Clear your cache and cookies in Firefox through the Settings menu in under a minute

Open Firefox and press Ctrl+Shift+Delete on Windows or Command+Shift+Delete on Mac. This opens the Clear Recent History window directly. Select Everything from the time range dropdown, check both Cookies and Cache, then click Clear Now. Your browser cache and cookies are deleted immediately.

If the keyboard shortcut does not work on your device, you can reach the same window through the menu: click the three horizontal lines in the top right corner, select Settings, choose Privacy & Security from the left sidebar, scroll to Cookies and Site Data, and click Clear Data.

Key Takeaways

  • The fastest way to clear cache and cookies is pressing Ctrl+Shift+Delete (Windows) or Command+Shift+Delete (Mac), then selecting Everything and clicking Clear Now.
  • Cache stores images and files to load websites faster; cookies store login information and site preferences, and both can slow down browsing or cause login problems if outdated.
  • Clearing cache and cookies does not delete your saved passwords, bookmarks, or browsing history unless you specifically check those boxes.
  • You can set Firefox to clear cache and cookies automatically every time you close the browser through Privacy & Security settings.

What cache and cookies actually do

Cache is a folder where Firefox stores copies of images, videos, and code from websites you visit. When you return to a site, Firefox loads these stored files instead of downloading them again, which makes pages load faster. Over time, cache can grow to hundreds of megabytes and may contain outdated versions of websites.

Cookies are small text files that websites place on your computer to remember information about you. They store login credentials, shopping cart contents, language preferences, and tracking data. Some cookies are necessary for sites to work; others follow you across the web to show you ads.

Clearing both can solve slow loading, login loops where you cannot stay signed in, and sites that display outdated content. It also removes tracking cookies that record your browsing across multiple websites.

How to clear cache and cookies through the Settings menu

Click the menu button (three horizontal lines) in the top right corner of Firefox. Select Settings from the dropdown. On the left sidebar, click Privacy & Security.

Scroll down to the section labeled Cookies and Site Data. You will see a button that says Clear Data. Click it to open a small window with two checkboxes: Cookies and Site Data and Cached Web Content. Make sure both are checked, then click Clear. Firefox will delete both immediately.

This method takes slightly longer than the keyboard shortcut but gives you more control — you can choose to clear only cookies, only cache, or both, and you can select a specific time range instead of everything.

Clearing only specific site data

If you want to keep cookies and cache from most sites but remove data from just one or two, Firefox lets you do that. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security and scroll to Cookies and Site Data. Click Manage Data to see a list of every site that has stored data on your computer.

Type the website name in the search box to find it quickly. Click the site name to select it, then click Remove Selected. This deletes only that site's cookies and cache, leaving everything else intact. This is useful if one particular site is not working correctly but you want to stay logged into other sites.

Set Firefox to clear cache and cookies automatically

You can tell Firefox to delete cache and cookies every time you close the browser. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security and scroll to Cookies and Site Data. Check the box next to Delete cookies and site data when Firefox is closed. From that point forward, Firefox will clear both automatically each time you shut it down.

This setting keeps your browser clean without requiring manual clearing, but it also means you will be logged out of websites when you reopen Firefox. You can add exceptions for sites where you want to stay logged in: click Manage Exceptions under that same checkbox and type in the website addresses you want to keep cookies for.

What does not get deleted when you clear cache and cookies

Clearing cache and cookies does not touch your saved passwords, bookmarks, browsing history, or autofill information. If you want to delete those as well, you can do so in the same Clear Recent History window by checking additional boxes, but they are separate from cache and cookies.

Your Firefox sync data (if you use a Firefox account) also remains unaffected. Clearing local cache and cookies only removes data stored on your computer, not data synced to Mozilla's servers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will clearing cache and cookies log me out of websites?

Yes, clearing cookies will log you out of most sites because cookies store your login session. You will need to sign back in. Cache clearing does not affect login status directly, but it may cause some sites to display outdated content until you refresh.

How much space does cache usually take up?

Firefox cache typically ranges from 100 megabytes to 1 gigabyte depending on how much you browse and how long since you last cleared it. You can see your cache size in Settings > Privacy & Security under Cookies and Site Data, where it shows "Cached Web Content" with the current size.

Is it safe to clear cache and cookies?

Yes, it is completely safe. Cache and cookies are designed to be deleted. Clearing them will not damage Firefox or your computer. The only inconvenience is that websites may load slightly slower the first time you visit them after clearing, and you will need to log back in.

Can I clear cache and cookies without clearing my browsing history?

Yes. Use the Settings menu method instead of the keyboard shortcut. In Settings > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data > Clear Data, you can uncheck Browsing & Download History and check only Cookies and Cache. The keyboard shortcut clears more data by default.

Why does Firefox keep asking me to log in after I clear cookies?

Cookies store your login session, so clearing them logs you out everywhere. If you want to stay logged into certain sites, use the Manage Exceptions feature under "Delete cookies and site data when Firefox is closed" to add those sites to an exception list.