How to clear Safari cache on Mac: 5 ways

The steps match Safari 16 and later on macOS Ventura and later, on any MacBook, iMac or Mac mini. On older versions, Safari calls its settings Preferences.

The short answer

1. Open Safari and choose Safari, then Settings.
2. Click Advanced and turn on Show features for web developers.
3. Choose Develop, then Empty Caches, or press Option-Command-E.

Safari clears its cached files at once. You stay signed in to every site, and your history stays put. To clear cookies or history too, use the other methods below.

What Safari’s cache holds

Every time you visit a site, Safari saves copies of its images, scripts and style sheets on your Mac. The next visit loads them from your disk, which makes pages appear faster and uses less data.

Problems start when a site changes but Safari keeps showing the old copy, or a cached file gets damaged. You might see an outdated page, a layout that looks broken or a login form that won’t submit.

Cache, cookies and history are different

• Cache stores copies of page files. Clearing it never signs you out.
• Cookies and website data remember logins, carts and preferences. Clearing them signs you out.
• History lists the pages you visited. It syncs to your other Apple devices through iCloud.

Which option should you use?

How to clear Safari cache on Mac step by step

1. Empty Safari’s cache only

This is the best fix for most problems, because it keeps your logins and history.

Turn on the Develop menu

1. Choose Safari, then Settings, or press Command-Comma.
2. Click Advanced.
3. Tick Show features for web developers at the bottom of the window.

On Safari 16 or earlier

The checkbox is called Show Develop menu in menu bar.

Empty the caches

Choose Develop in the menu bar, then Empty Caches. Nothing pops up, and Safari clears the cache straight away. From now on, press Option-Command-E whenever you need to.

Reload the page

Open tabs still show the old version until you reload them. Press Command-R on each tab you want to refresh.

2. Clear the cache for one website

When only one site misbehaves, clear just that site and leave the rest alone.

1. Choose Safari, then Settings, then Privacy.
2. Click Manage Website Data. Safari lists every site that stores data on your Mac.
3. Type the site’s name in the search field, select it and click Remove.
4. Click Done.

This removes the site’s cache and cookies, so you sign in to that site again. Search for the main name, such as “google”, to catch every subdomain it uses.

3. Remove all website data

In Manage Website Data, click Remove All, then Remove Now. Safari deletes the cache and cookies for every site but keeps your history. Expect to sign in again everywhere.

4. Clear history, cache and cookies together

Use this for a full reset, such as before you sell your Mac or after someone else used it.

1. Choose History, then Clear History.
2. Pick a range: the last hour, today, today and yesterday or all history.
3. Click Clear History.

What Clear History removes

Despite its name, it also removes cookies and cached files from that period. If you use Safari in iCloud, your history clears on your iPhone and iPad too.

If you use Safari profiles

The window may ask which profile to clear. Choose the profile you want, or all of them.

5. Reload a page without its cache

To see the latest version of one page without clearing anything, hold Option and choose View, then Reload Page From Origin, or press Option-Command-R. Safari skips its cache for that single load.

How much space does Safari’s cache use?

Safari doesn’t show its cache size in its settings, but Finder does. Choose Go, then Go to Folder, type ~/Library/Caches and press Return. Select the com.apple.Safari folder and press Command-I to see its size.

On most Macs it takes a few hundred megabytes, because Safari trims its own cache over time. If you need gigabytes back, Safari is rarely the place to find them.

What happens after you clear Safari cache

• Pages load a little slower at first. Safari downloads images and scripts again on your next visit, then caches them as before.
• Sites show their latest version. Old layouts and stale content disappear once you reload.
• Your settings stay. Bookmarks, Reading List, extensions and saved passwords don’t change.
• Cookies stay unless you chose to remove them. Empty Caches never signs you out.

Clear Safari cache on your iPhone or iPad

Your iPhone and iPad keep their own Safari cache, separate from your Mac. On iOS 18 and later, open Settings, then Apps, then Safari, and tap Clear History and Website Data. On earlier versions, Safari sits directly in Settings.

Stop Safari from keeping a cache

A private window doesn’t keep cache, cookies or history after you close it. Choose File, then New Private Window, or press Shift-Command-N. It suits a quick test, such as checking whether a site works without your saved data.

Safari cache shortcuts

• Option-Command-E: empty caches, once the Develop menu is on.
• Option-Command-R: reload the current page without its cache.
• Shift-Command-N: open a private window that keeps nothing.
• Command-Comma: open Safari Settings.
• Command-Y: show your history, where you can delete single pages.

Safari cache still causing problems?

• Quit and reopen Safari. Press Command-Q, then open it again to drop anything held in memory.
• Turn off extensions. Open Settings, then Extensions, and untick them one at a time. Content blockers often break sites.
• Check another browser. If the site fails in Chrome too, the problem is the site, not your cache.
• Update macOS. Safari updates come with macOS, under System Settings, then General, then Software Update.

Clear caches beyond Safari

Safari’s cache is usually small. Apps such as Spotify, Chrome and Xcode keep much bigger ones in your Library folder. Our guide on how to clear cache on a Mac covers every app, and how to clear cookies on a Mac covers cookies in every browser.

Frequently asked questions