How to Clear Cache on Mac Fast and Easy

Learning how to clear cache on Mac can speed up your Apple computer, free up extra space on your hard drive, and prevent errors when browsing on the Internet. It could protect your privacy if you were also to clear history. And you won’t have to ask for help from a professional you can do it yourself.

Learn How To Clear Cache on Mac

First things first, what are cache files?

Cache files are copies of web pages and forms on the Internet you frequently visit which your computer saves in a local folder. Caching helps your Mac load websites faster because your computer does not have to pull copies out from the servers hosting the pages. Thanks to cache files, you get a seamless experience loading content from the web.

Despite the upside to keeping cache files on your Mac, they do draw resources from your processor and occupy space on your hard drive. Too much temporary files on can bog down your Mac’s performance which can result in pages loading slower or errors when they do display. You also need to know how to clear cookies on your Mac as well. Here, this is why you need to clear your cache from time to time.

Just go in to browser, clear the cookies/cache and you’ll have more!: e.g.: simple procedure with Safari on a Mac. pic.twitter.com/eLMCYyE0hS

— A Bloke from Waratah (@pablo069eh) October 9, 2016

Your Mac stores two kinds of cache in its system. There are the browser cache files for websites and content from the web. The user cache stores left over personalization data from apps you’ve deleted.

How to clear cache on Mac Firefox, Chrome, and Safari

Let’s talk about clearing the browser cache for the standard browsers on a Mac. Please check what browser you’re using and follow the steps for it accordingly.

Just a warning, in case you rely on your browser to remember your passwords, performing these steps will erase them. You will have to log them all in again.

How to Clear Cache on Mac Safari

Let’s start with Mac’s default browser.
Go to your Safari’s Toolbar and Open Preferences.
Choose the Privacy Icon and then go for the Manage Website Data Button.
If you want to remove all the stored website data, just click on Remove All. Otherwise, you will have to tick off each site you want to remove from the list.

How to Clear Cache on Mac Chrome

Go to Chrome’s Toolbar and Click on the Menu Icon.
Choose More Tools from the List.
Click on the Clear Browsing Data.
Tick the Cookies and Other Site and Plug-In Data and Cached Images and Files Boxes.
Click on Clear Browsing Data.

How to Clear Cache on Mac Firefox

Go to the History Menu and Choose Clear Recent History.
Choose Everything in the Drop-Down Menu or Your Desired Time Range.
Tick off Cache, Browsing and Download History, Form & Search History, and Cookies.
Press the Clear Now Button.

How to Clear the User Cache on Mac

The user cache is a repository of app data for each particular user on your Mac. Removing data in the cache can do wonders for your computer’s performance. Go through the following steps:

Go to Your Finder, Click on Go, and Go to Computer.
Make Your Way to Your Hard Drive and Then Go to the Users Folder.
Click on the Folder Which Bears on Your Profile Name.
Once Inside, Go to the Toolbar, and Then Click on View.
Click on Show View Options.
Tick the Show Library Folder Box and Then Click on Use as Defaults.
Go to the Library Folder and Click on Caches.
Go into the Caches Folder and Each One to Remove All the Files in Each Folder. It’s Not Recommended to Delete All of the Contents of the Caches Folder. However, You Can Move All the Folders into the Trash Bin If You Want.
Empty Your Trash Bin.

In case you want to see an online tutorial, here’s Sean Daniel teaching you how to clear cache on a Mac in YouTube:

There you go! If you want to speed up your Apple computer when browsing the Internet or directly work on files in your computer, learning how to clear cache on Mac as well as how to clear cookies can be handy. It’s just a simple trick, but it can minimize your headaches and give you more fuss-free experiences with your laptop or desktop.

Were you able to follow the instructions? Did you feel that your Mac got a little faster? Comment down below.

Up Next: 19+ Useful Apple Keyboard Shortcuts