How to Clear Cache on iPhone, Android, Chrome & Safari

iPhone · Android · Chrome · Safari  —  4 min read
Cache is temporary data your browser or apps store to load things faster. When it gets too big or corrupted, it causes slow loading, freezing, and outdated pages. Clearing it takes less than a minute.

Clear Safari Cache on iPhone or iPad

1

Open the Settings app

Find the grey gear icon on your home screen or in your App Library and tap it.

2

Scroll down and tap Safari

Safari's settings are listed along with your other apps. Scroll past the main settings groups until you see the app list, then tap Safari.

3

Scroll down and tap Clear History and Website Data

This option is near the bottom of the Safari settings page. It will be greyed out if you have no browsing history.

4

Choose a timeframe and tap Clear History and Data

A confirmation prompt appears. You can choose to clear the last hour, today, today and yesterday, or all history. Select All History for the most thorough clean, then tap Clear History and Data.

5

You will be signed out of most websites

This clears browsing history, cookies, and all cached files. You'll need to log back into websites you visit — have your passwords ready, or use iCloud Keychain to autofill them.

Clear Chrome Cache on iPhone or Android

1

Open the Chrome app

Tap the Chrome icon on your home screen or app drawer. Make sure you're using the Chrome browser, not Safari or another browser.

2

Tap the three dots menu

On iPhone, the three dots (⋯) are at the bottom of the screen. On Android, they appear at the top-right corner. Tap them to open the menu.

3

Tap History, then Clear Browsing Data

In the menu, tap History. At the bottom of the History screen you'll see a Clear browsing data button — tap it.

4

Set the Time range to All time

Tap the Time range dropdown at the top and select All time. This ensures old cached files don't get left behind.

5

Check Cached images and files

Make sure the Cached images and files checkbox is selected. If you want a deeper clean, also check Cookies and site data — though this will sign you out of websites.

6

Tap Clear data and confirm

Tap the blue Clear data button and confirm when prompted. Chrome will clear the cache and reload. The next page load may be slightly slower as Chrome rebuilds its cache — that's normal.

Clear App Cache on Android

1

Open Settings on your Android phone

Swipe down from the top of the screen and tap the gear icon, or find Settings in your app drawer.

2

Tap Apps (or Application Manager)

The exact label varies by phone — it might say Apps, Applications, or App Manager. On Samsung phones it's typically just Apps.

3

Find and tap the app you want to clear

Scroll through the list to find the specific app causing problems — for example YouTube, Instagram, or your email app. Tap it to open its settings.

4

Tap Storage & cache

On the app info screen, tap Storage & cache (it may just say Storage on older Android versions). You'll see how much space the cache is taking up.

5

Tap Clear cache

This removes temporary files without deleting your personal data, login session, or settings. It's safe to do and the app will rebuild its cache as you use it.

6

If problems persist, tap Clear storage

Clear storage (sometimes called Clear data) does a full reset of the app — removing all local data including your login. Only do this if clearing the cache alone didn't fix the problem.

Clear Chrome Cache on Windows or Mac

1

Open Chrome on your computer

Launch Chrome from your taskbar, Dock, or desktop shortcut.

2

Open the Clear Browsing Data menu

Press Ctrl+Shift+Delete on Windows or Command+Shift+Delete on Mac. A dialog box will open immediately.

3

Set Time range to All time

Click the Time range dropdown at the top of the dialog and select All time to make sure all cached data is included.

4

Check Cached images and files

Make sure Cached images and files is checked. You can uncheck everything else if you just want to clear the cache without affecting your browsing history or cookies.

5

Click Clear data

Click the blue Clear data button. Chrome will clear the cache in a few seconds and the dialog will close automatically.

6

Reload the page that was having problems

Press F5 (Windows) or Command+R (Mac) to reload the page. It should now load fresh from the server rather than from the stale cache.

Important: On iPhone, you can't clear individual app caches from Settings — only Safari. For other apps like Instagram or TikTok, the only way to clear their cache is to delete and reinstall the app. Clearing cache does not delete your photos, messages, or personal data — it only removes temporary files that your device can recreate on its own.

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