How to Clean Cache on Your Mac (Step-by-Step)

Clearing the cache on your Mac can free up storage space, fix app glitches, and speed up everyday tasks. This guide walks you through safely clearing system, user, and browser caches on current versions of macOS, with no special tools required.

What You’ll Need

A Mac running macOS Catalina (10.15) or later (steps are similar on older versions)
An administrator account (for system cache cleanup)
About 10–15 minutes of time

Step-by-Step

Close all open apps. Before clearing caches, quit every application (including your browser) to avoid files being locked or rewritten while you delete them. Use Command+Q for each app or right-click the app icon in the Dock and select Quit.
Open Finder. Click the Finder icon in your Dock (the blue smiling face).
Go to the user cache folder. In the top menu bar, click Go and select Go to Folder… (or press Shift+Command+G). Type ~/Library/Caches and press Return. This opens the cache folder for your user account.
Browse the cache folders. You’ll see a list of folders, each named after an app (e.g., com.apple.Safari, com.google.Chrome, com.microsoft.Word). These are temporary files that apps can rebuild.
Delete the contents of the cache folder. Select all items inside the folder by pressing Command+A, then drag them to the Trash. You can also right-click and choose Move to Trash. If prompted for your password, enter it (you may need admin rights).
Empty the Trash. Right-click the Trash icon in your Dock and select Empty Trash. Confirm if asked. This permanently deletes the cached files.
Clear the system cache (optional). If you want to clear caches that belong to the system or to all users, go back to Go to Folder… and type /Library/Caches. Repeat the same process: select all, move to Trash, empty Trash. This folder contains caches for system services and apps installed for all users.
Clear browser caches (if you didn’t already). For Safari: open Safari, go to Settings (or Preferences) > Privacy > Manage Website Data…, then click Remove All. For Chrome: open Chrome, click the three-dot menu > More tools > Clear browsing data, choose All time in the time range, and check Cached images and files, then click Clear data. For Firefox: open Firefox, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > under Cookies and Site Data click Clear Data…, check Cached Web Content, and click Clear.
Restart your Mac. After cleaning, restart your Mac (Apple menu > Restart) to let the system rebuild necessary caches and apply the changes.

Common Mistakes

Deleting the entire cache folder. Do not delete the Caches folder itself—only its contents. The folder is needed by the system; if you remove it, macOS will recreate it, but you may see temporary issues until it does.
Clearing caches while apps are running. If an app is open, it may rewrite its cache files immediately after you delete them, making the cleanup pointless and possibly causing the app to crash.
Using third-party “cleaner” apps. Many of these tools are unnecessary and can remove important files. Manual cleanup is safer and just as effective.
Ignoring the system cache. Some users only clear the user cache and miss the larger system cache. Both are worth cleaning, but the system cache requires admin rights.
Not emptying the Trash. If you don’t empty the Trash, the space isn’t actually freed. Make sure to empty it after moving files.

Tips

Clean caches regularly. Doing this once a month keeps your Mac running smoothly without letting caches grow too large.
Use the “Go to Folder” shortcut. Memorize Shift+Command+G to quickly jump to any folder path.
Check storage before and after. Go to Apple menu > About This Mac > Storage to see how much space you have. Note the number before cleaning and after to see the impact.
Re-login after cleaning. Some apps may ask you to sign in again after their caches are cleared—this is normal and does not mean you lost data.
Keep an eye on large cache folders. If a particular app’s cache is huge (e.g., a video editor), you can clear just that one folder.

Troubleshooting

“The operation can’t be completed because you don’t have permission.” This happens when you try to delete files in the system cache without admin rights. Click the lock icon in the folder’s info window (or right-click the folder, choose Get Info, and change permissions) or run the command with sudo in Terminal (e.g., sudo rm -rf /Library/Caches/*). Be careful with sudo—only use it if you’re comfortable.
Apps behave strangely after cleanup. Some apps may take longer to launch the first time as they rebuild caches. If an app crashes, restart it. If problems persist, restart your Mac again.
Cache folder appears empty. Some caches are stored in other locations (e.g., ~/Library/Containers/ for sandboxed apps). Use the same “Go to Folder” method to check ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Safari/Data/Library/Caches for Safari, for instance.
You accidentally deleted an important file. If you realize you deleted something you needed (like a saved password or a downloaded file that was in a cache), check the Trash before emptying it. If you already emptied it, you may need a backup (Time Machine) to restore.
Storage space didn’t increase much. Caches are often smaller than you expect. If you need significant space, consider clearing downloads, old backups, or using the built-in Storage Management tool (Apple menu > About This Mac > Storage > Manage).

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it safe to delete all cache files on my Mac? Yes, generally. Cache files are temporary and will be rebuilt by the apps that need them. However, avoid deleting system-critical caches that are in use; restarting after cleanup helps.

Will clearing cache log me out of websites? Clearing browser cache does not log you out, but clearing cookies (which is often done together) will. If you only clear cached images and files, you’ll stay logged in.

How often should I clear cache on my Mac? There’s no fixed rule. If you notice storage getting low or apps acting sluggish, it’s a good time. Monthly is a reasonable habit.

Does clearing cache speed up my Mac? It can, especially if the cache is corrupted or overly large. However, for most users, the effect is modest—clearing caches is more about freeing space than boosting performance.

Can I clear cache without using Terminal? Yes, the steps above use Finder only. Terminal is optional and only needed for advanced system cache deletion.

Will clearing cache delete my passwords or bookmarks? No, those are stored separately (in Keychain and browser profile folders). Clearing cache won’t affect them.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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