Your Mac takes care of routine maintenance behind the scenes eventually, but that doesn’t mean you can’t keep things tidy yourself in the meantime. One easy way to keep your Mac running its best is to occasionally clean the cache.
The guide to clean all caches on a Mac
There are three types of caches you can clean on your Mac:
AVG Cleaner is an application from the AVG Technologies CZ, which focuses on online security. To improve Mac performance, they have this software which serves as a cleaner of hidden clutter. The application can be downloaded from the App Store. It takes up 16.1MB and compatible with OS X 10.8 or later. Jan 19, 2018 Clean up your Mac manually. Go to cache and delete the contents – that is what the cache cleaning on Mac is about. Open Finder, select “Go”, click “Go to folder”, type “Library/Caches/”, remove certain cache files, and empty trash. Fix a lot of browser related errors by Mac safari cache cleaning.
- User (or App) cache. These cache files created by all the apps that you use on Mac. It includes apps that came with your macOS (like Mail) as well as 3rd-party apps (like Sketch). Every applications creates a lots of cache - it wouldn’t be surprising to clear up gigabytes of space when cleaning app caches.
- System cache. These cache data created by the built-in macOS system services that run your Mac.
- Browser cache. All browsers store your browsing history and cache data from websites you visit. You know how you shop for something online and then for weeks you’re seeing it everywhere? That’s because your browser caches hundreds of files that make up the websites you visit. Caches also include cookies and trackers that save information about your browsing history and report the data back to the site. This works out in your favor when you return to a site without having to log in again, but it can also leave you feeling like your computer is spying on you.
Old cache files do nothing but cluttering your system and slowing down your Mac through all the wasted space it is taking up. Here's a guide to cleaning all these caches, at the end of which your Mac will be lighter and leaner.
Besides browser and website information, your Mac keeps several caches of its own for different reasons. The good news is you can clean them up manually, or you can clean them with a special app which can clear the browser cache in Safari, Chrome, and Firefox, as well as your system cache, email cache, user cache files, and even your DNS cache files.
How to delete user caches on a Mac
User cache makes up the majority of junk data on macOS. Your applications accumulate user's cache data on a hard disk the longer they are in use. Some apps and utilities can build up cache sizes that reach into gigabytes. This is often just a waste of space, particularly with apps you don’t use every day. By clearing your user apps cache files, you’ll be amazed at how much hard disk space you can reclaim.
Note: Manually clearing cache files on a Mac is something that anyone can do. It takes some time and patience, but if you follow our instructions, you can get the job done all by yourself. Please follow the instructions closely.
Clean up user caches manually
To find and clear your user cache manually, do the following:
- In your Mac’s user folder, there’s a hidden Library folder, which itself contains a folder of caches left by the applications you’ve installed on your Mac.
- Strongly recommend that you remove the insides of ~/Library/Caches and /Library/Caches folders, but not the folders themselves.
- Want to make sure your junk user cache data is gone forever? - Empty out your Trash.
If you are unsure and want a safer option, go ahead and learn on how to use CleanMyMac to handle caches properly. It will find up to 5x more junk cache data to remove from all over your system.
Get rid of cache files with CleanMyMac
- Launch CleanMyMac app.
- Select System Junk in the left sidebar.
- Hit Scan at the bottom of app's window.
- Then click Clean.
And you're done! If you’d like to remove only cache files and nothing else, click on Review Details before clicking Clean. Deselect everything but System Cache Files and User Cache Files, then click Clean.
FlushDNS cache
Your Mac’s DNS cache is a list of all the DNS queries that were resolved for every site. When you type in 'setapp.com,' the DNS server resolves that to a numerical IP address. But if you notice a site not loading, or your browser acting up or working too slowly, resetting the DNS cache might be the cure.
To flush DNS cache manually
- Open Terminal (⇧ Shift+⌘+U, and double-click on Terminal)
- Type this into Terminal: sudo dscacheutil -flushcache;sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder;say cache flushed
- Press Enter to run and fill your admin password to execute the command.
To clean your Mac’s DNS cache with CleanMyMac
- Open CleanMyMac and select Maintenance in the left sidebar
- Check the box for Flush DNS Cache
- Click the Run button at the bottom of the window
Delete system caches on Mac
System cache files are generated by OS X and, unlike application cache, have nothing to do with the user. The hidden system caches are mainly created by the apps that run on your Mac. The clearing of system cache is not recommended in manual mode, unless you are very careful or trying to fix a problem. System cache files do not generally take up much space, which is another reason why a clean out isn’t as necessary as with user cache.
Clearing cache in one click
Setapp has all you need to allow clear cache, without diving into settings and preferences. Give it a try.
Clean up system cache data manually
You can find and delete system cache in the same way as user cache, by
- Going to ~/Library/Caches and hit Enter to removing the insides of the folders with the app name.
- System cache folders are named com.apple and should be backed up for safety.
- Go into the com.apple folders and delete the files inside of them. Only the files, not the folders!
- Right click on the Trash icon and “Empty Trash”.
That’s it, now, just like with your user cache, your system cache is also clear.
Be careful: not all app cache files can be safely deleted. Some app developers keep important information on cache folders. The great idea to backing up a folder before you erase all files inside. If everything works fine, you can delete this backup.
One-button solution to cleanup macOS caches
CleanMyMac is such a great tool because it lets you perform the exact maintenance you want, or run a Smart Cleanup scan with a single click and have the software make recommendations.
Clean up browser caches
We love our browsers but we don’t love it when they start to use up hard disk space with cache files. Whether you’re wanting to free up space, get your browser performing better or trying to remove your history for the sake of privacy, removing your Mac browser cache will help.
Your browser cache is essentially saved bits of the websites you’ve visited recently. That way, if you go back, your computer can re-use locally cached elements that haven’t changed, which speeds up load times versus reloading everything fresh from the remote server. Your cache will overwrite itself eventually, but you can clear your cache, history, and cookies anytime you want to gain a little bit of extra security and speed up your Mac.
Clear Safari caches step-by-step
To delete Safari's websites' caches and cookies via browser preferences:
- Click Safari in the top menu click Preferences.
- In the window that appears, click the Advanced tab, and enable Show Develop menu.
- In menu bar go to Develop and choose Empty Caches.
Check and delete Safari browser cache with Terminal:
- Press Command + Shift + G to open up the Terminal
- With these simple commands you can delete Safari's cache file. But first, check its size using the disk usage (du) command:
du -h /Users/$HOME/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari/Cache.db
Note: replace '$HOME' with the name of your home folder- To delete Safari's cache file type:
rm /Users/$HOME/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari/Cache.db
Note: when you use the remove (rm)command files are essentially unrecoverable. - A more prudent approach is to use the move (mv) command:
mv /Users/$HOME/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari/Cache.db ~/.Trash/
This will move the file to your user's ($HOME) trash. From there it is still recoverable until you empty the trash.
Safari will create a new Cache.db file automatically when you open a new webpage. - Open a new webpage or restart Safari and recheck disk usage:
du -h /Users/$HOME/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari/Cache.db
- To delete Safari's cache file type:
That's all.
Chrome clearing cache tutorial
The simplest way to clear Chrome browser cache manually is:
- In the top right corner of Google Chrome browser click the 3-dot icon to choose Settings.
- At the bottom of the menu, choose Advanced (or use Cmd+Shift+Delete keyboard shortcut)
- Click Clear browsing data and deselect all, but Cached images and files. Choose time range and hit Clear data button.
One more way to delete Chrome browser cache is to clear some folders where these data located.
- To find Chrome cache files, open Finder and click to Go to the folder.
- To go to the folder where Chrome' primary cache locates type: ~/Library/Caches/Google/Chrome/
- To go to the folder with the additional bulk of cached data type:~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Default/Application Cache/
- Select files within these folders and delete them.
How to delete cache in Firefox manually
- Click the hamburger icon in the top right corner and choose Preferences.
- Choose Privacy & Security on the left sidebar.
- Scroll to the section Cookies and Site Data and click to Clear Data... tab
- Now, check Cached Web Content and click Clear button to delete Firefox cache.
- Exit/quit all browser windows and re-open the browser.
How to clean all browsers cache data at once
- Open CleanMyMac and select Privacy in the left sidebar
- Click Scan at the bottom of app's window
- Then Select Items to advance to the next page. The list is broken down by app: you can check each browser to remove all data, such as cookies, browsing history, downloads history, HTML5 local storage, saved passwords, and even close the tabs from your last session. Or you can uncheck any of that you want to keep
- Click the Remove button at the bottom of the window when you’re ready to delete everything that’s checked
Shape up your Mac even more with other apps in Setapp
CleanMyMac isn’t the only app in the Setapp collection that helps you take good care of your Mac. Setapp gives you access to all of its apps at once, so you can try to get your Mac in even better condition with no downside. Here are some examples.
Declutter automatically sorts files you leave on your desktop, so they’re not cluttering up your view but are still easy to find.
Disk Drill can perform data recovery tasks, like restoring deleted files that haven’t been written over yet, or grabbing anything usable off a corrupted flash drive.
Gemini can find duplicate files. For example, photos and videos you downloaded from your iPhone as well as emailed yourself. Or PDFs you downloaded and filed away once, only to download again later when you forgot you already had a copy.
iStat Menus monitors your Mac’s vital signs in real time, so when things slow down you can see which app is hogging all your memory.
Get Backup Pro makes it easy to make bootable backups of your system, making emergencies not so scary anymore.
Try all these apps for free
Get a huge set of top apps for keeping your Mac in shape. Best utilities in one pack, give it a go!
No one likes a slow Mac, and it’s a good idea to clean it up every so often. Cache files are the most common and probably the least understood offender that Setapp can help you to keep under control.
So you can do everything else in a blink of an eye. With Setapp, you have full access to the best solutions for performing routine Mac maintenance whenever you like.
Caches and temporary files are used to speed up your Mac’s performance and make the process of working on your computer more convenient. For example, the applications that you open for the first time or download the necessary media, so that next time there will be no need to load everything again. However, cache files are not automatically deleted, so they accumulate in the computer memory and take up a lot of space. The computer starts to slow down, the applications do not work properly, and as a result, you should clear cache on a mac.
There are three major types of cache files, which you need to know when planning to free up space on your computer. These include user cache, system or app cache and browser cache. When you decide to clear mac cache, a good solution is to perform everything manually by carefully following all the steps.
The first step is to delete the most important user caches, the removal of which will free up lots of space on your Mac. Open a Finder window > Select “Go to Folder” > ~/Library/Caches > Remove cache from each folder. Don’t forget to empty out your Trash and then restart your Mac. The second step to clear cache on mac is to clear system and app cache. Those app temporary files don’t take much space and can be cleaned with the same technique as user cache. The last ones, the internet or browser caches, usually store website data like scripts, images, history, and other things to facilitate your browsing when revisiting sites. You should clear chrome cache mac, or choose the other web browser, to clear history and secure your privacy.
Clearing cache on imac might take some time and effort, and it’s quite a painstaking and tedious work. We’ve got for you a smart and effective tool that will clear cache on imac with just one click of a button. MacFly Pro is the safest and fastest program to remove cache files from your Mac.
The Best Mac Clear Caches Tool to Boost Your Computer’s Performance!
MacFly Pro is the brand-new and efficient cleaning tool that works on all systems, including macOS Sierra. It removes all types of caches from your computer carefully, providing you with fresh cache files and fast Mac working performance. Learn more about the features of MacFly Pro before you decide to install it:
- MacFly Pro is designed to clear computer cache mac properly and quickly.
- This tool helps remove all system junk including user, system and browser cache, temporary files, unnecessary applications, duplicate files, etc.
- MacFly Pro has a convenient and easy-to-use design.
- This utility application is available at fair prices.
- MacFly Pro monitors your Mac`s condition regularly and informs you of the need to clean cache or other junk.
- MacFly Prol is a smart assistant that will optimize the work of your Mac.
Why Choosing MacFly Pro to Clear Mac Cache?
There are plenty of efficient and popular cleaning tools available not only for Mac OS but also for Windows or Linux. MacFly Pro is not the average utility application, it’s truly perfect solution for those seeking ways to mac os clear cache. If you wonder whether to buy MacFly Pro or not, check out some of the guarantees that we provide:
- MacFly Pro offers high-quality cleaning system.
This cleaning program will keep your Mac in its best shape. It accurately removes all user caches, system, and app caches, as well as browser caches and history. With MacFly Pro you’ll get rid of rarely used applications, duplicate and temporary files, configuration files and free up some space on a hard drive.
- Reliability is our middle name.
If you download MacFly Pro, make sure it is a completely safe utility tool. It does not delete caches or junks from your Mac without a permission and adjusts to your everyday routine. The application gives recommendations about cleaning your hard drive or Internet history and sends quick notifications.
- MacFly Pro is a flexible cleaning program.
MacFly Pro has a very special design, which would be totally convenient for all Mac lovers. It sets an estimated timeframe for every task and you will never have to wait long to have your mac clear caches.
- Reasonable prices and money back guarantee.
A powerful and innovative cleaner is available for $13.95 per month, but you also can purchase an annual plan with a sum of $7.45 per a month. In case something goes wrong, you can ask for a refund within 30 days from the payment date.