What cache is and why you might want to clear it

Cache is temporary data that apps and Safari store on your iPhone to load faster the next time you use them. When you visit a website, Safari saves images, text, and code so the page loads quicker on your next visit. When you use an app, it stores login information, settings, and pieces of content you've already seen. Your iPhone does this automatically — you never ask it to.

Over time, cache can take up gigabytes of storage space, especially if you use Safari heavily or have many apps installed. Clearing cache won't delete your passwords, photos, or documents. It only removes those temporary files. Your apps and websites will rebuild their cache the next time you use them, so clearing cache is safe and reversible.

You might clear cache if your iPhone is running slowly, if an app is behaving strangely, or if you want to free up storage space. Some people clear cache regularly as maintenance. Others only do it when they notice a problem.

Key Takeaways

  • Cache is temporary data stored by Safari and apps to make them load faster, and clearing it does not delete your passwords or photos.
  • Safari cache is cleared through Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data, and you can choose to clear only the last hour or all time.
  • Individual apps store their own cache in Settings > General > iPhone Storage, where you can see how much space each app uses and offload or delete it.
  • Clearing cache can free up storage space and fix apps that are crashing or loading slowly, though it may make websites load slightly slower on your first visit afterward.

How to clear Safari cache and browsing history

Open Settings and scroll down to find Safari. Tap it, then scroll down and tap Clear History and Website Data. A menu will appear asking what time period you want to clear. You can choose "the last hour," "today," "today and yesterday," or "all time." Select the option you want, then tap the blue Clear History and Data button at the bottom.

This removes the websites you've visited, your search history, and the cached images and files Safari stored from those sites. It does not remove your saved passwords or autofill information unless you specifically choose that option in the same menu.

If you want to clear cache without clearing your browsing history, you cannot do that in Safari alone. The history and cache are cleared together. If you want to keep your history but free up space, you will need to clear individual app cache instead.

How to clear cache for individual apps

Open Settings and go to General, then tap iPhone Storage. You will see a list of all your apps sorted by how much space they use. Find the app you want to clear cache for and tap it. On the app's details page, you will see two options: Offload App and Delete App.

Tap Offload App. This removes the app but keeps your data and settings. When you reinstall it from the App Store, your data comes back and the cache is cleared. This is gentler than deleting the app entirely, because you do not lose your login information or saved content within the app.

If you want to delete the app completely and start fresh, tap Delete App instead. This removes everything — the app, its cache, and any data stored in it. You can reinstall it from the App Store afterward.

Clearing cache for email and messaging apps

Mail, Messages, and other communication apps store cache differently. For Mail, open Settings, scroll to Mail, then go to Accounts and select the email account you want to clear. Tap Account, then Advanced, and look for options to clear cache or remove attachments. The exact steps vary by email provider.

For Messages, the fastest way to free up space is to delete individual conversations or threads. Open Messages, swipe left on a conversation, and tap Delete. This removes the cached images and attachments in that conversation. If you want to clear all message cache at once, you can offload the Messages app using the iPhone Storage method described above.

What happens after you clear cache

After clearing cache, websites and apps will load slightly slower the first time you visit them, because your iPhone has to read all the images and data again instead of pulling them from storage. This slowdown is usually not noticeable — most sites load in a second or two. After that first visit, they will load at normal speed again as new cache builds up.

Your iPhone will also have more free storage space available. How much space you free up depends on how much cache you had. If you clear Safari cache, you might free up a few hundred megabytes. If you offload a large app like a game or social media app, you could free up several gigabytes.

When to clear cache and when not to

Clear cache if your iPhone is running low on storage, if an app is crashing repeatedly, or if a website is not loading correctly. You can also clear cache as routine maintenance — many people do it once a month.

Do not clear cache if you are about to use your phone on a slow internet connection, because websites and apps will load more slowly until cache rebuilds. Do not clear cache if you rely on autofill to log into accounts, because while clearing cache does not remove your passwords, it can temporarily slow down autofill until it rebuilds.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will clearing cache delete my passwords?

No. Clearing cache removes temporary files only. Your saved passwords, credit card information, and autofill data stay on your iPhone. You will still be able to log into your accounts and use autofill as normal.

How much storage space will I free up by clearing cache?

It depends on how much you use Safari and your apps. Clearing Safari cache might free up a few hundred megabytes. Offloading a large app like Instagram or a game could free up several gigabytes. Check iPhone Storage to see which apps are using the most space before you decide what to clear.

Can I clear cache automatically on a schedule?

iOS does not have a built-in automatic cache-clearing feature. You have to clear it manually through Settings. Some third-party apps claim to clear cache automatically, but Apple restricts what they can actually do, so they are not very effective.

Does clearing cache make my iPhone faster?

Clearing cache can make your iPhone feel faster if it was running low on storage space or if an app was crashing due to corrupted cache. In most cases, the speed improvement is small. The main reason to clear cache is to free up storage, not to speed up performance.

What is the difference between clearing cache and clearing browsing history?

Browsing history is the list of websites you have visited. Cache is the temporary files those websites stored on your iPhone. When you clear history and website data in Safari, you clear both at the same time. You cannot clear one without the other in Safari.