What clearing cache in Safari actually does
Clearing your cache in Safari removes the temporary files your browser has stored from websites you've visited. When you visit a website, Safari saves images, scripts, and other content to your device so the page loads faster the next time you visit. Over time, this cache can grow large and occasionally cause problems — a website might display outdated information, or you might want to free up storage space.
Clearing cache is different from clearing your browsing history. History is the list of websites you've visited; cache is the behind-the-scenes files that make those sites load faster. You can clear one without clearing the other, though Safari's main clearing tool does both at once.
Key Takeaways
- Open Safari, go to History menu, and select "Clear History" to remove cache and browsing data at once.
- You can choose to clear data from the last hour, today, today and yesterday, or all time.
- Clearing cache may make websites load slightly slower on your first visit after clearing, because Safari has to download fresh files.
- If a website looks broken or won't load properly, clearing cache is often the first troubleshooting step to try.
How to clear cache on Mac
On a Mac, open Safari and click the History menu at the top of the screen. Near the bottom of that menu, you'll see Clear History. Click it.
A window will pop up asking you to choose a time range. The dropdown menu shows four options: "the last hour", "today", "today and yesterday", or "all time". Select the range you want and click Clear History. Safari will remove your browsing history, cookies, and cache files from that period.
If you want more control over what gets deleted, you can use Safari's preferences instead. Click Safari in the menu bar, then Settings (or Preferences on older Macs). Go to the Privacy tab. You'll see options to manage cookies and website data separately from your browsing history.
How to clear cache on iPhone and iPad
On iPhone or iPad, you cannot clear cache directly within Safari itself. Instead, you go through your device's Settings app. Open Settings, scroll down and tap Safari, then scroll to the bottom and tap Clear History and Website Data.
A confirmation message will appear asking if you're sure. Tap Clear History and Data to confirm. This removes your browsing history, cookies, and cached files all at once. Unlike the Mac version, you cannot choose a specific time range on iOS — it clears everything.
If you only want to clear cache without losing your browsing history, there's no built-in option in Safari settings. Your only choice is to use the Mac method or wait for Safari to clear old cache automatically over time.
When you should clear your cache
Clear your cache if a website is displaying outdated information or looks broken. This is the most common reason — sometimes Safari's stored version of a page is out of date, and clearing cache forces it to download the fresh version.
You might also clear cache if you're running low on storage space, though the cache usually doesn't take up as much room as you'd think. On a Mac, you can check how much space Safari is using by going to Safari > Settings > Privacy, then looking at the size listed next to "Manage Website Data".
Privacy is another reason some people clear cache regularly. Cached files can include images and data from websites you've visited, so clearing them removes some traces of your browsing. This is different from clearing history — history is what you see, cache is what the browser remembers behind the scenes.
What happens after you clear cache
After clearing cache, websites will load slightly slower the first time you visit them, because Safari has to download all the images and files fresh instead of using stored copies. The difference is usually just a second or two. After that first visit, Safari will start caching again, and subsequent visits will be fast.
You won't lose any passwords, usernames, or saved payment information just from clearing cache. Those are stored separately. If you want to clear those too, you'd need to go into Safari settings and manage them individually.
If you cleared cache because a website wasn't working, it should now display correctly. If the problem persists, the issue is likely something else — try closing Safari completely and opening it again, or restart your device.
Clearing cache for specific websites only
Safari doesn't have a simple way to clear cache for just one website. The clear function removes cache for all sites at once. However, you can prevent Safari from caching a specific site's data going forward by using Safari's privacy settings.
On Mac, go to Safari > Settings > Privacy, then click Manage Website Data. You'll see a list of websites Safari has cached data for. Find the site you want to remove and click it, then click Remove. This deletes that site's cached files without touching anything else.
On iPhone or iPad, you don't have this option — you can only clear all website data at once through Settings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will clearing cache delete my saved passwords?
No. Passwords are stored separately from cache. Clearing cache removes only temporary files like images and scripts. If you want to remove saved passwords, you'd need to do that through Safari settings under Passwords, not through the Clear History function.
Why does Safari keep asking me to clear cache?
Safari doesn't ask you to clear cache on its own. If you're seeing a message about clearing cache, it's likely coming from a website itself, not from Safari. Some websites display messages asking you to clear your browser cache to fix a problem. You can follow those instructions using the steps above.
Does clearing cache make Safari faster?
Clearing cache usually doesn't make Safari faster overall. In fact, it may make it slightly slower at first because Safari has to re-download files. Clearing cache helps only if a website was broken or displaying outdated information due to old cached files.
How often should I clear my cache?
There's no set schedule. Most people don't need to clear cache regularly. Clear it only when a website isn't working properly, when you're low on storage space, or when you want to remove browsing traces for privacy reasons. Safari will eventually clear old cache automatically.
Can I set Safari to clear cache automatically?
On Mac, you can go to Safari > Settings > Privacy and check the option to "Remove all website data when quitting Safari". This makes Safari clear cache every time you close the app. On iPhone and iPad, there's no automatic clearing option — you have to do it manually through Settings.