How To Clear Cache On Mac

by

Over time, your Mac accumulates a lot of information in “cache”. While this data can speed up processes and make your computer run faster, it can also eat up a lot of storage space and cause system errors. Clearing your Mac’s cache periodically is a good way to improve its performance. This step-by-step guide will show you how to clear cache on a Mac.

Step 1: Clearing the User Cache

Your Mac stores a lot of user cache files, which can be safely deleted. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Finder app.
  2. Click on “Go” in the menu bar and choose “Go to Folder” or press SHIFT + CMD + G.
  3. Type in ~/Library/Caches and hit Enter.
  4. You can now see a lot of folders, each one corresponding to a specific app. Go into each folder and delete the files inside. Do not delete the folders themselves.

Step 2: Clearing the System Cache

Along with user cache, your Mac also stores system cache files. Here’s how to delete them:

  1. Again, open the Finder app.
  2. Click on “Go” in the menu bar and choose “Go to Folder” or press SHIFT + CMD + G.
  3. Type in /Library/Caches and hit Enter.
  4. Like before, go into each folder and delete the files inside, not the folders themselves.

Step 3: Empty the Trash

After deleting the cache files, don’t forget to empty the Trash to completely eliminate the files.

  1. Find the Trash icon in your Dock and click on it.
  2. Once it opens, click on the “Empty” button in the upper-right corner.

Conclusion

Clearing cache might seem like a small thing to do, but it can greatly improve your Mac’s performance, especially if you haven’t done it in a while. As a general rule, we recommend clearing your cache every few months, but it can be done more frequently if you use your Mac heavily. Just remember, always empty your trash after deleting cache files to ensure they’re completely removed from your system.