Clear Browser Cache For Mac

| 29-03-2021
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You’ve probably heard and seen the term 'cache' used on your Mac but do you know what it is?

Cache files are basically temporary data stored on your hard drive and used to speed up processes. For instance, Safari will download images on a webpage into cache so that next time you visit the site you don’t have to download the images again.

How are cache files different from cookies?

In the Safari app on your Mac, choose History Clear History, then click the pop-up menu. Choose how far back you want your browsing history cleared. When you clear your history, Safari removes data it saves as a result of your browsing, including: History of webpages you visited.

  1. Beside Clear history when Firefox closes, click the Settings button. The Settings for Clearing History window will open. In the Settings for Clearing History window, put a check mark next to Cache. For more information on the other options preferences, see Delete browsing, search.
  2. What Exactly Is Cache? Your browser's cache, pronounced cash, is a collection of web pages stored.
  3. To learn more about clearing your cache in Safari, visit Apple Support. In the Safari menu bar, click the Safari option. Click the Clear History link. In the Clear drop-down menu, select the time range where you want to clear browsing data.
  4. A case in point is cache files on a Mac. Cache is meant to be stored on a hard drive of your computer for a short period. The temporary files are used by a browser and Java to improve the loading of frequently accessed web pages. When browsing the Internet, the files requested by the browser are stored in the system memory.

Cookie files are tiny members of the big cache family. This form of cache is collected by your browser to remember previously visited websites. Cookies collect the details of your visit, its duration, actions on a page, etc. Advertisers also use these to follow you around the internet. However annoying they are, cookies are a part of internet reality that we cannot help but “Accept.”

There are many reasons to remove old cache from your MacBook and disk space issue is only one of them. So what are the other benefits?

  • Fixing issues with laggy web pages that load outdated content
  • Removing personal data stored by websites and applications.
  • You need to force-delete outdated cache from an app.

Are you ready to reclaim space on your Mac? Let’s go!

What are main cache types?

There are roughly three main types of caches you can clean on your Mac:

  • System cache
  • User cache (including app cache and DNS cache)
  • Browser cache.

This article will go over cleaning up all three.

Now, when it comes to clearing cache on Mac, there are two ways you can do it. You can clean them up manually step-by-step, or you can clean them in a second with a cleaning utility like CleanMyMac X. If you want to clear cache on your Mac right now, we suggest doing it the easy way:

  1. Launch CleanMyMac X (2019 version is preferable)
  2. Select System Junk
  3. Click 'Scan', and then “Clean”

That’s it, all cache files cleaned! CleanMyMac X works on all systems, including the latest macOS Catalina. You can download CleanMyMac X for free here and try.

However, if you’d like to clean them all manually, follow the steps below.

How to empty user cache on Mac?

Potential space reclaimed from junk - Up to 70%

As you can see, a single user cache folder on my computer takes up enormous 1.6 GB of space. And that’s just one folder out of hundreds. That means a good cleaning could free up gigabytes of free space and speed up your Mac in the process.

To clear your user cache, do the following:

  1. Open a Finder window and select “Go to Folder” in the Go menu.
  2. Type in ~/Library/Caches and hit enter to proceed to this folder.
  3. Optional step: You can highlight and copy everything to a different folder just in case something goes wrong.
  4. Go into each of the folders and clean out everything.
    Note: We recommend that you remove the insides of these folders, but not the folders themselves.

Now, repeat the same steps above, but substitute…
~/Library/Caches with… /Library/Caches

Make sure that once you have finished clearing out these caches for additional hard drive space, you empty out your Trash. To do this, Control-click on the Trash icon in the dock and select “Empty Trash.” Restart your Mac afterward so your Mac can begin to create new, fresh cache files.
To help you make sense of your Library folder here's a brief explanation what each subfolder stands for.

4 main types of cache within Library folder


Caches
Temporary data created by apps and websites. Your apps keep generating cache files for as long as they are active. Relying on such pre-loaded content reduces memory load and speeds up data exchange.
Preferences
Preferences folder is where you’ll find customized settings for your apps. Sometimes, there is a need to reset an app and delete its corrupted Preferences file. Preference files always end with .plist — so they are easy to spot and delete.

App support
App support folder contains large pieces of app data, like game saves. App support files may remain on your Mac long after you’ve deleted the app itself. That’s why “cleaners” for system junk were invented.

Containers
Containers folder is an exchange buffer that apps use to communicate with one another. This is often referred to as “sandboxing.” Containers folder is automatically emptied after you restart your Mac.

If you aren’t comfortable with the risk of deleting user cache manually, a specialist cleaning app CleanMyMac X can do it for you. It will only remove files you don’t need and will find up to 7x more temporary cache files to remove from all over your system.

How to delete system and app cache on Mac

Potential space reclaimed from junk - Up to 10% (manual methods) or 15% (using cleaner)

Next up we’re looking at your system cache files. These hidden cache files are mainly created by the apps that run on your Mac.

What is app cache? In short, it’s any media downloaded by the apps you use in order to work faster and not load it every time you open the app. Do you need it? It’s debatable, but app cache takes up disk space and can be cleaned.

You can delete app cache on Mac in the same way as user cache, by going to ~/Library/Caches and removing the insides of the folders with the app name.

Proceed with caution! Not all app cache can be safely cleared. Some app developers keep important user info on cache folders. Backing up a folder before you delete is always a good idea. If everything works fine then you can delete the backup later.

To be on the safe side, use CleanMyMac, it works with a Safety Database and knows how to clear app cache safely. As if that wasn’t enough it will also remove more junk than manual methods.

How cache is created? An example from Photos

Every time you do image manipulations, like rotating a picture, its additional copy is created on your drive. In this manner, just 4 rotations are enough for image size to grow from 2.5 MB to 10 MB of disk space taken. If you edit photos and videos on a regular basis, you may notice that your editor application also keeps temporary data — like an intermediate version of your files.

How to clear browser cache on Mac

Potential space reclaimed from junk - Up to 15%

We all love to surf the web but every site we visit adds to the growing browser cache. Clearing your browser cache doesn’t just free up space, it will also clear your browsing history to secure your privacy.

Browser cache temporarily stores website data such as images, scripts, and other stuff, in order to make your browsing faster when you revisit the same site. If you’re worried about your privacy or want to hide pages you’ve visited, you can clear your Internet cache (or browser history). Also, resetting your browser cache will potentially help to get rid of 404, 502, and other errors caused by corrupted cache.

Each browser has its own cache location, so the process of clearing is different in each case. For instance, Chrome cache location is in Settings, Safari stores its cache in Privacy, and Firefox cache location is History tab.

Here’s a quick introduction to how to delete browser cache on Mac.

Clear Browser Cache For Mac

How to clear cache in Chrome

Here’s how to clear browser cache in Chrome manually:

  1. Click the 3-dot icon in the top right corner of Google Chrome browser.
  2. Choose Settings.
  3. At the bottom of the menu, choose Advanced.
  4. Click “Clear browsing data.”
  5. Deselect all, but Cached images and files.
  6. Timewise, choose All time.
  7. Hit “Clear data” button.

How to clear cache in Firefox

Here’s how to delete cache in Firefox manually:

  1. Click the hamburger icon in the top right corner.
  2. Choose Privacy & Security on the left sidebar.
  3. Scroll to the section 'Cached web content' menu item.
  4. Now, click Clear Now to delete Firefox cache.
  5. Exit/quit all browser windows and re-open the browser.

In the same menu, checkmark Override automatic cache management and limit the cache size in MB. Go with the default amount of 350 MB, which is enough for most users' needs. Avid media composer 8 for mac.

If for some reason you cannot open a web page, try putting cache: in front of the URL address. This redirects you to the site’s cached copy.


For example: cache:macpaw.com

It works most of the time and can magically open even the otherwise blocked sites.

How to clear cache in Safari

Safari is a little trickier than the rest of the browsers. You could remove caches together with all the other website history through History — Clear History in menu bar.

But if you need more precision, here’s how to empty cache on Safari browser:

  1. In the top menu, choose Safari.
  2. Click Preferences.
  3. Choose the Advanced tab.
  4. Enable Show Develop menu in the menu bar.
  5. Now go to Develop in the menu bar.
  6. Choose Empty caches.

Make sure you close/quit the browser and restart it after clearing cache. Note, that all your auto logins and predicted websites in the address bar will be cleared.

Manual methods remove most of the browser junk but if you want to remove all of it, from all your browsers at once, there’s a safer and faster method to clear your internet cache on any browser.

How to clear cache files on Mac with a single click of a button

Instead of searching all over your Mac to find and remove cache files yourself, you can clear user caches on a Mac using CleanMyMac X. It makes removing cache files as easy as can be.

To get rid of cache files with CleanMyMac X:

  1. Download CleanMyMac X (free) and launch it.
  2. Select Smart Scan in the left menu.
  3. Hit Scan at the bottom of CleanMyMac X.
  4. Then click Clean.

And you're done! If you’d like to remove only cache files and nothing else, click on Review Details before clicking Clean. Deselect everything but System Cache Files and User Cache Files, then click Clean.

The easy way to clear all browsing data

Instead of clicking between browsers and being limited to what they let you clean, take full control of all your browser cleaning with this simple method:

  1. Open CleanMyMac and select the Privacy module
  2. Click on your browser of choice
  3. Make your selections from the list of all your cache and privacy tracks
  4. Click Remove to clean your browser

Cleaning your Mac has never been easier. Download CleanMyMac X and try for free to get yourself a faster, cleaner Mac — without worrying about cleaning the wrong thing.

And if you’re looking to clear just browser cookies, check out this easy one-minute explanation we’ve made for you.

Clear

Frequently asked questions

What are cache files?

Cache files are basically scripts, images, temporary files, and other data that are left on your Mac after you visit a website or use an app for the first time. There are system cache, user cache, which includes app and DNS cache, and browser cache that accumulates as you surf the web.

Is it safe to remove cached data?

Clear cache and cookies on macClear Browser Cache For Mac

Cache helps websites and apps download faster for you. Deleting cache files, you basically remove the information the sites and apps know about you. And if your system needs this information, it will recreate the cache files. So there’s nothing dangerous about removing user cache.

Where are the cache files stored on Mac?

The app and user cache files are usually located in ~/Library/Caches. Here, you can find folders dedicated to each app you have on your Mac. So, cache files of each application or program are stored in corresponding folders.

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/Browser Cleanup /How do I Clear Chrome Cache on Mac?

One of the most used applications that we have on every Mac is its browsers. Whether it is a Safari browser, Google Chrome, Firefox, Opera Mini and more. This is because nowadays, we tend to look for answers using the internet which we can access it using the browser on our Mac.

Because of constant using of our browser such as the Google Chrome, caches are actually slowly piling up through time and that will actually cause your browser to run slow in the future. That is why in this article, we are going to show you on how you can clear cache on Google Chrome on your Mac.

The web browser is considered to be one of the most relevant applications that we have stored on our Mac PC or laptops. Or even to smartphone devices. This is because we tend to get every answer by surfing the internet or we can connect to other people using the web browser for us to access any social media applications.

Article GuidePart 1: What is A Browser Cache?Part 2: Why Is There A Need To Clear The Browser Cache?Part 3: How To Clear Cache On Google Chrome?Part 4: Another Way On How To Clear Cache on Chrome Using Your MacPart 5: The Best And Easy Way To Clear Out Cache On Google Chrome BrowserPart 6: Conclusion

Part 1: What is A Browser Cache?

A browser cache is considered to be a temporary storage place wherein your downloaded files by the browser that you are using is located. Those files that went to your cache usually includes your documents that make up a website such as HTML files, CSS style sheets, JavaScripts, and even your multimedia content and your graphic images.

Once that you try to visit a website again, the browser that you are using will actually check on which content was updated or what is stored in your cache. Also, caches could be a help especially if you are having a slow internet connection or if you have limited access to the internet.

Part 2: Why Is There A Need To Clear The Browser Cache?

As you use your browser for a long time and you were not able to clear its cache, then it could pile up and take a lot of your space on your Mac’s hard drive.

Tip: If you are frustrated on your Mac has run out of space, you can click this link to learn how to get more storage by cleaning Mac purgeable space: https://www.imymac.com/mac-cleaner/mac-purgeable.html.

This is because you are actually filling up your Mac’s browser will a lot of websites that you may not visit again. This could actually cause your browser to run slower than it was before. That is why you should occasionally clean up your cache once in a while.

Part 3: How To Clear Cache On Google Chrome?

Just like any other browser, Google Chrome also maintains the cache and history of its users. That is why those websites that they frequently visit will easily be loaded again. And also, it allows every user to visit the websites easily because they were able to access before.

Mac

However, as what we have mentioned earlier, the cache may pile up on your Mac’s browser and can affect its performance. Now, here is how you can clear the cache on your Google Chrome browser on your Mac. And one of the simplest ways for you to clear cache is by using the built-in clearing mechanism. It is also easy to customize and as well as very accessible within your Google Chrome browser.

Step 1: Go ahead and launch Google Chrome on your Mac.
Step 2: And then go to the Chrome menu.
Step 3: After that, go ahead and choose “Clear Browsing Data” from the drop-down menu.

Step 4: Once that you are at the “Clear Browsing data” screen, go ahead and choose the cache that you would want to clear from your Google Chrome browser. You will be seeing there on your screen the following options.
• Browsing History – which is the record of the web pages that you have visited.
• Download History – This is the record of files that you have downloaded using Google Chrome.
• Cookies and Other Site and Plugin Data – the cookies here might include customization and preferences for some web pages and also your data usage.
• Cached Images and Files – these are the locally stored cache files and media from the sites that you visited using Google Chrome.
• Passwords – this refers to the stored logins, usernames, and some authentication details.
• Autofill Form Data – this is any information that you have chosen to keep in autofill
• Hosted App Data – these are the browser-based apps of local data and preferences.
• Content Licenses – This is commonly for multimedia.

Step 5: After that, go ahead and choose the time of period that you would want to delete it. Here, you can choose the option “the beginning of time” This will delete all of your cache from the very first time that you have used your Google Chrome browser.

Then that’s it! You have successfully cleared the cache on your Google Chrome using your Mac.

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Part 4: Another Way On How To Clear Cache on Chrome Using Your Mac

Aside from the solution that we have mentioned above, there is actually another way for you to clear the cache on your Chrome and this is by using the system on your Mac. This actually has a similarity on how you clear cache on your Safari browser.

There are actually two primary locations where your cache files on Chrome are stored on your Mac. And with that, you can access it by using your user Library folder or by using the Command + Shift + G which is a Go to folder command. All you have to do is to enter the following paths.

Step 1: First is you have to enter this path: ~/Library/Caches/Google/Chrome/
Step 2: And then, enter this: ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Default/Application Cache/

So, if you are going to clear the cache on your Google Chrome using this method, then you have to make sure that you quit your Google Chrome application first before you begin. Also, you have to keep in mind that you should not modify or remove any cache files or folders manually not unless you no longer want to be your browser cache to be accessible on the certain web pages.

Part 5: The Best And Easy Way To Clear Out Cache On Google Chrome Browser

The solutions that we gave you with how you can actually delete cache on your Google Chrome using your Mac is actually easy. However, there is a much easier way for you to do this.
And this is by using a trusted tool that will help you in cleaning up any browser that you have on your Mac including your Google Chrome browser. And the best tool that we can recommend you is by using the iMyMac Browser Cleanup tool.

For

The iMyMac Browser Cleanup tool is actually the most effective and easiest and quickest way for you to clean up any browser that you have on your Mac. This is known to be one of the most award-winning browser cleaners there is today. It is an excellent tool that you can use for you to improve any browser or even your Google Chrome browser’s online experience.

So, since the iMyMac Browser Cleanup can help you in removing all of your histories, cookies, and other junk files, remove some deceleration reasons, clear privacy traces that will help you in protecting any confidential data that you have.

It also makes your Mac’s Google Chrome browser to run faster and smoother like it was before when you first have it. So, if you would want to have a better experience in using your Google Chrome browser, then use the iMyMac Browser Cleanup and you will be surprised at the result.

Now, for you to get started in using the iMyMac Browser Cleanup, here are some guidelines that you can follow in using the iMyMac Browser Cleanup.

Step 1: Download and Launch iMyMac-PowerMyMac

The very first thing that you should do is for you to download iMyMac-PowerMyMac from our official website. And then once that you are done, go ahead and have the iMyMac-PowerMyMac installed on your Mac.

Once that the installation process is complete, go ahead and launch the program on your Mac. Now on the main interface of the program, you will be able to see where your Mac’s system status. This means that you will also be able to see the things that are taking up on your Mac’s system.

NOTE: You have the option to download the Mac-PowerMyMac for free and have it use on a trial basis. This is for you to know what are the things that Mac-PowerMyMac can do for you and for your Mac. You will be able to get a 30-day free trial for you to test out the iMyMac-PowerMyMac on your Mac.

Step2: Choose Browser Cleanup Option and Start Scan Your Chrome

On the top side of your screen, you will be able to see a set of tools in the module 'ToolKit' that the iMyMac-PowerMyMac can do.

From the list shown on your screen, go ahead and choose “Browser Cleanup”-Privacy.
Once that you have chosen a module from the list, go ahead and click on the “Scan” button.

The iMyMac-PowerMyMac's Browser Cleanup will then start to scan all the browser data that you have on your Mac. This may take some time so just be patient and wait for the program to finish the process.

Step3: Choose the Chrome Browser and Chrome Browser Data to Clean

Clear Browser Cache For Mac Mojave

Once that the scanning process is done, you can now go ahead and choose the browser that you would want to clean. The iMyMac-PowerMyMac's Browser Cleanup will show you all the browsers that you have on your Mac. From there, go ahead and choose your Google Chrome browser.

Then, once that you click on the Google Chrome browser from the list, you will be able to see on the right side of your screen all the caches that you have. It also includes your histories, cookies and a lot more. From there, go ahead and simply choose all the data that you would want to clean up from your Google Chrome browser.

Step 4: Chrome Cleaning is Done

Once that you have chosen all the data that you would want to clean from your Google Chrome browser on your Mac, go ahead and click on the “Clean” button. The iMyMac-PowerMyMac's Browser cleanup will then start to clean up all the selected data. And once that the process is complete, then that means that you have already gained more space for you to save new data on your Mac.

Part 6: Conclusion

Clearing the cache on your browser is pretty easy as it will not consume a lot of your time. All you have to do is to follow all the steps that we have provided you earlier and you are all set. Once that you are done cleaning the cache of your Google Chrome browser, then you will be able to have a better experience in using your Google Chrome browser.

Cleaning your cache manually is very easy but there is still another easier way for you to do this. And this is by using the iMyMac-PowerMyMac's Browser Cleanup. This program will be able to help you in removing all the data that no longer need on your Mac’s Google Chrome browser.

Doing this once in a while will definitely make you gain a better feeling in using your Google Chrome browser. Not just only that, but it can also help you and your Mac in some other way by using the other modules that the iMyMac-PowerMyMac have.

So have the iMyMac-PowerMyMac now and we assure you that you will be able to help your Mac in so many ways. And through it, you will be able to have a better experience using both your Mac and your Google Chrome browser.

So, if you have another way on how you can clear the cache on your Google Chrome browser on your Mac, then let us know so you can help some other people as well.

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Chrome Mac Clear Cache

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