# How to clear the cache on a Mac: Safari, Chrome, apps and DNS

> Step-by-step ways to clear browser, app, system and DNS caches on a Mac, with what is safe to delete and what to leave alone.

- URL: https://maccleaner.tech/clear-cache-mac/
- Published by: Mac Cleaner Guide, written by the Bytesweep team (Bytesweep is the publisher's own app)
- Last updated: November 12, 2026
- Steps checked against Apple's documentation for macOS 27 in November 2026.

To clear the app cache on a Mac, quit your apps, open Finder, press Shift Command G, go to `~/Library/Caches` and delete what is inside. Browsers have their own menu commands, covered below. Clearing a cache is safe; the first launch afterwards is a little slower while it rebuilds.

## What a cache is, and when to clear it

A cache is a copy of something an app expects to need again: web images, thumbnails, downloaded updates. It makes things faster, and it is meant to be disposable. Clear it when a site or app misbehaves, when you need disk space today, or when one app's cache has grown to many gigabytes. Clearing every cache weekly as a habit does nothing useful, because they fill again.

## Clear the Safari cache

1. Open Safari and choose **Safari > Settings > Advanced**.
2. Turn on **Show features for web developers**. A Develop menu appears.
3. Choose **Develop > Empty Caches**, or press Option Command E.

This keeps your history and logins. To remove cookies and site data as well, go to **Safari > Settings > Privacy > Manage Website Data**. Removing cookies signs you out of websites.

## Clear the Chrome cache

1. In Chrome, press Shift Command Delete.
2. Pick a time range. **All time** clears everything.
3. Tick the box for cached images and files. Leave the cookies box unticked unless you mean to sign out everywhere.
4. Click **Delete data**.

The same shortcut opens the equivalent window in Microsoft Edge.

## Clear app caches

1. Quit the apps you have open.
2. In Finder, choose **Go > Go to Folder** and enter `~/Library/Caches`.
3. Sort by size. In list view, choose **View > Show View Options** and tick **Calculate all sizes**.
4. Open the large folders and move their contents to the Trash. Keep the folders themselves.
5. Empty the Trash, then restart the Mac.

The folders are named after the app or its developer, such as `com.spotify.client`. If you do not recognize a name, leave it; it is rarely large.

## Clear the system cache

There is also a system-wide folder at `/Library/Caches`, without the tilde. Its contents are usually small and safe to remove with an administrator password. Do not go looking in `/System/Library/Caches`: macOS protects it and nothing there is yours to manage. A restart clears most temporary system files without any risk, and starting once in Safe Mode clears a few more.

## Flush the DNS cache

If a website will not load after it moved servers, clear the address cache. In Terminal:

```
sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder
```

Enter your password when asked. It prints nothing when it works. This frees no disk space; it only fixes lookups.

## What not to delete

- **`~/Library/Application Support`.** It sits next to Caches and looks similar, but it holds real data: saved games, mail, app libraries.
- **Caches of apps that are running.** Quit first, or the app may misbehave until relaunched.
- **Cookies, unless you mean it.** A cache costs you nothing to lose. Cookies cost you every login.

**Doing it in one pass.** Our own app, Bytesweep, lists every cache on the Mac by size with a line on what each one belongs to, and cleaned caches can be put back for 7 days. This site is published by the Bytesweep team. The app is free to try for 3 days; cleaning needs the one-time USD 29.99 license. [See Bytesweep for Mac](https://bytesweep.app/mac.html).

If caches turned out to be small and the disk is still full, the space is somewhere else. Go on to [reducing System Data](https://maccleaner.tech/reduce-system-data-mac/) or the full [free up space checklist](https://maccleaner.tech/free-up-space-mac/).

## Quick answers

### Is it safe to clear the cache on a Mac?

Yes. Caches are disposable copies and apps rebuild them. Quit your apps first, and leave ~/Library/Application Support alone, because it holds real data.

### How do I clear the Safari cache on a Mac?

Turn on Show features for web developers in Safari > Settings > Advanced, then choose Develop > Empty Caches, or press Option-Command-E.

### Does clearing the cache speed up a Mac?

Not in general. It fixes a misbehaving app or frees disk space. Caches exist to make things faster.

## Sources

- [Safari User Guide: Change Advanced settings in Safari on Mac](https://support.apple.com/guide/safari/advanced-ibrw1075/mac)
- [Safari User Guide: Manage cookies and website data](https://support.apple.com/guide/safari/manage-cookies-sfri11471/mac)
- [Google Chrome Help: Delete browsing data in Chrome](https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/2392709)
- [Google Chrome Help: Chrome keyboard shortcuts](https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/157179)
- [Microsoft Support: Keyboard shortcuts in Microsoft Edge](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/keyboard-shortcuts-in-microsoft-edge-50d3edab-30d9-c7e4-21ce-37fe2713cfad)