How to Clear Cache on iPhone (2026)

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

What Is Cache and Why Clear It?

Cache is temporary data that apps and browsers store on your iPhone to load content faster. When you visit a website, Safari saves images, scripts, and page layouts so the site loads quicker next time. Apps do the same thing with data they expect you to need again. Over time, this cached data piles up and can use several gigabytes of storage.

Clear your cache when your iPhone is running low on storage, when Safari or apps feel sluggish, when a website or app isn’t loading correctly, or when you want to remove your browsing history for privacy. Clearing cache doesn’t delete your passwords, bookmarks, or app data – it just removes temporary files that get rebuilt automatically as you use the device.

How to Clear Safari Cache

Safari’s cache is the most impactful to clear because web browsing generates the most temporary data on most iPhones.

1. Open Settings.
2. Scroll down and tap “Apps,” then tap “Safari.” (On older iOS versions, Safari appears directly in the main Settings list.)
3. Scroll down and tap “Clear History and Website Data.”
4. Choose the time range: last hour, today, today and yesterday, or all history.
5. Tap “Clear History” to confirm.

This removes your browsing history, cookies, and cached website data. You’ll be logged out of websites you were signed into. Saved passwords in iCloud Keychain are not affected – they’ll auto-fill when you visit those sites again.

Clear Safari Cache Without Deleting History

If you want to clear cached data but keep your browsing history and cookies intact, use this method instead.

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap “Apps,” then “Safari.”
3. Scroll to the bottom and tap “Advanced.”
4. Tap “Website Data.”
5. You’ll see a list of websites and how much data each one stores. Swipe left on individual sites to delete their data, or tap “Remove All Website Data” at the bottom to clear everything.

This removes cached files and site data without touching your browsing history. Your history and bookmarks stay intact, but you’ll still be logged out of websites since cookies are removed.

How to Clear Chrome Cache on iPhone

If you use Chrome instead of Safari, it has its own separate cache that needs to be cleared independently.

1. Open Chrome on your iPhone.
2. Tap the three-dot menu (bottom right on iPhone).
3. Tap “Clear Browsing Data.”
4. Select what to clear: browsing history, cookies and site data, cached images and files. Check or uncheck each option based on what you want to remove.
5. Choose the time range (last hour, last 24 hours, last 7 days, last 4 weeks, or all time).
6. Tap “Clear Browsing Data” and confirm.

Chrome lets you selectively clear just cached images and files without removing your browsing history or cookies. Uncheck everything except “Cached Images and Files” if you only want to free up storage without losing your login sessions.

How to Clear App Cache on iPhone

iOS doesn’t have a universal “clear app cache” button. Each app manages its own cache differently. There are two approaches depending on what you need.

Method 1: Offload the app. This removes the app binary but keeps your data and settings. When you reinstall it, the cache is gone but your account and preferences remain.

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap “General,” then “iPhone Storage.”
3. Wait for the list to load (it calculates each app’s storage use).
4. Tap the app you want to clear.
5. Tap “Offload App.” The app icon stays on your home screen with a cloud icon.
6. Tap the app icon to reinstall it. Your data is restored but the cache is fresh.

Method 2: Delete and reinstall the app. This removes everything – the app, its cache, and all its data. Reinstall from the App Store and sign in again. This is a more thorough reset that also clears any corrupted data.

Some apps have their own cache-clearing option in settings. Instagram, Spotify, Slack, and TikTok let you clear cache from within the app. Check the app’s settings for a “Clear Cache,” “Storage,” or “Data” option before offloading or deleting.

How to Check What’s Using Your iPhone Storage

Before clearing cache everywhere, check what’s actually consuming your storage. Often the biggest space hogs aren’t cache at all.

1. Go to Settings, then General, then iPhone Storage.
2. Wait for the bar chart and app list to load.
3. The colored bar at the top shows storage by category: apps, photos, messages, system data, and other.
4. Below that, apps are listed from largest to smallest. Tap any app to see its app size versus its data (documents and data).

“System Data” (previously called “Other”) is the category that includes most cached data. If this number is unusually large (over 10 GB), restarting your iPhone often reclaims some of that space. iOS cleans up temporary files during a restart that it doesn’t clean during normal use.

Clear System Data and Other Cache

iOS manages system-level cache automatically and doesn’t give you a button to clear it manually. But these steps help reduce it.

Restart your iPhone. Hold the side button and volume button, slide to power off, wait 30 seconds, and turn it back on. iOS clears temporary files during boot. This alone can reclaim 1 to 5 GB on an iPhone that hasn’t been restarted in weeks.

Update to the latest iOS. Major iOS updates sometimes restructure how cache is stored and can free significant space. Even incremental updates include cache management improvements.

Offload unused apps automatically. Go to Settings, then General, then iPhone Storage, and enable “Offload Unused Apps.” iOS automatically removes apps you haven’t used recently while keeping their data. When you tap the app, it reinstalls in seconds.

Will clearing cache delete my photos or messages?

No. Clearing Safari cache, Chrome cache, or app cache does not touch your photos, messages, contacts, or any personal files. Cache is purely temporary data that apps regenerate as needed. Your photos are stored separately in the Photos library, and your messages are stored in the Messages database. Neither is affected by cache clearing.

How often should I clear my iPhone cache?

There’s no need to clear cache on a regular schedule. Clear it when you notice your iPhone is low on storage, when a website or app isn’t behaving correctly, or when you want to clear your browsing history. iOS manages cache reasonably well on its own – when storage gets low, it automatically removes some cached data. Clearing cache every day or week provides no benefit and just makes apps and websites load slower until the cache rebuilds.

Does clearing cache make my iPhone faster?

Sometimes. If an app has accumulated corrupted or excessive cache data, clearing it can fix sluggish performance. Safari occasionally gets slow with a large cache, and clearing it helps. But on a normally functioning iPhone with adequate storage, clearing cache doesn’t improve speed – in fact, it temporarily makes things slower because everything needs to reload. Clear cache to fix problems, not as routine maintenance.

See also: How to Scan Documents on iPhone, How to Screen Record on iPhone, How to Recover Deleted Photos From iPhone

Sources

Apple – Clear Safari History | Apple – iPhone Storage