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How to clear cache files on macOS

Published: 23rd of January, 2023

Insufficient storage space is a sad reality most of us Mac users face, partly due to increased app bloat and our hard disks and SSDs not being upgradable. A Mac is a well engineered computer and may last many years but that 512GB SSD you configured it with 5 years ago may no longer be enough in 2023 where many popular Mac apps weigh in at over 200 megabytes each!

Today, I'll show you some easy ways to reclaim valuable disk space on your Mac by clearing various temporary files.

Caches and Temporary Files

What are caches and why are they taking up so much of my disk space?

Caches on a Mac are temporary files and data that are stored on your computer by the operating system and applications. These files are intended to speed up certain processes by reducing the amount of time and resources needed to access frequently used data.

For example, a web browser like Safari, Chrome or Firefox will store copies of images, scripts, and other elements of websites you visit in a cache. When you visit the same website again, the browser can load these cached elements from your computer instead of downloading them again from the internet. This can make web pages load faster and use less data.

Similarly, some apps may also store data in a cache in order to speed up their performance.

It's important to note that over time, cache files can take up a significant amount of storage space on your Mac, it's a good practice to clear the cache regularly to free up space and ensure that your apps are running at optimal performance.

 

Storage Settings

Recent versions of macOS have a very simple built-in utility that allows you to free up some space.
To access Storage Settings on a Mac, follow these steps:
1. Open System Settings
2. Search for Storage Settings
3. Work through the various options this built-in app offers.

 

Cache Files (for advanced users)

To manually remove user specific caches you can use the built-in macOS Terminal.
To remove these caches on a Mac using the Terminal, follow these steps:
1. Open Terminal from Applications → Utilities → Terminal
2. Enter this command rm -rf ~/Library/Caches and hit the ENTER key. ⚠️ Take care to enter this command correctly, as an incorrect command may result in data loss.

 

Google Chrome

To clear the cache in Google Chrome on a Mac, follow these steps:
1. Open Chrome
2. Click on Chrome in the top menu bar and select Preferences
3. Click on the Privacy and security tab
4. Click on Clear browsing data
5. Select the time range and types of data you want to clear, such as "the last hour" or "all time" and check "Cached images and files"
6. Click on Clear data.

Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut Command+Shift+Delete to open the Clear browsing data window directly.

 

Apple Safari

To clear the cache in Safari on a Mac, follow these steps:
1. Open Safari
2. Click on Safari in the top menu bar and select Preferences
3. Click on the Advanced tab
4. Check the box next to "Show Develop menu in menu bar"
5. Close the Preferences window
6. Click on Develop in the menu bar
7. Select Empty Caches

Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut Command+Option+E to empty the caches directly.

 

Mozilla Firefox

To clear the cache in Firefox on a Mac, follow these steps:
1. Open Firefox
2. Click on Firefox in the top menu bar and select Preferences
3. Click on Privacy & Security on the left
4. Scroll down to the Cookies and Site Data section
5. Click on the Clear Data button
6. Check the box next to "Cached Web Content"
7. Click on Clear

Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut Command+Shift+Delete to open the Clear Recent History window directly, then select the "Cache" checkbox and press the "Clear Now" button.

As I've just shown you there are a number of easy ways to clear caches and regain valuable disk space on your Mac, all of these are built-in and available on most versions of macOS. You do not need any 3rd party software to clear caches on your Mac but it sure does make it quicker!
You may want to try our app iBoostUp for free access to a more streamlined and thorough clean that not only clears system caches but supports cleaning many 3rd party apps like Adobe Photoshop, Slack, Signal, most common web browsers etc. It also includes handy functions for finding duplicate files, improving your browsing speed and scanning for malware, it's free to download and the Quick Clean function is totally free so why not give it a try? Click here to download iBoostUp, I think you'll like it!

I hope you found this useful and see you next time!
  ❤️ Maria

 

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