Guide
How to clear the cache on your Mac
Clear the cache on your Mac in Safari, Chrome, Firefox and your apps, step by step, without losing bookmarks, passwords or history.
Updated 6 min read
Clearing the cache on a Mac frees space and fixes websites or apps that show stale content. Each browser has its own cache, apps keep theirs in your Library folder, and none of them need to lose your bookmarks, passwords or history in the process. Here is how to clear each one.
Clear the cache in Safari
- Choose Safari → Settings → Advanced and turn on Show features for web developers (called Show Develop menu in menu bar in older versions).
- Choose Develop → Empty Caches, or press Option Command E.
This clears only the cache. Safari → Clear History removes much more, including history and website data, so avoid it if you only want to clear the cache.
Clear the cache in Google Chrome
- Press Shift Command Delete, or open the ⋮ menu and choose Delete browsing data.
- Set the time range to All time.
- Tick only Cached images and files and click Delete data.
Microsoft Edge, Brave, Arc, Opera and Vivaldi are built on the same engine and have a very similar option in their privacy settings.
Clear the cache in Firefox
- Choose Firefox → Settings → Privacy & Security.
- Under Cookies and Site Data, click Clear Data.
- Untick Cookies and Site Data, keep Cached Web Content ticked and click Clear.
Clear app caches
- Quit the app whose cache you want to clear.
- In Finder, press Shift Command G and go to
~/Library/Caches. - Open the app's folder, often named after the app or its bundle ID such as
com.spotify.client, and delete what is inside. - Empty the Trash.
Not sure what a folder is or whether it is safe? Read is it safe to delete Library Caches first.
What about system caches?
Leave /System/Library/Caches alone; macOS manages it. To clear temporary system files safely, simply restart your Mac. If websites resolve to the wrong address after a network change, you need to flush the DNS cache instead, which is a different kind of cache.
Clear every cache at once with Roomy
Roomy's System Junk cleaner finds the caches of every app and browser on your Mac, with each one's size. It clears only the web cache of browsers, so bookmarks, passwords, history and logins stay, and it rates caches of apps that are open as Review so nothing is pulled out from under a running app.
Frequently asked questions
Will clearing the cache log me out of websites?
Not if you clear only cached images and files. Logins are stored in cookies and website data, which are separate options in every browser. Leave cookies unchecked if you want to stay signed in.
Is it safe to clear app caches on a Mac?
Yes. App caches are copies of data the app can rebuild or download again. Quit the app first, and delete the contents of its cache folder rather than the Caches folder itself.
How often should I clear the cache on my Mac?
Only when you need to: to free space, to fix a site or app that shows old content, or after removing an app. Clearing caches every day just makes apps and websites slower while they rebuild them.
