How to Clear Cache and Cookies on Your Mac?

How to Clear Cache and Cookies on Your Mac
How to Clear Cache and Cookies on Your Mac

For every major browser on your Mac, follow these easy directions to delete the cache and cookies.

To optimize your surfing experience, your Mac’s internet browser keeps data in its cache and uses cookies.

When you visit a website again, the cache keeps information about it so you don’t have to re-download content. Cookies tell a website who you are and where you go online so that it can provide you with the information you need faster.

To free up space on your Mac and help your browser operate quicker, clear your cache and cookies on a regular basis. We’ll show you how to clear the cache and cookies on many Mac browsers in the sections below—find yours and start deleting right away!

How to Delete Safari’s Cache?

Safari does a good job of reducing tracking data when you’re browsing the web, but it still retains caches and cookies that you should wipe up on a regular basis.

  1. In order to delete caches in Safari, the Develop menu must be displayed. To access the Develop menu, go to Safari’s Preferences and select the Advanced tab (keyboard shortcut: Cmd + Comma). In the menu bar box, select Show Develop menu.
  2. To clear your caches, go to Safari’s menu bar and select Develop > Empty Caches. This action can also be performed using the keyboard shortcut Option + Cmd + E.
  3. In Safari, pick Empty Caches from the Develop menu.
  4. If you want to clear cookies on Safari, all you have to do is go to Preferences. To manage website data, go to the Privacy tab and select the Manage Website Data button. After a few seconds, a window will emerge, with a searchable list of all the sites that are keeping cookies on you in Safari.
  5. The Privacy tab in Safari is open.
  6. Any of the site names on this list can be highlighted by clicking on them, and then deleted by clicking the Remove button. You can do this one at a time or choose multiple sites at once before hitting Remove.
  7. Use the Remove All button to erase all of your cookies at once. For a quick clean-up, we’d personally recommend this choice. When you’re finished, click Done to exit the window and close Preferences.
  8. The website data window in Safari’s Preferences is open.

How to Delete Google Chrome’s Cache

Clearing your caches and cookies in Google Chrome can improve its performance, and there are a few options in the browser to do it.

  1. The quickest and most recommended method is to pick More Tools > Clear Browsing Data from the three dot menu icon. You may either use the Shift + Cmd + Delete shortcut or go to Chrome in the top menu and click Clear Browsing Data from there.
  2. Clear Browsing Data is selected in Google Chrome’s More Tools menu.
  3. Within Chrome’s settings, you’ll find a popup labeled Clear browsing data. Check the boxes next to Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached pictures and files, on the Advanced tab.
  4. Set the Time Range dropdown menu to the date range you want to delete from Chrome’s data stores. To completely remove everything, choose All time from the drop-down menu.
  5. Once that’s done, click the Delete data option to completely clear Chrome’s caches and cookies.
  6. On a Mac, the Clear Browsing Data box in Google Chrome is used.
  7. Individual cookies can also be deleted in Chrome. However, to delete your cache, repeat the procedures outlined above, and while you’re doing it, clear your cookies as well.

In Microsoft Edge, how do you clear the cache?

Microsoft Edge on the Mac resembles Google Chrome in appearance and functionality, including the way you delete caches and cookies.

  1. Open Edge’s Settings by clicking on the three dot menu and selecting it there, or by pressing Cmd + Comma on your keyboard.
  2. Selecting options from the three-dot menu in Microsoft Edge
  3. Select Privacy, Search, and Services from the Settings menu, then scroll down to the Clear browsing data section. Select what you want to clear by clicking the Choose What to Clear option.
  4. On a Mac, go to Edge Settings and clear the browsing data header.
  5. Check the boxes beside Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files in the Clear browsing data window that displays, just as you would in Chrome. Set the Time Range to whichever far back you wish to go—to wipe everything, it must be set to All Time.
  6. Select the Clear Now option from the drop-down menu. Edge will now delete all of your caches and cookies!
  7. Open the Clear Browsing Data window in Edge.

Clearing the Cache in Firefox

Firefox is another browser that allows you to erase your caches and cookies in one easy location.

  1. To clear the cache, go to Firefox > Preferences > Privacy & Security and pick the Privacy & Security option.
  2. Select Firefox Preferences from the Firefox dropdown menu.
  3. Scroll down to the Cookies and Site Data section of the page and select the Clear Data button. There will be a window appear. In the window, check the boxes next to Cookies, Site Data, and Cached Web Content. After that, press the Clear button.
  4. The Clear Data window in Firefox is open.
  5. If you want, you can utilize Firefox’s quick cache and cookie clearout approach instead. Open the three-line menu and select History from the drop-down menu. Select Clear Recent History from the menu that displays. A popup called Clear History will appear.
  6. On a Mac, the Firefox History menu is visible.
  7. Check the boxes next to Cookies and Cache in the Clear History window. Set the Time range option to as far back as you’d like. To thoroughly clean everything out, we recommend selecting Everything.
  8. Then press the OK button. This method will also clear your caches and cookies!
  9. On a Mac, the Firefox Clear All History window is open.
  10. Individual cookies can be deleted in Firefox by going to Manage Data instead of Clear Data, then selecting and deleting the cookies and site data that display there.

How to Delete the Opera Cache

The processes for clearing the caches and cookies in your Opera browser are straightforward.

  1. Click the clock symbol on the side menu to open your Opera History, or go to History > Show All History from the top menu. You can also use the Shift + Cmd + H keyboard shortcut.
  2. On a Mac, the Opera History menu appears.
  3. To clear browsing data, click the Clear Browsing Data button. In a new tab, you’ll be sent to Opera’s Settings, where the Clear Browsing Data window will be open.
  4. Select the Advanced option from the drop-down menu. To clear everything, set the Time Range dropdown to All time, and check the boxes beside Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files, as with most of the browsers mentioned.
  5. In Opera for Mac, the Clear Browsing Data window appears.

These options are also available under the Basic tab, but moving to Advanced ensures that you aren’t cleaning anything else in addition to the caches and cookies. After all, you might wish to save your download history and passwords.

Click the Clear data button when you’re confident you’re merely cleaning cookies and caches. All of the clearing will be completed, and you’ll be ready to use a little more efficient browser.

With Ease, Clear Your Browser’s Caches and Cookies

Clearing the caches and cookies on your Mac’s internet browsers on a regular basis is a good idea since, while it may make some webpages slower to load at first, it eventually frees up storage space and removes data your Mac and browsers don’t require.

We hope the actions indicated above assist you in clearing your own internet caches and cookies, regardless of whatever browser you use. Most browsers make it a reasonably straightforward process, which should encourage you to do it on a regular basis so that your Mac is never overburdened with data it rarely uses.

Mark Funk
Mark Funk is an experienced information security specialist who works with enterprises to mature and improve their enterprise security programs. Previously, he worked as a security news reporter.