How to clear cache on Mac safely

1. Know what a cache is and where it lives

A cache is a copy of something an app expects to need again: website images, thumbnails, downloaded updates, build products. Apple’s Storage settings count caches, logs and other runtime files inside System Data, which is why that category grows as you use your Mac and shrinks again after cleanup.

User caches live under the hidden Library folder in your home folder, in Caches. System caches live in the top-level Library and in protected system locations you should not edit. Because a cache is rebuilt on demand, clearing one costs you a slower first launch or a re-download, not your data. Deleting the wrong folder next to it can cost you settings or documents, which is why this guide works app by app.

2. Clear Safari’s website data

Apple’s route for website data is Safari → Settings → Privacy → Manage Website Data. Select one or more sites and click Remove, or click Remove All. Apple notes that removing this data may sign you out of websites or change how they behave, and that it can change or remove the same data in other apps.

For a cache-only clear, Safari → Settings → Advanced → Show features for web developers adds a Develop menu whose Empty Caches command removes cached page resources without touching cookies or history.

3. Clear Chrome and Firefox from their own settings

Chrome and Firefox keep their caches in their own profile folders and each offers a clear-browsing-data dialog where cached images and files can be selected on their own, separate from cookies, history and passwords. The browser cache guide linked below walks through each dialog and what every checkbox removes.

4. Let apps clear their own caches

Many apps that download or generate large working sets, including music and chat apps, design tools and developer tools, have a cache or storage setting of their own. Prefer it over deleting files behind the app’s back: the app knows which files are safe to drop and updates its own records.

Developer caches are the largest offenders on many Macs. Xcode’s Derived Data and Docker’s disk image each have a dedicated guide below with the version-specific controls.

5. If you clear a cache folder by hand

Sometimes an app offers no control and its cache folder is plainly large. Work carefully and keep the change reversible.

• Quit the app first, so it is not writing to the folder you are clearing.
• Move the folder’s contents to the Trash rather than deleting them permanently; keep the folder itself in place.
• Open the app once and confirm it behaves normally before you empty the Trash.
• Never edit the System folder or the top-level Library on a hunch; macOS protects them for a reason.
• Compare Storage settings before and after. If System Data climbs straight back, the guide on recurring growth explains how to find the app responsible.

Common questions about clearing the cache

The questions people ask alongside this one, answered briefly.

• Is it safe to delete caches on a Mac? Caches are rebuildable by definition, so removing one costs a slower first launch, not data. The risk is deleting the wrong folder next to it or clearing a cache while the app is running. Quit the app, clear only folders you can name, and use the Trash so you can put a folder back.
• How do I clear the Safari cache? Apple’s route is Safari → Settings → Privacy → Manage Website Data → Remove All, which also removes cookies. To clear only the cache, enable the Develop menu under Safari’s Advanced settings and choose Develop → Empty Caches.
• Is there a keyboard shortcut to clear cache and cookies? Not for cookies. With the Develop menu enabled, Option-Command-E empties Safari’s caches; website data and cookies are removed from the Privacy settings pane.
• How do I clear the system cache? Not by hand. Apple’s supported route is starting up in safe mode, which clears certain system caches that macOS recreates as needed. User-level caches live in ~/Library/Caches and are covered above.