What cache and cookies actually do, and why you might clear them
Cache is a folder on your computer where Chrome stores copies of images, videos, and other files from websites you visit. The next time you go to that site, Chrome loads the cached copy instead of downloading it again — this makes pages load faster. Cookies are small text files that websites place on your computer to remember things about you: your login status, items in your shopping cart, your language preference, or your browsing history on that site.
Clearing cache and cookies serves different purposes. Clear your cache when your computer is running low on storage space, or when a website looks broken or loads an old version of itself. Clear your cookies when you want to log out of all your accounts at once, when a website is behaving strangely (sometimes a corrupted cookie causes this), or when you want to remove the record of sites you've visited from your browser. Some people clear cookies regularly for privacy reasons — it removes the trail that websites use to track your activity across the internet.
You do not need to clear cache and cookies often. Once a month or once every few months is normal. Clearing them too frequently can slow down your browsing because Chrome has to read and cache files again.
Key Takeaways
- Cache stores website files to make pages load faster; cookies store information websites remember about you, like login status or shopping cart contents.
- You can clear cache and cookies together or separately, depending on what problem you are trying to solve.
- The fastest way is to use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Delete on Windows or Command+Shift+Delete on Mac, which opens the clearing window directly.
- You can set Chrome to clear cache and cookies automatically every time you close the browser if you prefer not to do it manually.
How to clear cache and cookies in three steps
Open Chrome and press Ctrl+Shift+Delete on Windows, or Command+Shift+Delete on Mac. This opens the "Clear browsing data" window directly. If the keyboard shortcut does not work, you can also click the three vertical dots in the top right corner of Chrome, select "Settings," then click "Privacy and security" on the left side, then click "Clear browsing data."
At the top of the window, you will see a dropdown menu that says "All time," "Last hour," "Last 24 hours," "Last 7 days," "Last 4 weeks," or "Last 4 weeks." Choose the time range you want to clear. If you want to remove everything, select "All time."
Make sure the boxes next to "Cookies and other site data" and "Cached images and files" are checked. You can leave the other boxes unchecked unless you want to clear other things like your browsing history or saved passwords. Click the blue "Clear data" button. Chrome will clear the selected items in a few seconds, and the window will close automatically.
The difference between clearing everything at once and clearing just cookies
If you clear both cache and cookies together, you remove the stored files and the login information websites remember about you. This means you will have to log back into Gmail, Facebook, your bank, and any other accounts the next time you visit them. Your browsing will also be slower for a while because Chrome has to read and cache files again.
If you clear only cookies and leave cache checked, websites will load faster because the cached files are still there, but you will still be logged out of your accounts. If you clear only cache and leave cookies unchecked, you stay logged in but free up storage space and force Chrome to read fresh copies of website files (useful if a site is showing you an outdated version).
To clear only cookies without clearing cache, follow the steps above but uncheck "Cached images and files" before you click "Clear data." To clear only cache, uncheck "Cookies and other site data" instead.
How to make Chrome clear cache and cookies automatically
If you want Chrome to clear cache and cookies every time you close the browser, you can set this up once and never think about it again. Click the three vertical dots in the top right corner, select "Settings," then click "Privacy and security" on the left side. Under "Clear browsing data," toggle on the switch next to "Clear cookies and site data when you quit Chrome."
When this setting is on, Chrome will delete cookies and site data (but not cache by default) every time you close all Chrome windows. If you also want cache cleared automatically, click "Sites that can always use cookies" under the same section, then scroll down and toggle on "Clear cookies and site data when you quit Chrome" for cached images and files as well. Note that this setting does not affect your browsing history — you can control that separately in the same menu.
What happens after you clear cache and cookies
when ready after clearing, you will notice that websites take slightly longer to load because Chrome no longer has cached copies of the files. This slowdown is temporary and usually not noticeable after a few page loads. Within a few minutes of normal browsing, Chrome will have cached new copies of the sites you visit.
You will be logged out of any accounts that relied on cookies to keep you signed in. The next time you visit Gmail, your bank, social media, or shopping sites, you will see the login page. This is normal and expected. Your passwords are not deleted — Chrome stores those separately — so you can log back in using your usual credentials.
Websites will no longer remember your preferences on that site, like your language choice or whether you had items in a shopping cart. Some sites may also load with different recommendations or ads because they no longer have a record of your previous visits.
When clearing cache and cookies will not solve a problem
If a website is broken or not loading correctly, clearing cache and cookies fixes it about half the time. If it does not work, try these other steps: refresh the page by pressing F5 or Ctrl+R (Command+R on Mac), try opening the site in an incognito window (Ctrl+Shift+N or Command+Shift+N), or try a different browser like Firefox or Safari to see if the problem is specific to Chrome.
If you are having trouble logging into an account, clearing cookies will log you out, but it will not fix a forgotten password or a locked account. You will need to use the "Forgot password" link on the login page instead. If you are locked out of an account due to suspicious activity, clearing cookies will not unlock it — you will need to contact the website's support team.
If your computer is running slowly, clearing cache and cookies will free up a small amount of storage space, but it is rarely the main cause of slowness. Check how much storage space you have available by opening File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac) and looking at your hard drive. If you are using more than 90 percent of your storage, that is the real problem, and you should delete large files or programs you no longer use.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will clearing cookies log me out of everything?
Yes, clearing cookies will log you out of any account that uses cookies to keep you signed in. This includes email, social media, banking, and shopping sites. Your passwords are stored separately and will not be deleted, so you can log back in when ready using your usual username and password.
Does clearing cache delete my passwords?
No. Chrome stores passwords in a separate location from cache and cookies. Even if you clear both cache and cookies, your saved passwords remain. If you want to delete saved passwords, you have to do that separately in Chrome Settings under "Passwords."
How much storage space does cache actually take up?
Cache size varies widely depending on how much you browse and which sites you visit. For most people, cache uses between 100 MB and 1 GB of storage. If your computer has a small hard drive (like 128 GB), clearing cache occasionally can help. If you have a large hard drive (like 500 GB or more), cache is rarely a storage problem.
Is it safe to clear cache and cookies?
Yes, it is completely safe. Clearing cache and cookies will not damage Chrome or your computer. The only inconvenience is that you will be logged out of accounts and websites will load slightly slower until Chrome rebuilds the cache.
What is the difference between clearing data in Chrome and using incognito mode?
Incognito mode prevents Chrome from saving cache and cookies while you are browsing, but it does not delete anything that was already saved. When you close an incognito window, Chrome forgets what you did in that window. Clearing cache and cookies removes data that was already saved from previous browsing sessions.