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How long has it been since you emptied your Mac’s cache? Your browser, operating system, and programs all accumulate cached files. Old files accumulate in your Mac’s cache over time, taking up valuable storage space and slowing you down. In this article, you’ll find detailed instructions for clearing your Mac’s cache, either manually or with the help of a dedicated cleanup application.
In this article, you will learn-
- 1 A Cache Clearing Guide for the Mac, iMac, and MacBook Air
- 2 How to clear cache in Mac Safari
- 3 How to clear cache in Chrome on Mac
- 4 How to clear the Firefox cache
- 5 How to Clean Your Mac’s System Cache
- 6 How to Delete Applications on a Mac
- 7 How to use shortcuts on your Mac to clear the cache
- 8 What exactly are cached files?
- 9 What is the purpose of clearing cached data?
- 10 On a Mac, can I delete all cache files?
- 11 READ NEXT
A Cache Clearing Guide for the Mac, iMac, and MacBook Air
If you’re using a Mac, you can delete your browser’s cache by opening Finder and launching Go to Folder by pressing Shift + Command + G. Just press Enter after typing /Library/Caches. Finally, access the cache folders in your browser, choose the files you wish to remove, and press the Delete button.
How to clear cache in Mac Safari
If you want to clear your Safari cache, do as follows:
Open Safari and head to the Safari menu to access the Preferences.
Click on the Advanced tab, and then click the Show Develop menu in the menu bar box.
To clear your cache, go to the Develop > Empty Caches option.
How to clear cache in Chrome on Mac
If you’re using Chrome on a Mac, here’s how to delete the cache:
Launch Chrome, click the menu button (three dots) and then choose Settings.
Select Clear browsing data from the Privacy and Security menu on the left.
To delete information from a specific time period, adjust the slider under “Time range.” Select All Time to erase everything from Chrome’s cache on your Mac.
Select Cached photos and files, and then click Clear Data.
To empty the cache in Chrome for Mac, press the keyboard shortcut (Command + Shift + Delete).
How to clear the Firefox cache
Here’s how to clear Firefox’s cache:
To erase all recent activity in Firefox, go to History in the menu bar.
Choose Everything under the Time range to clear. It’s not what you should choose if you only want to clear your recent files.
The cache must be selected before clicking OK.
The discussion ends here. If you prefer to use the keyboard, the shortcut for accessing the Clear All History option is Command + Shift + Delete.
How to Clean Your Mac’s System Cache
Make sure you have a backup of your Macbook before attempting to erase the system or user cache. Cached files can be useful for Mac RAM, but it’s risky to delete them if you’re rummaging about in the system.
On a Mac, here’s how to get to the system cache files:
First, open Finder. Then, go to the Go button and choose “Go to Folder.”
In the box, type ~/Library/Caches/ and press Go.
The caches for your machine or library will show up. You can now pick what to delete.
You can access each folder and remove any cache files that are not required by dragging them to the Trash and then emptying that folder. If you are unsure of whether or not you require them, it is best to err on the side of caution and refrain from removing them in order to be on the safe side.
How to Delete Applications on a Mac
You may not need to delete your Mac’s program cache, just like you do not need to delete the system cache.
It’s possible that you need to delete some saved files to fix programs that aren’t working right. Others help your Mac RAM load apps faster.
Learn how to force-quit a program on a Mac by emptying its cache in this manner:
Open Finder and choose Go > Go to Folder from the menu.
In the box, enter /Users/[YourUsername]/Library/Caches, then hit Go.
You will be able to view the user caches for each of your applications. You are able to navigate to each folder, pick any files included within it, and then drag those files to the Trash. Be sure to clear the Trash before attempting to remove the files from your computer.
How to use shortcuts on your Mac to clear the cache
Shortcuts allow you to quickly and efficiently erase the cache on your Mac. Follow these simple steps to remove the cache on your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro:
Simply hit the keys shift + command + G to bring up the finder window.
To access your caches, go to /Library/Caches and press the Go button.
To select all subfolders at once, hit command + A, or use the arrow keys to pick and choose.
To remove the selected files from your Mac’s cache, press and hold command + delete.
To confirm that you wish to get rid of the selected files, click Yes or OK if requested to do so.
What exactly are cached files?
Cached files are short-term storage copies of larger files that your computer downloads and stores to speed up future launches of the same app or application. Your computer saves time and energy by retrieving cached files directly from memory rather than having to access them via the network or hard drive.
Caches can be divided into three categories:
Images, videos, scripts, and other media are downloaded and stored in your browser’s cache whenever you visit a website. You should expect speedier page loads the next time you come thanks to these caches being stored in your Mac’s cached files memory.
The app cache sometimes referred to as the user cache, is where your computer temporarily caches data used by other programs while they are open. Both native Apple applications like Spotlight and Maps and third-party tools like image and video editors fall under this category.
It’s not only your browser and other apps that use the system cache to make better use of RAM on your Mac; the operating system itself does the same thing.
What is the purpose of clearing cached data?
When you clear your cache, you get more storage space since you get rid of old files. It clears your browser’s cache to ensure you’re seeing the most recent content, fixes app crashes and refreshes content so your apps function more smoothly.
Think about all the internet stores, social media profiles, and search engines you’ve ever used. That’s a lot of data to keep around, especially because you might never go back to the majority of those sites.
On a Mac, can I delete all cache files?
Because your computer constantly uses some cached files, the short answer is no. All cache files that aren’t being used right now can be deleted, but that doesn’t imply you should. Instead, if you use numerous browsers on your Mac, it’s best to clear up all of their caches.
You can safely erase the inactive cached files from the system and user (application) caches, but you shouldn’t do it randomly. Keep in mind that using a cache will make your future experience with that resource much quicker. You shouldn’t necessarily clear the cache of an app you use frequently, like a photo editor, especially if you’re in the middle of a project that relies on it. In most cases, your system cache already contains everything it needs to function correctly.
Only when debugging a problem or when you’re low on storage space will you need to empty the system or application caches.
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