How to Clear Cache on Mac: What's Safe to Delete and What Isn't

A cache is data an app keeps so it doesn't have to repeat work: images and scripts from web pages, video thumbnails, compiled graphics shaders, installers it has already downloaded. What makes it a cache is that it can be recreated after you delete it, and Apple describes the Caches folder as the place for exactly that kind of discardable, re-creatable data.

The catch is that caches often sit right next to data you shouldn't delete casually. One app's folder can hold several gigabytes of cache alongside your chat history and offline downloads. Before you clear anything, it helps to know which is which.

#Where caches live on a Mac

• ~/Library/Caches: app caches for your user account. Most apps create a folder here named after the app or its identifier, such as com.apple.Safari for Safari.
• /Library/Caches: caches shared by all users; changing them requires an administrator password.
• ~/Library/Containers/<app identifier>/Data/Library/Caches: apps from the App Store run in a sandbox and keep their caches inside their own container.
• Browser profile folders: besides ~/Library/Caches, Chrome and similar browsers keep code and GPU caches in their profile folders under ~/Library/Application Support.
• /private/var/folders: per-user temporary files and caches that macOS manages itself.

#What's safe to delete and what isn't

Usually safe to delete, because apps rebuild them as needed:

• browser web, code and GPU caches;
• the contents of app folders inside ~/Library/Caches;
• preview thumbnails generated by Quick Look;
• download caches from tools such as npm, Homebrew and pip, and Xcode's build cache.

Think before deleting:

• Cookies and website data aren't just cache. Removing them usually signs you out of websites.
• Offline downloads: music and videos saved by streaming apps have to be downloaded again.
• Cache folders you don't recognize: find out which app they belong to first. A running app's cache may refuse to delete or come right back.

Leave alone:

• the whole ~/Library, ~/Library/Application Support or ~/Library/Containers folder, which hold settings, databases and chat history;
• system locations such as /System, /private/var/db and /private/var/vm;
• files inside your Photos library; let the Photos app manage it.

#Clear caches from inside the app

If you only want to clear one app, look in its own settings first. The app knows best which data is cache and which is yours.

• Safari: choose Safari > Settings, click Privacy, then click Manage Website Data. You can remove data for individual websites or click Remove All. Apple notes that this removes cookies and website data, so it may sign you out of websites.
• Chrome: click the More icon in the upper right, choose Delete browsing data, set the time range to All time, select only Cached images and files, then click Delete data. To stay signed in, leave cookies unselected.
• Messaging and office apps: many offer an option in their settings to clear the cache or manage storage. Use it when it's there. See our guides to WeChat and DingTalk, Lark and WeCom.

Developers can clear download caches with the tools' own commands; for pnpm, Yarn and more, see how to clear npm, pnpm and Yarn caches:

brew cleanup
npm cache clean --force

Xcode's build cache lives in ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData. Quit Xcode before deleting it; the next build will take longer. For simulators and device support files, see our Xcode guide.

#Clear caches by hand in the Finder

1. Quit the app you want to clean.
2. In the Finder, choose Go > Go to Folder, type ~/Library/Caches and press Return.
3. In list view, select "Calculate all sizes" (View > Show View Options), then sort by size.
4. Open the largest app folder and drag its contents to the Trash, keeping the folder itself.
5. Once you've confirmed the app still works properly, empty the Trash.

To see how big each cache folder is first, you can also run this in Terminal:

du -sh ~/Library/Caches/* 2>/dev/null | sort -h | tail -n 20

One advantage of deleting by hand is that files go to the Trash first, so you can put them back until you empty it.

#Clear caches in one place with WashBear

Comparing caches across many apps folder by folder takes a while. Open Deep Cleanup and click Start Scan. WashBear groups the results into categories such as System caches, User cache files, Application caches, Browser data and Developer tools, and shows the size of each item.

• Read before you select: expand an item to see what it is, how cleaning affects you and its exact locations. The Chrome cache item, for example, states that passwords, cookies, history, extensions and bookmarks are kept.
• Caches only: switch Selection at the bottom to Select none, then select the caches you want. You can also start from Smart recommendation, which preselects only lower-risk items that can usually be recreated.
• Apps that must close: some items show Close the app before cleanup. After you click Clean, select those apps under Close running apps (optional) in Confirm cleanup, and WashBear closes them first. Save your work before you do.
• Additional user caches: app caches that aren't listed separately are not selected by default, and caches in use are skipped. Expand the item to see which apps they belong to before selecting it.

Safari's cache can be cleared on its own as Browser cache in Privacy Cleanup. Smart recommendation there also selects records such as browsing history, so if you only want the cache, switch to Select none first and select it by itself. Cookies and website data are in Privacy Cleanup too; if your selection could sign you out, you have to tick an acknowledgment before you can confirm.

#Frequently asked questions

#Will clearing the cache sign me out?

Clearing the cache alone usually won't. Sign-ins are stored in cookies and website data, which are a different thing. When you clean up in a browser, make sure you don't select cookies along the way.

#Will my Mac be faster after clearing caches?

Not necessarily. Caches exist to make things load faster, so right after you clear them, apps and web pages have to download and rebuild that data, and the first load is slower. Clearing caches mainly frees space, or helps rule out a problem when an app misbehaves.

#How often should I clear caches?

There's no need to clear them on a schedule. Caches grow back as you use your apps, which is normal. Clear them when space is tight, or when one app's cache has grown unusually large.