potentially help in the event of 404, 502, and other errors that may result from a corrupt cache. You can also clear any private data you have stored in the form of login IDs, passwords, and additional sensitive info you’d prefer not to save on your machine. It’s also a simple trick you can employ to shed any unnecessary data, which could slow down your browser.

Step 1: Launch Google Chrome and select the Chrome Menu icon represented by three vertical dots in the upper-right corner of the browser window, and then choose Settings near the bottom of the resulting drop-down menu. (You may need to select the Down arrow first to access the Settings option).

Step 2: Then, select Privacy and security in the left sidebar. You’ll then want to look for the Clear browsing data option. Select it, and make sure the box for Cached images and files is checked. You can uncheck the other boxes for Browsing history , Download history , Cookies and other site data , and so on … unless you also want to delete these at the same time for privacy reasons.

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Step 3: When ready, select Clear data to begin the process. If it’s been a while since you cleaned Chrome out, this step could take a long time, so schedule accordingly.

If you want to improve Chrome’s functionality now that the cache is cleared, here are our favorite Chrome extensions .

Step 1: Open Firefox, select the button with three bars in the upper-right corner of the browser window, and select Settings from the resulting drop-down menu.

Step 2: Select the Privacy and security tab located on the left side of the screen and head to the Cookies and site data section.

Select Clear data . You’ll want to make sure that the option for Cached web content is checked, and then select Clear .

You can also check the box next to Delete cookies and site data when Firefox is closed to do so automatically when you close the browser.

Step 1: Launch Safari, and then select Safari in the upper-left corner of the main menu bar, and choose the Preferences option near the top of the drop-down menu.

Then select the Advanced tab located in the top navigation bar and check the box directly on the bottom that says Show develop menu in Menu Bar . Doing so will add a new menu to Safari by default.

Step 2: Select the Develop menu near the middle of the upper macOS menu bar and then choose the Empty caches option.

Step 1: Launch Opera, and then select the Menu button in the upper-left corner of the browser window.

Choose the Settings option from the drop-down menu.

Step 2: Select Privacy and security . Then choose Clear browsing data.

Check the box Cached images and files , along with any other browser data you wish to clear. Then, select the time frame you want to erase — to completely clear the cache, choose All time — from the drop-down menu. Afterward, select the Clear data button in the bottom-right corner.

Step 1: Launch the Microsoft Edge browser. When it loads, click Settings .

Step 2: Click Privacy and services . Under Clear browsing data , click Choose what to clear .

Step 3: Put a check under Cached images and files , then click Clear now .

Another popular term that comes up when researching cache-clearing is “cookies.” While both your PC’s cache and its cookies are similar, they’re also a little different.

Cookies are bite-sized pieces of info that your browser stores to save things like passwords and page settings. A web cache is information that is stored about the sites you visit. This could be things like HTML coding and page images.

Clearing your cache is one of the best things you can do for the overall performance of your computer. If you’ve noticed that your PC has been running slow, there’s a good chance that clearing your cache will improve your speed. When you clear your cache, you may even notice websites you regularly visit start to load faster. Certain formatting problems you were having on sites may also be gone.

When you clear your cache, you may also wipe saved login info on certain websites. So before you go ahead and clear things, make sure you’ve written down any important usernames or passwords you may need.

For optimal computer performance, it’s a good idea to clear your cache at least once or twice per month.

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How to Clear Your Web Browser Cache on Any Platform

Last Updated: August 17, 2023 Fact Checked

Google Chrome on a Computer

Google chrome on mobile, safari on a mac, safari on iphone/ipad, microsoft edge on windows, firefox on a computer, firefox for android, firefox for iphone/ipad, samsung internet on android.

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Nicole Levine, MFA . Nicole Levine is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. She has more than 20 years of experience creating technical documentation and leading support teams at major web hosting and software companies. Nicole also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Portland State University and teaches composition, fiction-writing, and zine-making at various institutions. There are 12 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 25,093,313 times. Learn more...

While your browser cache usually helps websites load faster, it can sometimes prevent you from seeing the most up-to-date version of a webpage. In some cases, an old or corrupted cache can even cause a webpage to load improperly or prevent it from loading at all! Fortunately, it's easy to clear your browser cache on any platform, whether you're using a computer, phone, or tablet. This tutorial will teach you the easiest ways to clear the cache on all popular browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari.

Things You Should Know

In Chrome on a computer, go to ⋮ > More Tools > Clear browsing data. Select "All time," choose "Cached images and files," and click "Clear data."
In the Chrome mobile app, go to ⋮ > History > Clear Browsing Data. Select "Cached images and files" and tap "Clear Browsing Data."
In Safari on a Mac, you'll need to enable the Develop menu to clear your browser cache.

Step 1 Click the three-dot menu in Chrome ⋮.

If you only want to clear the cache and not your cookies or browsing history, uncheck both other options before you continue.

If your cache is the only thing you want to clear, remove the checkmarks from all other options.

Click the Safari menu.
Click Settings .
Click Advanced . [12] X Research source
Check the box next to "Show Develop menu in the menu bar."

If you only want to clear the cache, uncheck "Cookies and Site Data."

In Firefox for iOS, you can only clear the cache by deleting all of your private browsing data. This means you'll also be deleting any saved cookies and your browsing history.

Community Q&A

Deleting your browser's cache is not the same thing as deleting cookies . Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Your browser may load sites a little bit slower when accessing them for the first time after clearing the cache. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

↑ https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/32050?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop
↑ https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/32050?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid
↑ https://oit.colorado.edu/tutorial/clear-web-browser-cache-safari
↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/safari/use-the-developer-tools-in-the-develop-menu-sfri20948/mac
↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201265
↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/view-and-delete-browser-history-in-microsoft-edge-00cf7943-a9e1-975a-a33d-ac10ce454ca4
↑ https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-clear-firefox-cache
↑ https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/clear-your-search-history-firefox-android
↑ https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/clear-browsing-history-firefox-ios
↑ https://www.samsung.com/uk/support/mobile-devices/using-the-samsung-internet-app/
↑ https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS00086162/

About This Article

To delete the cache in Google Chrome on your computer, click the menu at the top-right corner of Chrome, select ""More tools,"" and then select ""Clear browsing data."" Choose how much data you want to delete from the drop-down menu, and make sure the ""Cached images and files"" box is checked. You can remove the other checkmarks if you only want to delete the cache. Click ""CLEAR DATA"" to delete the cache. If you want to clear the cache in Google Chrome on a phone or tablet, open Chrome, tap the menu at the top-right or bottom-right corner of the screen, select ""History,"" and then select ""Clear browsing data."" Tap ""Time Range"" to choose how much data to delete. If you just want to delete your cache, make sure ""Cached Images and Files"" is selected, and then remove the other checkmarks. Tap ""Clear Browsing Data,"" and then ""Clear Data"" to confirm. To clear the cache in Safari on your Mac, you'll have to enable the Develop menu. Open Safari, click the ""Safari"" menu, select ""Preferences,"" click the ""Advanced"" tab, and then check the box next to ""Show Develop menu in menu bar."" Now, click the new ""Develop"" menu in the menu bar, and then select ""Empty caches"" to delete your cache. To delete the cache in Safari on your iPhone or iPad, open the ""Settings"" app on your phone. Then, select ""Safari,"" and tap ""Clear History and Website Data."" Tap ""Clear History and Data"" to confirm. For tips on how to delete your browser’s cache if you’re using Safari or Internet Explorer, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How To Clear Your Safari Browser Cache on PC

When you use Safari to browse the Internet, you accumulate a lot of temporary Internet files. These improve the browsing experience for the most part. However, they can also prove to be a bit of a hassle over the long-term.

And keeping the temp files cleaned up once in a while can solve a lot of problems.

In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to clear the cache in Safari and go into a bit of why you should. It only takes a few moments and is often a good idea to do so on a regular basis.

What is a Cache in Safari and Why Clear it?

Safari stores temporary Internet files in what’s called a “cache.” It’s a location on the computer which allows the browser to pull information regarding specific websites.

For example, your computer will load images and files from the cache instead of downloading them each time you visit a site. This improves the overall experience by making the site load faster on your end.

However, the cache can also contribute to a few problems. Here are just some of the more common you might want to consider:

You Could Save Bad Website Coding Let’s say you visit a page and the coding isn’t right. Perhaps you’re troubleshooting problems you’re having on a particular page. Sometimes the cache will store that coding even if you save changes. Clearing the cache lets you download the most current version of that site.
Can Take Up a Lot of Hard Drive Space Images and files stored in the cache can eat up a lot of room on your computer. If you spend a lot of time browsing the Internet, you could save several gigabytes worth of images alone. Clearing the cache in Safari will free up that space.
Other Users Can Explore What You Browse From the history of URLs you visit to the images saved from websites, anyone sitting at your computer can see what you’ve been exploring. Deleting all of the information saved in Safari can stop others from snooping through your Internet usage.

Not everyone wants to use a privacy mode where passwords are not saved and the cache is emptied automatically. Clearing the Safari cache lets you choose when that information is removed.

Clearing the Safari Browser Cache on a PC

Open the Safari browser on your computer and click the gear icon in the browser window.

Click the option to “Reset Safari.”

In this window, you can select what elements you want to clear in the Safari browser cache on the PC.

For example, you can choose to remove all website icons, save the names and passwords and clear the downloads window by selecting the checkboxes.

Once you’ve decided what parts you want to be deleted, click the “Reset” button on the bottom.

This will remove the data you selected and relaunch the Safari web browser.

Keeping Your Browser Cleaned Up

When you clear the temporary Internet files from Safari, you’re improving the efficiency of the browser as well as your computer. The last thing you want is Safari taking up terabytes worth of space because of downloaded images.

And while this may sound like an absurd figure, keep in mind that every site you visit will download data to your computer. Over the long-term, you can acquire a vast number of useless files and information.

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iPad User Guide

iPad models compatible with iPadOS 17
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Clear your cache on iPad

Note: Clearing your browsing history in Safari doesn’t clear any browsing histories kept independently by websites you visited, or your browsing history in other apps.

An open webpage. Safari browsing history is open on the left side of the screen, displaying a list of recently visited websites, with the Clear button below.

Below Clear Timeframe, choose how much of your browsing history to clear.

Note: If you have Safari profiles set up, select a profile to clear only the history of that profile, or select All Profiles.

Tap Clear History.

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How to Clear Internet Cache in Every Major Browser

Clear the cache in Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, and more

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What Exactly Is Cache?

Why do you have to clear cache, chrome: clear browsing data, firefox: clear recent history, safari: empty caches, opera: clear browsing data, edge: clear browsing data, vivaldi: delete browsing data, more about clearing caches in web browsers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What to Know

Clearing cache can fix browsing problems, free up space, and remove saved versions of visited pages.
Clear cache quickly via Ctrl+Shift+Del (Windows) or Command+Shift+Delete (Mac).
Otherwise, try your browser's Settings , Privacy , or Advanced options.

Your browser's cache, pronounced cash , is a collection of web pages stored on your hard drive or in your phone/tablet storage. The cache includes the text, images, and most other media contained on web pages that you've visited.

Having a local copy of a web page makes for quick loading on your next visit because your computer or mobile device doesn't have to download it from the internet again. Over time, however, the cache may take up a big chunk of your computer's storage.

You don't have to clear the cache as a regular part of computer or smartphone maintenance. However, there are some good reasons to clear cache:

Clearing your cache forces your browser to retrieve the newest copy available from the website, something that should happen automatically but sometimes does not.
You're experiencing issues such as 404 errors or 502 errors (among others) that may indicate your browser's cache is corrupted.
Malware is another reason to delete the browser cache. It can be dropped in the cache without you knowing or alongside program installations, so clearing the entire cache can delete malicious files. (It also helps to have antivirus software .)
Another reason to delete browser cache data is to free up space on your hard drive. Over time, the cache can grow to a huge size; clearing it can recover some of that previously used space.

Regardless of why you want to do it, clearing your browser's cache is easy to do in all the popular browsers in use today.

As mentioned above, the quickest way to pull up the "cache clearing" or "browsing data" section in your browser is via Ctrl + Shift + Del (Windows) or Command + Shift + Delete (Mac) but see one of the sections below for the exact steps involved in clearing your specific browser's cache.

This guide covers Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera, Edge, and Vivaldi, plus their respective mobile browser apps.

Assuming you use a keyboard, the quickest way to the Clear browsing data window in Google Chrome is by using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Del (Windows) or Command + Shift + Delete (Mac).

If you aren't into keyboard shortcuts, here's how to clear the Chrome browser cache on your computer:

Select the three-dotted menu button in the upper-right corner of Chrome and select Settings in the drop-down menu.

Choose Advanced at the bottom of the page.

Select Clear browsing data .

Check the box next to Cached images and files .

Also choose All time from the Time range option at the top to make sure you get everything.

Choose Clear data .

You can find more details about clearing browsing data in Chrome on Google's support website.

Clear Cache in the Chrome Mobile App

In Chrome's mobile app:

On Android, open the Chrome app and tap the three-dotted menu icon at the top of the screen. iOS users can find this button at the bottom.

Tap Settings in the menu.

Tap Privacy .

Choose Clear browsing data .

Tap Cached images and files to place a check mark next to it.

Select Clear data on Android or Clear Browsing Data on iOS, and then confirm with Clear (Android) or Clear Browsing Data (iOS) in the pop-up window.

In Mozilla's Firefox browser, you clear the cache from the Clear Recent History or Clear Data area.

The Ctrl + Shift + Del (Windows) or Command + Shift + Delete (Mac) keyboard shortcut is the fastest way to open the Clear Recent History screen, which looks like this:

Don't forget to choose Everything from the Time range to clear options, assuming that's your intent.

To get to the Clear Data screen through the menus, do this:

In Firefox's menu button (the three-lined hamburger icon), select Options .

Choose Privacy & Security from the left.

Select Clear Data in the Cookies and Site Data area.

If you scroll down a bit and choose Clear History , you'll get to the same screen that the shortcut above takes you to.

In the Clear Data screen that opens, select Cached Web Content .

Choose Clear .

Clear Cache in the Firefox Mobile App

To delete the cache in the Firefox mobile app:

Tap the three-line menu icon at the top (Android) or bottom (iOS) of the app and choose Settings in the menu.

Select Clear private data on Android, or Data Management on iOS.

Enable the Cache option.

Choose CLEAR DATA on Android. If you're on an iOS device, select Clear Private Data and then confirm with OK .

In Apple's Safari browser on a Mac, clearing the cache is done via the Develop menu. Just select Develop in the Safari menu bar and then choose Empty Caches .

You can also clear the cache in Safari on a Mac using the Option + Command + E keyboard shortcut.

If you don't see Develop on your Safari menu bar, enable it via Safari > Preferences > Advanced , followed by selecting Show Develop menu in menu bar .

Clear Cache in the Safari Mobile App

Clearing the browser cache from mobile Safari on your iPhone or iPad is accomplished in a different app.

Open the Settings app and tap Safari .

Scroll down and tap Clear History and Website Data .

Tap Clear History and Data to confirm.

In Opera, clearing the cache is done via the Clear browsing data section that's part of Settings .

The fastest way to bring up the Clear browsing data window is via the Ctrl + Shift + Del (Windows) or Command + Shift + Delete (Mac) keyboard shortcut.

Select the Settings icon, which looks like three sliders in the upper-right corner of the browser.

Scroll down and choose Clear browsing data .

Opera automatically selects all items you can delete, including Cached Images and Files . Click Clear Data to remove the information.

You can find detailed instructions on how to clear the cache on Opera's website .

Be sure to choose All time at the top to erase everything.

Clear Cache in the Opera Mobile Browser

You can clear the cache from the Opera mobile app, too.

Select the More menu. It looks like three horizontal lines.

Choose Settings .

Select Clear Browser Data .

Tap the items you want to clear, including your history, cookies, images, and settings. Checkmarks will appear next to the ones you select.

Select Clear .

A confirmation message will appear, showing that the data is gone.

Clearing the cache in Microsoft Edge is done via the Clear browsing data menu.

The fastest way to the Clear browsing data menu is via the Ctrl + Shift + Del keyboard shortcut.

Here's another option:

Open Microsoft Edge and select the three-dotted menu button at the top of the screen.

Select Settings .

Go to Privacy and services .

If you don't see these options, open the menu from the button at the top left of this screen.

Select Choose What to Clear .

Select the items you want to delete and then choose Clear now .

See how to clear the cache in Microsoft Edge for more help.

Clear Cache in the Edge Mobile Browser

To delete cache files from the Edge mobile app:

Open the Edge app and tap the three-dotted menu button at the bottom.

Select Privacy and Security .

Tap Clear browsing data .

Make sure Cached images and files is selected on Android, or Cache on iOS. This screen is also how you can delete other items like saved passwords and cookies.

On Android, tap Clear and then confirm with CLEAR . For iOS, choose Clear browsing data and then Clear .

Clear the cache in Vivaldi via the Delete Browsing Data area.

From the menu bar (select the V logo at the top left if you don't see it), go to Tools > Delete Browsing Data .

Select Cache as well as any other categories you want to clear.

You can also use this screen change the Delete Data for time to something else like All Time to clear the whole cache.

Choose Delete .

As with most browsers, the Ctrl + Shift + Del (Windows) or Command + Shift + Delete (Mac) keyboard shortcut brings up this menu, too.

Clear Cache in the Vivaldi Mobile Browser

The Vivaldi app for Android lets you clear the cache as well:

Tap the V icon at the top right of the app and then tap Settings .

Scroll down and select Privacy .

Make sure Cached images and files is selected, and optionally adjust the Time range setting to clear more or less of the cache.

Tap Clear data to erase the cache.

Most browsers have at least basic cache management settings where, at a minimum, you can choose how much space you'd like the browser to use for its cache.

Some browsers let you choose to automatically clear the cache and other data that might contain private information every time you close the browser window.

In most browsers, you can overwrite a web page's stored cache without deleting all the cache collected by the browser. In essence, this erases and replenishes the cache for that specific page only. In most browsers and operating systems, you can bypass the cache by holding down the Shift or Ctrl key as you refresh.

How you clear web cookies depends on your browser, but you can usually delete cookies from the same screen where you clear the cache.

By default, most browsers will maintain cached files indefinitely until the user deletes them. Some browsers give you the option to adjust how long the cache is stored.

Not necessarily. When deleting your browser data, only check the box for the cache, and uncheck the boxes for the history, cookies, or anything else you want to keep.

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Clear the Web Browser Cache - Safari

Clearing a web browser’s cache can correct problems you may have using a web browser while on the CU Boulder network or using an OIT web based program, like Canvas or Buff Portal. OIT recommends that you perform this before using the campus network. The instructions below demonstrate how to clear the cache using Safari.

Click on the Safari drop-down menu and select Preferences .

Click the Advanced tab . Select the Show Develop menu in menu bar checkbox and close the Preferences window.

Select the Develop drop-down menu. Click Empty Cache .

Note: You may want to also clear your browser history. Select the History drop-down, then Clear History .

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Your Android Phone's Web Browser Has Junk Files You Can Remove Quickly

By regularly clearing out your web browser's cache and cookies, you can get rid of files from the web that you don't need.

You can clear out the cookies and cache of your Android phone's web browser with a few quick taps.

Your Android phone 's web browser picks up a lot of data from all of the websites that you visit, and a lot of that does not need to be on your phone. Whether you're using Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Samsung Internet, this data stored in your cookies and cache can be helpful in some cases. It's what lets you quickly load websites you frequently access and keeps you logged into accounts you have. That's nice, but there's plenty of information in the cookies and cache of your browser that isn't necessary and could even be a privacy risk.

Why you should regularly clear out your cookies and cache

A lot of what ends up building up within your cookies and cache is just plain junk. Some of it could have arrived from websites you've visited just once. Others seem to be tracking your browsing history on an active basis, helping to serve up advertisements based on what you are buying or streaming on the internet. For instance, I'm constantly receiving advertisements for buying glasses online after browsing a few stores, or Amazon ads that just happen to show what was last in my shopping cart.

Because of this, it's good to clear out your cache every so often. It allows you to remove data you don't need on your phone, especially if an unknown data tracker is among your phone's cookies. Clearing your cache is a minor inconvenience -- you'll have to log back into some of your favorite websites, but it's a small price to pay to make sure your phone isn't stocking up on extraneous data.

The steps differ slightly depending on the type of phone and web browser app you're using. Below, we'll go over how to clear this data for Google's Chrome browser (the default for many Android phones, like the Google Pixel line), Samsung's internet browser (often the default on the Galaxy phone series ) and Mozilla's Firefox browser. You can also check out our separate guide on how to clear your cache on an iPhone web browser , in case you have a few Apple devices to tidy up, too.

The "Clear browsing data" menu in Chrome on Android.

Google Chrome

You can delete your cookies and cache from within the Android version of Google Chrome by first tapping the More button in the top right corner of the browser, indicated by a column of three dots, then tapping History , then Clear browsing data . You can also access this from the Chrome Settings menu, tapping Privacy and Security and then Clear browsing data .

Chrome also offers Basic and Advanced settings for clearing your Browsing history , Cookies and site data and Cached images and files . You can use the Time range drop-down to select whether you want to delete the entire history or a selection of anywhere from the past 24 hours up to the last four weeks. Tapping Advanced will also give you access to deleting Saved passwords , Autofill form data and Site settings . After selecting what you want to delete, tap the blue Clear data button. You might receive an additional prompt in the event Chrome deems certain websites as being "important" to you, and if so you'll get the chance to confirm before clearing. Otherwise, if you do not receive that prompt, Chrome will immediately proceed to clear as you instructed.

Read more: Ditch Google Chrome and Use This Privacy-Focused Browser Instead

Samsung Internet

The "Clear data" and "Clear cache" options for Samsung Internet.

There are two different ways you can clear your Samsung Internet browser's cache and cookie data. You can clear from within the browser itself, or you can go through your phone's Settings app.

To clear while in the Samsung Internet browser app, first tap the Options button in the bottom right corner represented by three horizontal lines, then Settings ; scroll down to and tap Personal Data , then tap Delete browsing data to get a menu of options to delete. You can clear your Browsing history , Cookies and site data , Cached images and files , Passwords and Autofill forms in any combination. After tapping Delete data , you'll then receive a prompt asking for you to confirm your choices before deleting.

Going through the browser app itself provides the most customization as to what you want to delete. If you want to access similar options from your phone's settings menu, open the Settings app and tap on Apps , then scroll down to and tap Samsung Internet and then Storage .

At the bottom of Storage, you get separate options to Clear cache and Clear data . Tapping Clear cache will immediately delete the cache, but Clear data brings up a prompt that warns you that all of the application's data will be deleted permanently, including files, settings, accounts and databases. While it doesn't specify cookies, this "going nuclear" approach should zap all remaining data, letting you restart the Samsung Internet browser as if it were brand-new.

Read more: Change These Android Settings to Get the Most Out of Your Phone

Mozilla Firefox

Much as with Google Chrome, you can clear the cache from within the Mozilla Firefox Android app. To access this function, tap the More button on the right of the address bar, again symbolized by three vertically aligned dots. Then tap Settings and scroll down to Delete browsing data .

The "Delete browsing data" menu in Mozilla Firefox on Android.

Of the three browsers we're discussing here, Firefox gives you the most options under the Delete browsing data menu, allowing you to also delete any existing Open tabs , your Browsing history and site data , Site permissions and even your Downloads folder alongside Cookies and Cached images and files .

While you can't pick a time range as you can for Chrome, you can be more specific regarding what type of data you would like to remove.

Read more: Browser Privacy Settings to Change ASAP in Firefox, Chrome and Safari

And Firefox has an additional option for those who never want to keep their browsing data after they're done using the app. Inside Settings is a Delete browsing data on quit option, which instructs Firefox to wipe any combination of these same settings every time you quit the application. It's a useful feature if you'd like to keep the browser tidy and, say, avoid accidentally handing off your browser history to someone who may have stolen or otherwise gained access to your phone.

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IMAGES

How to clear the cache on a Safari browser to make it run faster
How to clear browser cache in Chrome, Safari, Firefox on Mac
How to clear cache in Safari
How to clear Safari cache on Mac?
Step-by-Step Guide to Clearing Safari's Cache and Cookies
How to Clear Cache and Cookies in Safari on Mac

VIDEO

How to Clear Web History in Safari Browser
How to Clear Safari History on iPhone (2 Methods)
Clear Safari cache history and cookies on iPhone
How to Fix Safari Clear History Grayed Out
How to Clear Safari Cache
How To Clear Cache For Safari On iPhone

COMMENTS

How to clear Safari cache and cookies on a Mac
Cleaning cookies and the cache data for individual sites can be done via Safari's Settings/Preferences. Open Safari. Click on Safari in the menu at the top of the screen. Click on Settings or ...
How to Clear Safari Browser Cache on Mac, iPhone, or iPad
Clear your cache. 1. Click on the Safari tab at the top left of your screen and choose Preferences from the dropdown menu. Navigate to the Preferences section. Stefan Ionescu/Insider. 2. Click the ...
Clear the history, cache, and cookies from Safari on your iPhone, iPad
Clear the history, cache, and cookies from Safari on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch ... Delete a website from your history. Block cookies. Use content blockers. Delete history, cache, and cookies. Go to Settings > Safari. Tap Clear History and Website Data. ... the button to clear it turns gray. The button might also be gray if you have web ...
Clear your browsing history in Safari on Mac
Open Safari for me. In the Safari app on your Mac, choose History > Clear History, then click the pop-up menu. Choose how far back you want your browsing history cleared. When you clear your history, Safari removes data it saves as a result of your browsing, including: History of webpages you visited. The back and forward list for open webpages ...
Clear the history, cache and cookies from Safari on your iPhone, iPad
Find out how to delete your history, cookies and cache in Settings. Delete your history, cache and cookies. Clear your cookies and the cache, but keep your history. Delete a website from your history. Block cookies. Use content blockers. Delete history, cache and cookies. Go to Settings > Safari. Tap Clear History and Website Data.
How to Clear Safari Browsing History and Cache
Scroll down and select Safari. Scroll down and select Clear History and Website Data. Choose the timeframe to clear ( Last hour, Today, Today and yesterday, or All history ), choose the profile or ...
How to clear Safari cache, history, and cookies on Mac
However, if you wish to clear the cookies and cache for all your Safari profiles, then you must employ the following method. How to clear cache of all Safari profiles on Mac. Launch Safari → Click Safari in the menu bar → Select Settings. Proceed to the Advanced tab → Tick the checkbox adjacent to Show features for web developers.
How to clear the cache in Safari on Mac and iPhone
Open Settings. Scroll down to Safari and tap. Choose Clear History and Website Data. Confirm by tapping the new Clear History and Data button that pops up. Unlike with the Mac, there is a visible ...
How to Clear History, Cache, and Cookies in Safari on iPhone or iPad
Open up the Settings app and find Safari in the left-hand list, and then scroll down the right side until you find the "Clear History and Website Data" button. You'll be prompted to verify that you really want to do this, and it will point out that this is also going to delete the history from other devices using your iCloud account to sync ...
Back to Basics: How to Clear the Cache on Your iPhone
For Safari, go to Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data. Here, you can choose whether to clear the last hour, today, today and yesterday, or all history. (There's also the option to close all your tabs from this menu.) Clear history screen for Safari (Credit: PCMag/Apple) For Chrome, open the app and select More > Clear Browsing ...
How to clear your browser cache
Check the cached images and files box. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner. On the desktop version, select More Tools > Clear Browsing Data... On the mobile app, select Settings ...
How to clear the cache on your iPhone (and why you should)
How to clear cache on iPhone. What you'll need: Everything you need to clear your browser cache is within the iPhone's settings app or the Safari app, so grab your iPhone to get started. Keep in ...
Clear cache on iPhone and iPad for Safari and more
Safari. Open Settings. Swipe down and tap Safari. Swipe down again and tap Clear History and Website Data, tap it once again to confirm. If you'd like to clear data from individual websites ...
How to clear the cache or do a hard refresh in Safari?
92. Go to Safari > Empty Cache, or hit ⌘ Command + ⌥ Option + E. To refresh, click the refresh button on the addressbar or press ⌘ Command + R. Another tip. If you want to restore Safari, like completely clear all the caches, or parts of it, go to Safari > Reset Safari.
Clear your cache on iPhone
Open the Safari app on your iPhone. Tap , tap , then tap Clear. Below Clear Timeframe, choose how much of your browsing history to clear. Note: If you have Safari profiles set up, select a profile to clear only the history of that profile, or select All Profiles. Tap Clear History. Learn how to erase your browsing history to clear the cache in ...
How To Clear Your Safari Browser Cache on Mac
What is a Safari Browser Cache? When you visit a website, your Safari browser checks if a copy of the files on the page is already in the cache. If they are, it saves the visitor some download time and the webpage will load faster. Browsers refer to its cache as "Temporary Internet Files." There are some cases though that you will run into ...
How to clear cache in Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Safari, and Edge
How to clear cache in Firefox. Step 1: Open Firefox, select the button with three bars in the upper-right corner of the browser window, and select Settings from the resulting drop-down menu. Step ...
9 Ways to Clear Your Browser Cache: Chrome, Safari, & More
Select "All time," choose "Cached images and files," and click "Clear data." In the Chrome mobile app, go to ⋮ > History > Clear Browsing Data. Select "Cached images and files" and tap "Clear Browsing Data." In Safari on a Mac, you'll need to enable the Develop menu to clear your browser cache. Method 1.
How To Clear the Cache in Chrome, Safari, Edge, and Firefox
To clear your browser cache in Chrome, click on the three-dot icon in the top-right corner of the browser window. Then go to More tools > Clear browsing data. Finally, pick a time range, check the box for Cached images and files, and click on Clear data. Open a Chrome window. Then click on the three-dot icon in the top-right corner.
How To Clear Your Safari Browser Cache on PC
Open the Safari browser on your computer and click the gear icon in the browser window. Click the option to "Reset Safari.". In this window, you can select what elements you want to clear in the Safari browser cache on the PC. For example, you can choose to remove all website icons, save the names and passwords and clear the downloads ...
Article
Clear your web browser's cache, cookies, and history . Quick Links: Chrome; Firefox; Safari; Internet Explorer; ... Safari. Click Safari > Clear History . Clear > all history > Clear History . Restart Computer Detailed instructions . Internet Explorer. Click settings > Internet options .
Clear your cache on iPad
Open the Safari app on your iPad. Tap , tap , then tap Clear. Below Clear Timeframe, choose how much of your browsing history to clear. Note: If you have Safari profiles set up, select a profile to clear only the history of that profile, or select All Profiles. Tap Clear History. Learn how to erase your browsing history to clear the cache in ...
Clear your browser cache
Click Reset Safari; Select the items you wish to clear. (It is recommended to check all items). Click Reset. Mobile Safari for iOS (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad) To clear cache and cookies: From the home screen, Select Settings > Safari. At the bottom of Safari's settings screen, Select Clear cookies and data or Clear Cookies and Clear Cache ...
How to Clear Internet Cache in Every Major Browser
The fastest way to bring up the Clear browsing data window is via the Ctrl + Shift + Del (Windows) or Command + Shift + Delete (Mac) keyboard shortcut. Otherwise: Select the Settings icon, which looks like three sliders in the upper-right corner of the browser. Scroll down and choose Clear browsing data .
Clear the Web Browser Cache
Clearing a web browser's cache can correct problems you may have using a web browser while on the CU Boulder network or using an OIT web based program, like Canvas or Buff Portal. OIT recommends that you perform this before using the campus network. The instructions below demonstrate how to clear the cache using Safari.
How To Clear Cache on Mac: Step-by-Step Guides
Before you clear the cache on your Mac, we recommend backing up important files. Close all open applications to avoid data loss and interference. Clearing the cache on your Mac is safe and simple. In the following sections, we'll show you how to delete macOS cache and clear browsing data and app cache. Clearing macOS system cache. Here's ...
Your Android Phone's Web Browser Has Junk Files You Can Tap Away ...
At the bottom of Storage, you get separate options to Clear cache and Clear data. Tapping Clear cache will immediately delete the cache, but Clear data brings up a prompt that warns you that all ...