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It's Been Ages Since You Cleared Your Cache. Go Ahead and Do It Now

When's the last time you actually cleared your cache? We thought so.

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4 min read
Apple's iPhone 16 Pro Max

It's necessary and it takes just a minute to clear your cache. 

 James Martin/CNET

If your iPhone feels like it's wading through digital sludge, it's probably because you haven't cleared its cache in ages. Maybe you never have. But if you want to break out of the trap of slow-loading pages and frustrating errors, it's something you should do every once in a while. Especially if you're rocking an older model that can't handle the newest iOS, a quick digital deep-clean can make a world of difference.

Dumping your Safari cache is the easiest way to give your phone a much-needed reset. It won't turn an old device into a brand-new flagship, but it definitely stops it from acting like a total brick every time you try to open a tab.

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When you clear your cache, you give Safari or your preferred browser a new start, just like the new calendar year gives you. You might even free up a little storage space. It's not going to make your phone feel brand-new if you're using a device that's several years old and can't run iOS 26, but it's a good reset to perform every once in a while.

Clearing your iPhone cache is like doing a little digital cleaning. You put things away, tidy up, wipe off the dust and get rid of the trash. Here's how it works. 

What happens when you clear your cache?

Clearing your cache will usually also clear website cookies. Cookies work similarly to browser caches, except they store information about user data, rather than data on the website itself. Clearing your cookies gives you a chance to reset those preferences, which could improve your browsing experience. 

Note that clearing your cache and cookies will log you out of sites, which means you'll have to log into them again and reset any preferences. But the up-front investment of that time can lead to a smoother experience down the road and can be a useful fix if you've recently changed settings that aren't being applied properly.

Here are step-by-step guides on how to clear your iPhone's cache, depending on the browser you prefer.

How to clear your iPhone cache in Safari

Safari is the default browser on iPhones, and you can clear your Safari cache in a few short steps. Starting with iOS 11, following this process will affect all devices signed in to your iCloud account. As a result, all of your devices' caches will be cleared and you'll need to sign in to everything the next time you use them. Here's what to do.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.

2. Select Apps > Safari.

3. Scroll down to History and Website Data and choose Clear History and Website Data.

4. Choose Clear History and Data in the pop-up box -- you can choose anywhere from the last hour to all history.

Then you're set!

Cache clearing prompt in Safari
Screenshot by Adam Benjamin/CNET

How to clear your iPhone cache in Chrome

Chrome is another popular browser for iPhone users. Google has simplified the process for clearing your Chrome cache, making it much faster to clear your data.

1. Open the Chrome app.

2. Select the three dots in the bottom right to open more options.

3. Swipe over to Settings in the top menu bar. 

4. Scroll down and tap Privacy and security.

5. Tap Delete browsing data to open another menu. Select the intended time range at the top of the menu (anywhere from Last 15 minutes to All time). Make sure that Cookies and Site Data are checked in the Browsing data menu, along with Cached Images and Files. Finally, hit Delete data at the bottom of the screen.

Data deletion prompt in Chrome
Screenshot by Adam Benjamin/CNET

How to clear your iPhone cache in Firefox

If you're a Firefox devotee, don't worry. Clearing the cache on your iPhone is straightforward. Just follow these steps. 

1. Press the hamburger menu in the bottom right corner to open options.

2. Choose Settings at the bottom of the menu.

3. Select Data Management in the Privacy section.

4. To clear everything, choose Web Site Data at the top of the menu and then Clear All Web Site Data. Alternatively, you can choose to clear just your browsing history, cache, cookies, offline web data, tracking protection or downloaded files.

Data clearing prompt in Firefox
Screenshot by Adam Benjamin/CNET

How often do I need to clear my cache?

Most people only need to clear their caches once every month or two. That's generally the point when your browser will build up a cache large enough to start slowing things down. If you frequent a large number of sites, you should err on the side of clearing your cache more often.