How to clear cache on Mac: 6 safe ways

Every method below is free and works on any MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini or Mac Studio. The menus match macOS Ventura and later, and we note where older versions differ.

The short answer

Here is how to clear cache on Mac in five steps:

1. Quit the apps you have open.
2. In Finder, choose Go, then Go to Folder, or press Shift-Command-G.
3. Type ~/Library/Caches and press Return.
4. Open the folder of a large app, select everything inside and move it to the Trash. Keep the folder itself.
5. Empty the Trash and restart your Mac.

That clears your app caches, which is where most cache space goes. For browsers, a single app or a stubborn problem, use the methods below.

What is cache on a Mac?

A cache is a store of temporary files that an app keeps so it doesn’t have to fetch or build them again. Safari saves images from sites you visit, Spotify saves songs you play, and Photos saves thumbnails. The next time you need them, they load from your disk instead of the internet.

Caches are meant to be disposable. The trouble is that apps rarely clean up after themselves, so a cache can grow to several gigabytes or hold a damaged file that makes an app crash or show old content.

The types of cache on your Mac

When should you clear your cache?

• Your disk is almost full. Caches count towards System Data in Storage settings, and clearing them can free several gigabytes.
• An app crashes or freezes on launch. A corrupt cache file is a common cause.
• A website looks broken or out of date. Your browser may be loading an old copy.
• You removed an app. Its cache folder often stays behind.

If none of these apply, leave your caches alone. They make your Mac faster, not slower.

Which method should you use?

How to clear cache on Mac step by step

1. Clear app caches in Finder

Your user caches sit in your Library folder, which macOS hides by default. Finder can still open it.

Open the Caches folder

1. Save your work and quit every app except Finder.
2. In Finder, choose Go, then Go to Folder.
3. Type ~/Library/Caches and press Return.

Find the biggest cache folders

Choose View, then as List. Then choose View, then Show View Options, tick Calculate all sizes and click the Size column. Folders are named after their apps, such as com.spotify.client or Google.

Move the contents to the Trash

Open a large folder, press Command-A to select everything inside, and press Command-Delete. Keep the folder itself, because some apps expect it to exist. If macOS says an item is in use, skip it. The app that owns it is still running.

Empty the Trash and restart

Cached files keep using space until you empty the Trash. Open your apps first to check they work, then empty it and restart your Mac.

2. Clear your browser caches

Browsers keep their own caches and manage them from their settings. Clear only the cache if you want to stay signed in to websites.

Safari

Choose Safari, then Settings, then Advanced, and turn on Show features for web developers. Then choose Develop, then Empty Caches, or press Option-Command-E. Our full guide shows how to clear Safari cache on a Mac for one site or every site.

Chrome

Press Shift-Command-Delete. Choose a time range, tick only Cached images and files and click Delete data.

Firefox and Edge

Press Shift-Command-Delete in either browser. In Firefox, tick Temporary cached files and pages. In Edge, tick Cached images and files.

Cache or cookies?

Cookies keep you signed in. Cache only stores copies of pages. To clear both, read how to clear cookies on a Mac.

3. Clear one app’s cache from its own menu

Many apps can clear their own cache, which is safer than deleting files by hand:

• Spotify: open Settings, scroll to Storage and click Clear cache.
• Slack: choose Help, then Troubleshooting, then Clear Cache and Restart.
• Adobe apps: look for Media Cache or Purge Cache in the app’s settings.

4. Restart in Safe Mode

Safe Mode checks your startup disk and deletes some system caches, including font caches. Use it when fonts look wrong or your Mac won’t start normally.

On a Mac with Apple silicon

1. Shut down your Mac.
2. Press and hold the power button until Loading startup options appears.
3. Select your startup disk, hold Shift and click Continue in Safe Mode.

On an Intel Mac

Restart and hold Shift until the login window appears. Log in, then restart normally to leave Safe Mode.

5. Flush the DNS cache

Your Mac remembers website addresses so it can reach them faster. If a site moved or won’t load, open Terminal and run sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder. Enter your password when asked. Nothing appears on screen, and no files are deleted.

6. Use a cleanup app

A cleanup app finds every cache folder at once and adds up the sizes, so you see where the space goes before you clear anything. Pick one that moves files to the Trash rather than deleting them outright.

Caches you should never delete

• /System/Library/Caches. macOS protects these files and rebuilds them itself.
• /Library/Caches. Shared by macOS services and every user. Clearing it rarely frees much space.
• Folders of apps that are running. Quit the app first, or it may crash or rewrite the files.
• Anything outside a Caches folder. Application Support and Containers hold real app data, such as settings and libraries.

How to check how much space you freed

Before you start, open System Settings, then General, then Storage, and note your available space. Check again after you empty the Trash and restart. Storage settings can take a few minutes to update. If System Data is still large, read our guide on how to reduce System Data on a Mac.

How to clear cache on Mac laptops

These steps work the same on every Mac laptop. A MacBook Air with 256 GB fills up faster, so see how to clear cache on a MacBook Air. If you edit video or write code, our guide on clearing cache on a MacBook Pro covers the large caches that pro apps build.

Clear every cache in one scan with MyMacStorage

MyMacStorage finds caches, build files and old installers across your whole Mac, groups them by app and adds up the total. You see exactly what each one holds before you clear it.

Nothing is deleted outright. Every cleanup goes to the Trash, and Undo puts it back. Learn more about MyMacStorage, the disk cleanup app for Mac. It costs $19.99 once, with no subscription.

Frequently asked questions