How to Clear the Cache on a Mac

Co-authored by Gonzalo Martinez and Jack Lloyd

Last Updated: October 25, 2022 Tested

This wikiHow teaches you how to clear the cache of temporary system files that your Mac stores as you use it, as well as how to clear the Safari browser's cache of temporary Internet files. Keep in mind that clearing the system cache can cause your Mac to freeze or crash unexpectedly; this is a normal response to clearing the cache.

Things You Should Know

Clear your system cache by closing as many programs as possible. Then, go to Finder > Go > Go to Folder….
Type ~/Library/ and click Go. Open the "Caches" folder and drag all of the contents of the folder to the Trash. Then, empty your trash.
To clear cache on Safari, open Safari and go to Safari > Preferences… > Advanced. Check "Show Develop menu in menu bar". Click Develop > Empty Caches.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Clearing the System Cache

1
Close as many open programs as possible. Open programs use files from the "Cache" folder, so you won't be able to remove as many cached files as you like if you have multiple programs open.
2
Go to your Mac's Finder. Do this by clicking on your Desktop image or on the blue smiley-face icon on the far left in your Dock.

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3
Click Go. It's in the menu bar at the top of the screen. A drop-down menu will appear.
4
Click Go to Folder…. You'll find this option near the bottom of the Go drop-down menu. Doing so opens a text box.
5
Enter the "Library" folder path. Type ~/Library/ into the text box.
6
Click Go. It's a blue button in the bottom-right corner of the text box. This will open the Library folder, in which you should find a folder named "Caches".
7
Double-click the "Caches" folder. This folder should be near the top of the Finder window, but scroll down to find it if it isn't there.
8
Select the "Caches" folder's contents. Click one item or folder in the "Caches" folder, then press ⌘ Command+A. Doing so selects everything in the "Caches" folder.
9
Delete the "Caches" folder's contents. Click the File menu item at the top of the screen, then click Move Items to Trash in the drop-down menu. The "Caches" folder's contents will be moved to the Trash.
- If you receive an error telling you that one or more of the files can't be deleted, they're being used by a program that's currently open. Skip deleting these files for now, then try deleting them later when the programs in question aren't open.
10
Click Finder. It's a menu item in the top-left corner of the screen. A drop-down menu will appear.
11
Click Empty Trash…. This option is in the Finder drop-down menu.
12
Click OK when prompted. Doing so will empty the trash, thus completely clearing the cache files from your Mac.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Clearing the Safari Cache

1
Open Safari. The Safari app icon resembles a blue compass, and can usually be found in your Mac's Dock at the bottom of the screen.
2
Click Safari. It's a menu item in the top-left corner of the screen. A drop-down menu will appear.
- If you see a Develop menu item in the bar at the top of the screen, click it instead, then skip ahead to the "Click Empty Caches" step.
3
Click Preferences…. It's near the top of the Safari drop-down menu. A new window will open.
4
Click the Advanced tab. You'll find it on the far right side of the Preferences window.
5
Check the "Show Develop menu in menu bar" box. It's at the bottom of the Preferences window. This adds the Develop tab to the menu bar for Safari.
6
Click Develop. It's an option in the menu bar at the top of the screen. A drop-down menu will appear.
7
Click Empty Caches. You'll see it in the Develop drop-down menu. Doing so will automatically clear your Mac's Safari cache.
- You won't see a pop-up window or a confirmation notice when the cache is cleared.

Community Q&A
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Question

How do I clean up my Mac?

Gonzalo Martinez
Computer & Phone Repair Specialist
Gonzalo Martinez is the President of CleverTech, a tech repair business in San Jose, California founded in 2014. CleverTech LLC specializes in repairing Apple products. CleverTech pursues environmental responsibility by recycling aluminum, display assemblies, and the micro components on motherboards to reuse for future repairs. On average, they save 2 lbs - 3 lbs more electronic waste daily than the average computer repair store.

Gonzalo Martinez

Computer & Phone Repair Specialist

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

Shutting down your Mac completely clears your cache. It's a good idea to completely shut down your computer routinely to make sure there aren't applications that you quit but are still taking up some RAM space.
Question

How do I speed up a MacBook Pro?

Margaret Althea Elvenshadow

Community Answer

If you're using Google Chrome as your browser, look at the top right corner, at the end of the search bar. You should see three dots in a vertical line. Click on them. A list should pop up. Mouse over the option that says "More Tools," and click "Clear Browsing Data." If you're using Safari as your browser, look up at the Apple menu bar at the top, that has "File" and "Edit" and all that jazz. If you see an option that says "Develop," click on it. Near the bottom of the list, there is an option that says "Empty cache." Select it. If you don't see "Develop," click "Safari>Preferences>Advanced Settings>Show Develop Menu in menu bar."
Question

The operation Empty Trash cant be completed because the item "Cache.db" is in use. How can I solve this issue?

Community Answer

Open the Terminal app and type: sudo rm -r ~/.Trash

Warnings

Clearing the system cache may cause your Mac to crash. While your Mac should restart and begin working again without any problems, make sure that your work is saved and that you've exited any open programs before clearing the system cache.

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