If you’re a Mac user then sooner or later you will face that your Mac storage is almost full. This is due to the storage of a lot of cache files on your Mac. Cleaning cache files regularly can help you to keep your Mac in an excellent condition. So in this article, we will show you how you can clear cache on Mac.
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: Download CleanMyMac X (free) and launch it. How To Clear Cache on Mac? Deleting the Web Cache (In Safari): If you’re a Mac user, it is entirely possible that Safari is your default browser. Surfing the Internet of course ends up giving a lot of cache files, which need or should I say MUST be deleted before it clogs all your space.
Contents
- 2 How to Clear Cache On Mac?
- 3 6 Best Apps To Clear Cache On Macbook
What is Cache?
Cache are temporary files created by the operating system and stored on your hard disk. The cache could be HTML documents, images, videos, and many more created by a web browser while you browsing. Cache files are accessed by the system to speed up processes. Let’s try to understand cache with the help of an example. Suppose when you’re surfing a website on Safari for the first time.
Then Safari will download images and other essential files from the website. So when you visit the website next time then your browser need not download the images again. But the cache took a lot of space on your Mac. That can make your Mac slower. So for the smooth running of your Mac, you need to delete cache files manually.
How to Clear Cache On Mac?
- Clear your browsing history in Safari on Mac You can remove all records that Safari keeps of where you’ve browsed during a period of time you choose. If your Mac and your other devices have Safari turned on in iCloud preferences, your browsing history is removed from all of them.
- In many website related issues, the cache is the root of all evil. That's why your web developer/web designer or IT-Support first asks you to clear the cache before investigating further. By the way: since the cache stores website data, you can tell from the saved information which sites.
- How to Clear Browser Cache on Mac Another lare amount of cache is from browsers such as safari, chrome and firefox, etc. While visiting and browsing several web pages on the Mac, many images, passwords, and sign-in data is locally stored on the device.
With the daily usages of Mac computer, various cache files got stored on our hard disk. So we need to delete them.
Here is how you can clear the cache on Mac:-
- Open Finder window on your Mac.
- Press Shift+Cmd+G.
- Place Library/caches into the search box appeared on your screen.
- Select all the unwanted folders and move them to the trash folder.
Now all your cache files store on your Mac got deleted. But don’t forget to clear your trash folder.
Clear Cache On Safari Browser:-
Here is how you can delete cache on Safari browser:-
- Launch Safari browser on your Mac and click on Safari available at top of the screen and choose Preferences.
- Switch on the Advanced tab and check the checkbox Show Develop Menu in Menu bar.
- Click on Develop option available at the top of the screen and choose Empty Caches.
You can also simply clear the cache on the Safari browser by clearing your browser history.
6 Best Apps To Clear Cache On Macbook
Here is the list of some top third party apps that can help you to clear cache on mac without a lot of effort.
1. Movavi Mac Cleaner:-
Movavi Mac Cleaner helps you to clean all types of cache files stored on your Mac. This software comes with a lot of features like it automatically scan and delete all cache files. So you can run your Mac trouble-free. Here is how you can delete cache files using Movavi.
- Open Movavi Mac Cleaner on your Mac once you completed the installation process. And wait until Movavi scan for unwanted cache files stored on your Mac.
- Click on Start Cleaning button and Movavi will clean all cache files.
Using Movavi Mac Cleaner to clean unwanted files is a time-saving and easy process.
2. Mac Cleaner:-
Mac Cleaner is helpful to clean all your junk and cache files. Clean your Cache files by clicking on the Junk files option. Mac Cleaner is easy to use the software. So you can easily speed up your Mac by deleting unwanted files.
3. CCleaner For Mac:-
CCleaner is another great tool to clear your cache files on your Mac. It collects all the unwanted files and removes them with the single click of a button. And also it clear trash folder.
4. Startup Disk Full Fixer:-
Startup Disk Full Fixer is an app developed by Nektony Limited. This software helps you to quickly perform disk cleanup on your Mac. It displays how much storage is occupied on your by cache files. So you can easily remove them and make some space on your disk. Startup Disk Full Fixer is easy to use you just need to install it on your Mac. And click on Analyze your disk button. Select all the cache files store on your Mac and click on the clean button to clear them.
5. Avg Cleaner:-
Avg Cleaner helps you to enhance the performance and reliability of your Mac. It simply cleans all temporary files stored on your hard disk that can make your Mac slower. You just need to scan for unwanted files and Avg will automatically collect all the unwanted files and clear them for you.
Bottom Line:-
In this article, you have learned about some cool methods that can help you to clear cache on Mac. I have tried to mention both automatic and manual methods to clean your cache files.
Please mentioned which method you have used to clear caches on your Mac. And in last don’t forget to share your valuable feedback with us by using our comment section.
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?
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:
- Launch CleanMyMac X (2019 version is preferable)
- Select System Junk
- 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:
- Open a Finder window and select “Go to Folder” in the Go menu.
- Type in ~/Library/Caches and hit enter to proceed to this folder.
- Optional step: You can highlight and copy everything to a different folder just in case something goes wrong.
- 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.
Fast youtube downloader for mac free. Now, repeat the same steps above, but substitute…
~/Library/Caches with… /Library/Caches
~/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.
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.
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.
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.
How to clear cache in Chrome
Here’s how to clear browser cache in Chrome manually:
- Click the 3-dot icon in the top right corner of Google Chrome browser.
- Choose Settings.
- At the bottom of the menu, choose Advanced.
- Click “Clear browsing data.”
- Deselect all, but Cached images and files.
- Timewise, choose All time.
- Hit “Clear data” button.
How to clear cache in Firefox
Here’s how to delete cache in Firefox manually:
- Click the hamburger icon in the top right corner.
- Choose Privacy & Security on the left sidebar.
- Scroll to the section 'Cached web content' menu item.
- Now, click Clear Now to delete Firefox cache.
- 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.
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:
- In the top menu, choose Safari.
- Click Preferences.
- Choose the Advanced tab.
- Enable Show Develop menu in the menu bar.
- Now go to Develop in the menu bar.
- 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:
- Download CleanMyMac X (free) and launch it.
- Select Smart Scan in the left menu.
- Hit Scan at the bottom of CleanMyMac X.
- 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:
- Open CleanMyMac and select the Privacy module
- Click on your browser of choice
- Make your selections from the list of all your cache and privacy tracks
- 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 Cache For Macbook Air
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?
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.