How to clear cache on iPhone: Free up space on your iOS device

Clear cache on your iPhone for better performance and more space.
By Kimberly Gedeon  on 
Top half of iPhone 15

Wondering about how to clear cache on iPhone? As we run several apps and navigate browsers like Safari and Chrome, we collect a lot of useless clutter along the way that fills up our phone's cache.

What, exactly, is a cache? For the uninitiated, it's a reserve for your iPhone that saves temporary data. On the plus side, it helps websites load more rapidly. However, it does have its downsides. For example, it can take up a lot of storage that can be used for more pertinent files.

Itching to free up more face? Here's a step-by-step guide on how to clear cache on your iPhone

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How to clear cache on iPhone: Clear Safari cache

If you're experiencing any issues with performance or unexpected behavior on a website, clearing your Safari cache may solve the problem. Below, we've got instructions on how to do just that.

1. Go to 'Settings'

Arrow pointing to settings app on iOS
Settings is depicted as a squircle gear icon. Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

2. Scroll down and hit 'Safari'

Red arrow pointing to Safari
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

3. Tap on 'Clear History and Website Data'

Red arrow pointing to 'Clear History and Website Data'
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

How to clear cache on iPhone: Clear app cache

If you want to look into clearing your app cache instead, here's how to do it.

1. Open 'Settings'

Red arrow pointing to 'Settings'
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

2. Tap on 'General'

Arrow pointing to 'General' in iOS
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

3. Tap on 'iPhone Storage'

Arrow pointing to 'iPhone Storage' in iOS
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Look through any apps that you feel can use a cache cleaning.

4. Tap on desired app and hit 'Offload App'

Arrow pointing to 'Offload app'
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

With these cache-cleaning tips, you should free up some space on your iPhone and benefit from better performance, whether you're surfing the web or navigating iOS.

Topics iPhone How-To

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Kimberly Gedeon
East Coast Tech Editor

Kimberly Gedeon, at Mashable since 2023, is a tech explorer who enjoys doing deep dives into the most popular gadgets, from the latest iPhones to the most immersive VR headsets. She's drawn to strange, avant-garde, bizarre tech, whether it's a 3D laptop, a gaming rig that can transform into a briefcase, or smart glasses that can capture video. Her journalism career kicked off about a decade ago at MadameNoire where she covered tech and business before landing as a tech editor at Laptop Mag in 2020.


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