Clear Your Web Browser Cache and Cookies on Any Platform

While your web browser's cache and cookies are meant to speed up your browsing experience, these files can sometimes cause problems. If websites aren't loading properly or you're having sign-in trouble, deleting these cached files can help fix these issues. Fortunately, it's easy to delete the cache and cookies Chrome, Safari, Edge, and Firefox easily on any device—even on your Android, iPhone, or iPad. This wikiHow article will teach you how to clear cache and cookies in the most popular web browsers on your computer, phone, or tablet.

Things You Should Know

Chrome on a computer: Go to ⋮ > More Tools > Clear browsing data. Select "All time," check the "Cache" and "Cookies" boxes, and click "Clear data."
Chrome mobile app: Go to ⋮ > History > Clear Browsing Data. Select both "Cache" and "Cookies" and tap "Clear Browsing Data."
In Safari on a Mac, you'll need to enable the Develop menu to clear your cache.

Method 1

Method 1 of 9:

Google Chrome on a Computer

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You'll see these three vertical dots in the top-right corner of your Chrome browser window. A menu will appear.^{[1]
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This expands another menu.^{[2]
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Click Clear browsing data…. It's on the menu. This opens a window with data-clearing options.^{[3]
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- You can also press Ctrl (or "CMD" on Mac) + Shift + Del to clear your browsing data.
To clear your entire cache, select All Time. Otherwise, you can choose a different time period from the menu.^{[4]
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Check the boxes next to "cookies" and "cached images"
. If the box is already checked, you can skip this step.
- If you only want to clear the cache and not your cookies or browsing history, uncheck both other options before you continue.
This instantly clears your Chrome browser cache.^{[5]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 9:

Google Chrome on Mobile

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If you're using Chrome on your Android, tap the three vertical dots ⋮ at the top-right. On an iPhone or iPad, tap the three horizontal dots … at the bottom right.
If you're using an iPhone or iPad, you may have to swipe across the icons to find this option.^{[6]
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It's in the lower-left corner of the screen on an iPhone or iPad and at the top of the screen on an Android.^{[7]
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Select both the "cookies" and "cached images" boxes
. If there's already a checkmark next to this option, you can skip this step.^{[8]
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It's at the bottom of the screen
To clear your whole cache, select All Time. Otherwise, select your preferred time range from the menu.^{[9]
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This clears your browser cache for Chrome.^{[10]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 9:

Safari on a Mac

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1
Open Safari's Settings. To do this, click the Safari menu and select Settings.
- If you're using an older macOS version, you'll open Preferences instead.
You'll see this along the top of the window next to Advanced and General.
It's next to the "Cookies and website data" header.^{[11]
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Check the boxes next to the sites you'll be logged out of.
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Select Remove all. Alternatively, you can individually select websites from the list instead of removing your cache and cookies from them all.
- If prompted, click Remove Now and Done.^{[12]
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Method 4

Method 4 of 9:

Safari on iPhone/iPad

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Open your iPhone's Settings
. To clear your browser cache on Safari, you'll need to clear your entire browsing history and cookies. Start by opening the Settings app from your Home screen or App Library.^{[13]
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It's in the 5th group of settings.^{[14]
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You'll find this blue link near the middle of the page.^{[15]
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Doing so will clear all of your iPhone's Safari data, including the cached files and pages.^{[16]
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Method 5

Method 5 of 9:

Microsoft Edge on Windows

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You'll see it at Edge's top-right corner.^{[17]
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Microsoft Support
Technical support and product information from Microsoft.

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It's on the menu.
This is in the left panel.^{[18]
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Microsoft Support
Technical support and product information from Microsoft.

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This is a button in the right panel next to "Clear browsing data now."
Select how much data to clear from the "Time range" menu at the top. To clear your entire cache, select All time.^{[19]
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Microsoft Support
Technical support and product information from Microsoft.

Go to source}
Check the box next to "cookies" and "cached images"
. Removing this data will log you out of sites and may make your browsing experience slower.
This deletes your Edge browser cache and cookies.^{[20]
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Microsoft Support
Technical support and product information from Microsoft.

Go to source}

Method 6

Method 6 of 9:

Firefox on a Computer

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It's the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner of the window.^{[21]
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It's toward the bottom of the menu.^{[22]
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You'll find this in the left panel.^{[23]
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It's under "Cookies and Site Data" in the right panel.
You'll definitely want to check the "Cached Web Content" checkbox as well as the checkbox for cookies, but everything else is optional.^{[24]
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This clears your Firefox browser cache.^{[25]
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Method 7

Method 7 of 9:

Firefox for Android

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1
Tap the three-dot menu in Firefox. It's at the top-right corner of your web browser.^{[26]
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Tap Settings on the menu.^{[27]
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Tap Delete browsing data.^{[28]
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Choose what to delete. Make sure you have both the boxes checked for "cache" and "cookies."
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Tap Delete browsing data. A confirmation message will appear.^{[29]
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Tap Delete to confirm. Your cache is now removed.^{[30]
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Method 8

Method 8 of 9:

Firefox for iPhone/iPad

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1
Tap the menu in Firefox ☰. It's the three horizontal lines at the bottom-right corner.^{[31]
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- In Firefox for iOS, you can only clear the cache by deleting all of your private browsing data. This means you'll also be deleting any saved cookies and your browsing history.
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Tap Settings.^{[32]
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Tap Data Management. It's under the "Privacy" header.^{[33]
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Tap Clear Private Data. It's at the bottom of the screen.^{[34]
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Tap OK when prompted. Doing so will clear the cached files from your Firefox browser.

Method 9

Method 9 of 9:

Samsung Internet on Android

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Tap the three-line menu in Samsung Internet. You'll see it at the bottom-right corner of your browser.^{[35]
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Tap Settings. It's the gear icon in the menu.^{[36]
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Tap Personal browsing data. This option is in the "Privacy" section.^{[37]
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Tap Delete browsing data. It's near the top of the page.
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Select the boxes for "Cached images and files" and "cookies." If you don't want to clear other data, such as your browsing history or cookies, remove the checkmarks from other options.
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Tap Delete data. It's at the bottom of the screen. Your Samsung Internet browser cache is now clear.^{[38]
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Community Q&A

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Question

I did this and now I cannot access my Facebook account. What do I do?

Community Answer

Clearing cookies will sign you out of your accounts. You should just have to reenter your login information. If you've forgotten your password, there should be a prompt on the main page that says "Forgot password?" Just follow the prompts to retrieve or change it.

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Question

I have a tablet, so what do I do?

Miloš Vlajković

Community Answer

Just follow the instructions in the article. You'll know which instructions to follow, based on what browser you use on your tablet. It doesn't matter whether you use a tablet or a phone.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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