Free Guide to Clearing Cache on Your Devices

What Cache Is and Why It Builds Up on Your Devices

Cache is temporary data that your devices store to help programs run faster and more smoothly. When you visit a website, stream a video, or use an app, your device saves copies of images, text, and other information in a storage area called cache. The next time you use that same website or app, your device pulls from this stored data instead of downloading everything again from the internet. This process speeds things up significantly. For example, a website that normally takes 8 seconds to load might load in just 2 seconds if the images and code are already cached on your device.

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Cache exists on almost every device you own—smartphones, tablets, computers, and even gaming consoles. Each type of device stores cache in different locations, and different programs manage their own cache separately. Your web browser maintains one cache for websites. Your email app maintains another. Your social media apps maintain yet another. Over time, these cache files accumulate because devices keep adding new data without automatically removing old data.

The amount of cache that builds up varies greatly depending on your usage. Someone who browses the internet for several hours daily might accumulate several gigabytes of cache in a few months. Someone who uses their device minimally might accumulate only a few hundred megabytes over the same period. Research from technology usage studies shows that the average smartphone user accumulates between 500 megabytes to 2 gigabytes of cache annually, depending on their browsing and app usage patterns.

Cache becomes problematic when it grows too large or becomes corrupted. A large cache can consume storage space you might need for photos, documents, or other important files. Corrupted cache—data that becomes damaged or outdated—can cause apps to crash, websites to load incorrectly, or performance to slow down. Some users experience situations where cached data shows outdated information, like an old profile picture or outdated pricing on an online store. Clearing cache periodically helps maintain your device's performance and storage space.

Practical Takeaway: Cache is automatically created and stored by your devices and apps to speed up performance. Understanding that cache is temporary data helps you feel confident about removing it without worrying about losing important information.

How to Clear Cache on Windows Computers

Clearing cache on a Windows computer involves different steps depending on what type of cache you want to remove. The most commonly accessed cache is your web browser cache, which stores data from websites you visit. In Microsoft Edge, the default browser on most Windows computers, you can clear cache by clicking the three-line menu button in the top right corner, selecting "Settings," then choosing "Privacy, search, and services." From there, you'll see a section called "Clear browsing data." You can choose what time range to clear (last hour, last 24 hours, last 7 days, last 4 weeks, or all time) and what types of data to clear (cached images and files, cookies, download history, and others). Checking the "Cached images and files" option removes your browser cache.

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For Google Chrome users on Windows, the process is similar but located in slightly different places. Click the three vertical dots menu in the top right, select "Settings," then "Privacy and security," and choose "Clear browsing data." A window will appear with the same time range and data type options as Edge. You can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Delete to open this window directly without navigating through menus.

Windows itself stores cache data in a temporary files folder. To access and clear this, open File Explorer and navigate to C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Local\Temp. This folder contains temporary files created by Windows and various programs. You can select all files in this folder using Ctrl+A and delete them using the Delete key. Some files may be in use by programs, and Windows will skip those, which is normal. This process is safe because these are temporary files your system will recreate if needed.

Another cache location on Windows computers is the Windows Update cache, which stores installation files from system updates. To clear this, open File Explorer and navigate to C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download. This folder can contain several hundred megabytes of data from past updates. You can safely delete all files in this folder, as Windows will redownload them if needed for future updates. However, ensure no updates are currently installing before doing this.

Application-specific cache varies by program. Many programs, including Microsoft Office, Adobe products, and others, maintain their own cache folders. These are often located in the AppData\Local folder mentioned earlier. Clearing individual app cache can be done by going to each app's settings and looking for options labeled "Clear cache," "Storage," or "Temporary files."

Practical Takeaway: Windows cache clearing happens in three main places: web browsers (through browser settings), temporary files (through File Explorer), and individual applications (through their settings). Most users only need to clear browser cache regularly, which takes about two minutes.

How to Clear Cache on Mac Computers

Mac computers store cache in locations similar to Windows computers, but the process and file paths differ. For Safari, the default browser on macOS, clearing cache is straightforward. Open Safari, click "Safari" in the top menu bar, select "Settings" (or "Preferences" on older versions), navigate to the "Privacy" tab, and click "Manage Website Data." This shows all the website data Safari has cached. You can select specific websites and click "Remove" to delete only their cache, or click "Remove All" to clear all cached website data. You can also use the keyboard shortcut Command+Y to open the history menu, then click "Clear History" and choose how far back to clear.

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For Chrome on Mac, the process mirrors the Windows version. Click the three-dot menu, select "Settings," click "Privacy and security," choose "Clear browsing data," and select your time range and data types. The keyboard shortcut Command+Shift+Delete also works on Mac to open this menu directly.

Mac stores temporary cache files in the Library folder, which is hidden by default. To access it, open Finder, click "Go" in the menu bar, hold the Option key, and click "Library." From here, navigate to Caches. This folder contains cache from various applications. You can browse through the folders for specific apps whose cache you want to clear, or you can delete the entire Caches folder if you want to clear all application cache at once. If you delete the Caches folder, macOS will recreate it and populate it as programs run.

Another important cache location on Mac is ~/Library/Safari/History.db.wal, which stores Safari history and related data. Similarly, ~/Library/Safari/TopSites.plist contains cached data about frequently visited websites. These files are managed through Safari's settings as described above, but understanding their existence helps explain why Safari might use storage space.

Mac also stores DNS cache, which remembers IP addresses of websites you visit. This allows subsequent visits to load faster because your Mac doesn't need to look up the website's address again. To clear DNS cache on recent Mac versions (Big Sur and later), open Terminal (found in Applications > Utilities) and type: sudo dscacheutil -flushcache. Press Enter and type your Mac password when prompted. This clears the DNS cache without affecting other data.

Practical Takeaway: Mac cache clearing centers on Safari or Chrome settings for browsers, the hidden Library folder for application cache, and Terminal commands for system-level cache. Most Mac users can accomplish routine cache clearing through browser settings alone.

How to Clear Cache on iPhones, iPads, and Android Devices

Mobile devices generate cache at a rapid rate because users constantly switch between apps and websites. Clearing cache on an iPhone or iPad involves navigating to Settings, then tapping "General," followed by "iPhone Storage" or "iPad Storage." This screen shows all apps installed on your device and their storage usage. Each app displays its size and the amount of "Documents & Data" it uses, which includes cache. You can tap on any app to see options for offloading or deleting it. Offloading removes the app but keeps its data, so if you reinstall it later, your settings remain. Deleting removes both the app and its data, including cache.

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For a more targeted approach on iOS devices, you can clear Safari cache specifically. Go to Settings, scroll down and tap "Safari," then tap "Clear History and Website Data." A menu appears asking what time period to clear (last hour, today, last day, last week, last month, or all time).