How To Clear Cache On Mac

What is Cache on a Mac?

A cache is a storage location where your Mac stores temporary files used by apps, websites, or servers to reduce load/response times. Your Mac uses this saved data to quickly address your requests in the future.
A Mac has three types of cache files:

Browser Cache: Every web browser has its own cache that stores the downloaded page resources like JavaScript, HTML, CSS, cookies, or images. When you visit the same website in the future, your Mac will use the downloaded data to load up the page. This saves a lot of time as the browser doesn’t have to communicate with the server to retrieve the data. The browser will directly load the content from its cache. Application Data: A Mac has an Application cache sometimes known as User Cache. It stores data associated with your apps so there’s no need to load data every time you wish to use that app. As a result, your applications can work faster.  System Cache: It is a memory bank created by macOS to help your Mac run smoothly. This allows the CPU to quickly access RAM, and as a result, system services can run faster without having to load from the main memory bit by bit.

Clear Browser Cache on Mac

Over time, the browser cache may get outdated, and you may end up browsing an older cached version of a webpage. Also, the browser cache contains cookies and trackers, which can provide information about you to websites and advertisers as you browse the web. In such cases, you must delete the browser cache on your Mac. It won’t harm your Mac or browser’s performance. Rather, it will only speed things up for you.
The steps to delete the browser cache on Mac depend on the browser you’re using. We’ve mentioned steps for Safari and Google Chrome. Let’s check them out. On Safari The first way to delete Safari cache is to open the Safari app, go to the Menu Bar > History and click on Clear History. This will wipe off your Safari history, and you’ll lose all the information about visiting the websites you may want to visit in the future.
If you wish to keep the history, follow the below steps to clear cache in Safari on Mac:
This will delete the Safari cache without deleting the history.
On Google Chrome It’s relatively simple and quick to delete the browser cache in Chrome. Here’s what you need to do:

Clear System Cache on Mac

Deleting the system cache is a risky affair. After all, you might end up deleting that macOS uses to run everything smoothly. However, if you still want to do it, make sure to back up your MacBook, just in case something doesn’t go right.

Delete App Cache on Mac

Before we begin, you must know that it’s not advisable to delete the Application Cache on your Mac for apps you use actively. That’s because some apps store important user information in cache folders, and deleting them may result in loss of important data that your app may not work properly without it. So, it’s not recommended to empty the application or user cache on Mac.
However, if an app has slowed down or isn’t working properly, you can delete the app cache. Remember, it can also have an adverse impact on the app’s performance. You can easily remove the application cache for apps you don’t use on your Mac. If you’re ready to take up the responsibilities of any adverse results, follow the below steps:
That’s how you can clear the cache on your Mac. It’s absolutely safe to delete the browser cache on your Mac, as they will create new cache files when needed. However, you must play safe when dealing with system and application cache files on Mac.