What cache and cookies do, and why you might clear them
Cache is a folder on your computer where Safari stores images, videos, and other pieces of websites you visit, so the next time you go there, the page loads faster. Cookies are small text files that websites save to remember you — your login, your shopping cart, your preferences. Both speed things up, but both also take up space and can create privacy gaps.
You might clear them if a website is behaving strangely (old cached version is showing instead of the new one), if you are sharing a computer and do not want the next person to see where you have been, or if you want to reduce the trail of data sitting on your machine. Clearing them will not break anything — the next time you visit a site, Safari will read what it needs again.
Key Takeaways
- Safari stores cache (website images and files) and cookies (login information and preferences) separately, and you can clear one without clearing the other.
- On Mac, go to Safari menu > Settings > Privacy, then click "Manage Website Data" to see what is stored and delete specific sites or everything at once.
- On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data and choose what time period to clear.
- Clearing cache and cookies will log you out of most websites, so you will need to sign back in the next time you visit.
- If a website is not working right, clearing the cache for just that site often fixes the problem without affecting your logins elsewhere.
Clearing cache and cookies on Mac Safari
Open Safari and click the Safari menu in the top left corner of your screen. Select Settings (or Preferences if you are on an older version). Click the Privacy tab.
You will see a button that says Manage Website Data. Click it. A window opens showing every website that has stored data on your computer. You can scroll through the list, click on any site, and hit Remove to delete just that one. Or click Remove All at the bottom right to clear everything at once. When you are done, click Done.
This clears both cache and cookies together. If you want to clear only cookies and leave cached images (which speeds up loading), there is no separate toggle in Safari — you clear both or neither from this menu.
Clearing cache and cookies on iPhone or iPad
Go to Settings on your home screen. Scroll down and tap Safari. Scroll to the bottom and tap Clear History and Website Data.
A menu appears asking what time period you want to clear: the last hour, today, today and yesterday, or all time. Pick the one you want. Safari will clear the cache and cookies for that period. You will be logged out of most websites, and you will need to sign back in the next time you visit them.
What happens when you clear cache and cookies
Websites will load slightly slower the first time you visit them after clearing, because Safari has to read all the images and files again instead of pulling them from storage. This usually takes a few extra seconds. After that, speed returns to normal.
You will be logged out of websites that use cookies to keep you signed in. Gmail, banking sites, social media, shopping sites — you will need to enter your password again. Sites that use other methods to stay logged in (like tokens stored in your browser settings) may keep you signed in, but most do not.
Websites will forget your preferences. If a site remembers that you prefer dark mode or that you live in a certain country, that setting will reset to the default. You can set it again the next time you visit.
Clearing cache for one website instead of all of them
If one website is glitchy or showing old information, you do not have to clear everything. On Mac, open Safari > Settings > Privacy > Manage Website Data, find the site in the list, click it, and hit Remove. On iPhone or iPad, there is no way to clear data for a single site from Settings — you have to clear all or nothing.
If you are on iPhone or iPad and want to clear just one site, the workaround is to clear all data for a short time period (like "today") instead of "all time". That way you keep older data from other sites.
The difference between clearing cache and clearing browsing history
Browsing history is the list of websites you have visited — the list you see when you click the history menu. Cache and cookies are the data those websites left behind on your computer. Clearing history does not clear cache or cookies. Clearing cache and cookies does not clear history. They are separate things.
If you want to delete all three at once on Mac, go to Safari > Settings > Privacy > Manage Website Data and remove everything, then go to History menu > Clear History and choose your time period. On iPhone or iPad, Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data clears all three together.
When to clear cache and cookies, and when not to
Clear them if a website is broken or showing outdated information, if you are using a shared computer and want privacy, or if you want to reduce the data stored locally on your device. You do not need to clear them regularly for security reasons — clearing cache and cookies does not protect you from hackers or malware. It only removes data that websites have stored on your machine.
Do not clear them if you are about to do something that requires staying logged in, like a long banking session or uploading files to a cloud service. Clear them after you are done instead. If you clear them in the middle of a transaction, you may lose your progress.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will clearing cache and cookies delete my passwords?
No. Safari stores passwords separately in your Keychain (on Mac) or iCloud Keychain (across devices). Clearing cache and cookies does not touch them. You will still be logged out because the website's cookie is gone, but when you sign back in, Safari will offer to fill in your saved password automatically.
Can I clear cache and cookies automatically every time I close Safari?
On Mac, yes. Go to Safari > Settings > Privacy and check the box that says "Remove all website data when quitting Safari." On iPhone or iPad, there is no automatic option — you have to clear manually each time.
Does clearing cache and cookies make Safari faster?
It frees up storage space on your device, which can help if your drive is nearly full. It does not make Safari itself run faster. In fact, websites may load slightly slower the first time you visit them after clearing, because Safari has to re-read the files.
What if I clear cache and cookies and a website still does not work?
Try these steps in order: refresh the page, try a different browser, restart your computer, and check if the website is down for everyone (search the site name plus "down" or check a status page). If the problem started after a Safari update, try updating macOS or iOS to the latest version.
Is it safe to clear cache and cookies?
Yes, completely safe. You cannot break Safari or your computer by clearing them. The only downside is that you will be logged out of websites and pages may load slightly slower the first time you visit them. Everything else works normally.