Why and how to clear Safari cache on Mac and iPhone
Safari stores copies of web pages, images, and login information on your device to load websites faster the next time you visit them. This stored data — called a cache — takes up storage space and can sometimes cause websites to load incorrectly if the cached version is outdated. Clearing your cache removes these stored files and forces Safari to download fresh versions when you next visit those sites.
On a Mac, you clear the cache through Safari's menu in about 30 seconds. On iPhone or iPad, the process is slightly different but equally straightforward. You can also choose what time period of data to delete — just today's browsing, the last hour, or everything since you started using Safari.
Key Takeaways
- On Mac, go to Safari menu > Clear History, then choose the time period and check "cache" in the dropdown.
- On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data, then select your time period.
- Clearing cache removes stored website files but does not sign you out of accounts unless you also clear cookies.
- You can set Safari to clear cache automatically every time you close the browser.
Clearing cache on Mac
Open Safari and click the Safari menu in the top left corner of your screen. Select Clear History from the dropdown menu. A window will appear asking you to choose a time period: the last hour, today, today and yesterday, or all history.
Below the time period dropdown, you will see a checkbox labeled Remove all website data. This is checked by default and clears both your cache and cookies. If you want to clear only the cache and keep your login information, uncheck this box. Click Clear History to finish.
Clearing cache on iPhone and iPad
Go to the Settings app on your home screen. Scroll down and tap Safari. Near the bottom of the Safari settings, tap Clear History and Website Data. A menu will appear asking you to choose a time period: the last hour, today and yesterday, or all time.
Tapping Clear History and Website Data removes both your cache and cookies at once — there is no separate option to keep one and delete the other on iPhone. If you want to clear only cookies while keeping cached files, you will need to do this on a Mac instead.
The difference between cache and cookies
Cache is the copy of a website's files — images, stylesheets, scripts — that Safari stores so pages load faster. Cookies are small text files that websites use to remember you, store your login information, and track your browsing. When you clear both together, websites will load slightly slower the first time you visit them, and you will be signed out of accounts.
On Mac, you can clear cache without clearing cookies by unchecking the "Remove all website data" box. On iPhone, both are cleared together. If you want to keep your login information but still free up storage space, clearing cache on Mac is the better choice.
Setting Safari to clear cache automatically
On Mac, open Safari and click Safari > Settings (or Preferences on older versions). Go to the Privacy tab. Check the box next to Remove history items and choose a time period from the dropdown — "after one day", "after one week", or "after one year". This will automatically delete your history and cache on that schedule.
On iPhone, go to Settings > Safari and scroll to Privacy & Security. Toggle on Privacy Preserving Ad Measurement if you want to limit ad tracking, but note that iPhone does not have a built-in automatic cache-clearing schedule the way Mac does. You will need to clear it manually each time.
When clearing cache solves website problems
If a website looks broken, loads slowly, or shows outdated information, clearing your cache often fixes it. This happens because Safari is displaying an old cached version instead of the current live version. Clearing the cache forces Safari to download the fresh version from the website's server.
If a website still does not work after clearing cache, try clearing cookies as well, or try opening the site in a private browsing window (which does not use cache or cookies). If the problem persists, the issue is likely with the website itself, not your browser.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will clearing cache sign me out of websites?
Only if you also clear cookies. Cache alone does not store login information. On Mac, you can uncheck "Remove all website data" to clear cache without clearing cookies. On iPhone, both are cleared together, so you will be signed out of most accounts.
How much storage space does Safari cache use?
This varies widely depending on how many websites you visit and how long you have been using Safari. Cache can range from a few hundred megabytes to several gigabytes. If your device is running low on storage, clearing cache is one of the faster ways to free up space.
Can I clear cache for just one website instead of all of them?
Not directly through Safari's menu. On Mac, you can open Developer Tools (Safari > Develop > Show Web Inspector) and clear cache for the current page, but this is technical. The easiest approach is to clear all cache, or to use private browsing mode for sites you do not want cached.
What is the difference between clearing history and clearing cache?
History is the list of websites you have visited, shown in Safari's history menu. Cache is the stored files from those websites. Clearing history removes the list but keeps the cached files. Clearing cache removes the files but does not erase your history list. Most people want to clear both.
Does clearing cache on my Mac also clear it on my iPhone?
No. Each device stores its own separate cache. If you use Safari on multiple devices, you will need to clear the cache on each one individually.