What clearing your cache actually does

Clearing your cache in Safari removes the temporary files your browser has stored from websites you've visited. These files include images, scripts, and other page elements that Safari saves so websites load faster the next time you visit them. When you clear the cache, Safari forgets these files, which frees up storage space on your device and can sometimes fix problems where a website looks broken or loads old information.

You might want to clear your cache if a website isn't displaying correctly, if you're having trouble logging into an account, or if you straightforward want to free up space. Clearing cache does not delete your passwords, bookmarks, or browsing history — those are stored separately. If you want to remove those too, you'll need to clear other data types at the same time.

Key Takeaways

  • Clearing cache removes temporary website files Safari has stored, which can fix display problems and free up device storage.
  • On iPhone and iPad, go to Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data and choose "All time" to clear everything.
  • On Mac, open Safari, click Safari in the menu bar, select "Clear History", and choose how far back you want to go.
  • Clearing cache does not delete your passwords or bookmarks — those stay unless you specifically remove them.
  • If a website still looks wrong after clearing cache, try closing Safari completely and opening it again.

Clearing cache on iPhone and iPad

Open the Settings app on your home screen. Scroll down and tap Safari — it's usually near the middle of the list. Scroll to the bottom of the Safari settings page and tap "Clear History and Website Data".

A popup will appear asking how far back you want to clear. Tap "All time" to remove everything, or choose a shorter period like "Last hour" or "Last day" if you only want to clear recent files. Tap "Clear History and Data" to confirm. Safari will remove the cached files when ready, and you'll be back at the Settings screen.

Clearing cache on Mac

Open Safari and look at the menu bar at the very top of your screen. Click "Safari" (not the Safari icon in the dock — the word Safari in the menu). A dropdown menu will appear with several options.

Click "Clear History" near the middle of that menu. A window will pop up asking "Clear history from" with a dropdown that says "the last hour" or similar. Click that dropdown and choose "all history" to clear everything, or pick a shorter timeframe if you prefer. Click "Clear History" to finish.

What to do if clearing cache doesn't fix the problem

If a website still looks wrong or behaves strangely after clearing cache, close Safari completely. On iPhone and iPad, swipe up from the bottom of the screen (or swipe down from the top-right corner on newer models) to see your open apps, find Safari, and swipe it away. On Mac, click Safari in the menu bar and select "Quit Safari".

Wait a few seconds, then open Safari again and visit the website. Sometimes Safari needs a full restart to load a page correctly. If the problem persists on multiple websites, try restarting your entire device — turn it off and back on. If only one website is broken, the problem is usually with that website, not your browser.

The difference between cache, cookies, and browsing history

Cache, cookies, and browsing history are three separate things that Safari stores, and clearing one does not clear the others. Cache is the temporary files we discussed — images and scripts that make pages load faster. Cookies are small files that websites use to remember you, like keeping you logged in or remembering items in your shopping cart. Browsing history is the list of websites you've visited that appears when you click the history button.

When you tap "Clear History and Website Data" on iPhone or iPad, you're clearing both history and cache at the same time, but not cookies (unless you choose a different option). On Mac, "Clear History" clears history and cache together. If you want to remove cookies separately, you'll need to go into Safari settings and look for cookie options, though most people don't need to do this.

When you might want to clear cache regularly

If you use a shared device, clearing cache before you hand it to someone else removes traces of the websites you visited. If your device is running slowly or storage is nearly full, clearing cache can help — though usually only a small amount. If you're a web developer or designer testing your own website, clearing cache frequently ensures you're seeing the latest version of your changes rather than an old cached version.

For most people, clearing cache once every few months is enough. You don't need to do it constantly — Safari manages its own cache automatically and will delete old files when it needs space. The main reason to clear it manually is when a website isn't working right or you want to free up storage on a device that's running low.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will clearing cache delete my passwords?

No. Passwords are stored separately from cache and are not removed when you clear cache. If you want to delete saved passwords, you need to go into Safari settings and find the passwords section — it's a different action than clearing cache.

Why does a website still look broken after I cleared cache?

Sometimes a website's server is having problems, not your browser. Try visiting the site on a different device or browser to see if it looks the same way. If it does, the problem is with the website itself. If it looks fine elsewhere, close Safari completely and restart it, or restart your device.

How much storage space does cache actually take up?

It varies widely depending on how many websites you visit and how image-heavy they are. For most people, cache takes up between 50 megabytes and a few hundred megabytes. On a device with gigabytes of storage, this is usually not a problem, but on older devices with limited space, clearing cache occasionally can help.

Can I set Safari to clear cache automatically?

On iPhone and iPad, you can go to Settings > Safari and toggle on "Privacy-Preserving Ad Measurement" or use a feature called "Prevent Cross-Site Tracking", but there's no automatic cache-clearing option built in. Some people use a shortcut or automation to clear cache on a schedule, but this requires more technical setup.

Does clearing cache make Safari faster?

Not usually. Cache actually makes Safari faster because it stores files locally so pages don't have to read them again. Clearing cache removes that speed benefit temporarily. You might clear cache to fix a broken page, but don't expect it to make browsing faster overall.