How to Clear Safari Cache on Both Mac and iPhone
To clear Safari's cache on an iPhone, open Settings > Apps > Safari > Clear History and Website Data; on a Mac, you empty the cache from Safari's own menu via Safari > Settings > Advanced, enable Show features for web developers, then use Develop > Empty Caches, or clear everything with History > Clear History. This guide is for anyone whose Safari feels sluggish, is showing stale pages, or who just wants to reclaim a little space across their Apple devices in 2026.
TL;DR
- On iPhone, clear Safari cache at Settings > Apps > Safari > Clear History and Website Data.
- On Mac, use Develop > Empty Caches for cache only, or History > Clear History for cache plus history and cookies.
- Clearing the cache logs you out of many sites and removes saved page data, but never your bookmarks or passwords.
- Safari cache is usually small; clearing it fixes glitches more than it frees major storage.
- The big storage wins are photos and videos, which a cleaner like Cleanor finds and removes automatically.
What does the Safari cache actually store?
Safari's cache holds copies of web page assets (images, scripts, stylesheets) so pages you revisit load faster without re-downloading everything. Alongside it, Safari keeps your browsing history, cookies, and website data such as logins and site settings.
These are different things, and the menu options treat them differently. "Empty Caches" removes only the cached page files. "Clear History and Website Data" is broader: it wipes cached files, history, and cookies all at once, which is why it logs you out of sites.
The cache is rarely a storage hog on its own; it is usually a few hundred MB at most. People clear it mainly to fix a page that loads incorrectly, to stop a site showing an outdated version, or for privacy. If your goal is reclaiming gigabytes, the cache is the wrong target. See will clearing cache actually speed up my phone for the realistic expectation.
How do I clear the Safari cache on iPhone?
- Open Settings.
- Tap Apps, then tap Safari. (On older iOS, Safari sits directly in the main Settings list.)
- Scroll down and tap Clear History and Website Data.
- Choose the time range if prompted, then confirm.
This is the only built-in way to clear Safari's cache on iPhone, and it bundles cache, history, and cookies together. If you want to keep your history but drop cookies for one site, instead use Settings > Apps > Safari > Advanced > Website Data, find the site, and swipe to delete just its data.
How do I clear the Safari cache on Mac?
On a Mac you have a finer-grained option through the Develop menu:
- Open Safari, then go to Safari > Settings (or press Command-Comma).
- Click the Advanced tab and tick Show features for web developers at the bottom.
- Close Settings. A new Develop menu now appears in the menu bar.
- Click Develop > Empty Caches to clear only the cached page files.
To clear the cache along with history and cookies, use History > Clear History instead, pick a time range, and confirm. To remove data for one site only, go to Safari > Settings > Privacy > Manage Website Data, select the site, and click Remove.
What's the difference between the iPhone and Mac options?
| What you want | iPhone | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Cache only | Not available separately | Develop > Empty Caches |
| Cache + history + cookies | Clear History and Website Data | History > Clear History |
| One site's data only | Safari > Advanced > Website Data | Settings > Privacy > Manage Website Data |
| Keeps bookmarks and passwords | Yes | Yes |
The key gap: the iPhone has no cache-only button, so clearing always removes history and logs you out. The Mac, through the Develop menu, lets you empty just the cache while keeping your history and sessions intact. Bookmarks and saved passwords survive on both platforms no matter which option you pick.
Is it safe to clear the Safari cache, and what can't you do?
Yes, clearing the Safari cache is safe. Safari rebuilds it automatically as you browse, and your bookmarks, reading list, and saved passwords (in iCloud Keychain) are never touched. The only side effects are being logged out of sites and losing some saved per-site preferences, which you can re-enter.
What Safari does natively: it manages cache size on its own and lets you clear it manually with the options above. What it will not do is reach into other apps' caches or clear the device-wide bucket iOS labels System Data. Clearing Safari only affects Safari.
What a cleaner app like Cleanor adds: it cannot clear Safari's cache for you, because Apple sandboxes browser data away from other apps, so be wary of any tool that claims to wipe browser caches automatically. What Cleanor does instead is target the storage that actually fills your device, finding duplicate and similar photos, oversized videos, and screenshots so you reclaim real, lasting space. The Safari cache is a rounding error next to a heavy photo library. For the honest picture of what cleaner apps can do, read the truth about cleaner apps, and for what counts as safe-to-clear cache in general, see what is app cache and when is it safe to clear.
FAQ
Does clearing the Safari cache delete my bookmarks or passwords?
No. Clearing the cache, history, or website data never removes bookmarks, reading list items, or passwords saved in iCloud Keychain. It only removes cached page files and, depending on the option, your history and cookies. Your saved logins remain available.
Will clearing the Safari cache log me out of websites?
On iPhone, yes, because the only option also clears cookies. On Mac, Develop > Empty Caches clears just the cache and usually keeps you logged in, while History > Clear History also clears cookies and logs you out. Pick the Mac option that matches what you want.
Does clearing the Safari cache sync across my devices?
No. Clearing the cache on your iPhone does not clear it on your Mac, and vice versa, because the cache is stored locally on each device. Clear it separately on each one. Your bookmarks and history do sync via iCloud, but the on-disk cache does not.
How much space does clearing the Safari cache free?
Usually very little, often just a few hundred megabytes. Safari's cache is small by design. If you are trying to reclaim real storage, the cache is the wrong place to look; photos, videos, and downloads are where the gigabytes are. See storage full: what should I delete first.
Where to start
If Safari is glitching or showing stale pages, clear its cache on the affected device first: Settings > Apps > Safari > Clear History and Website Data on iPhone, or Develop > Empty Caches on Mac. That fixes most browser issues in seconds.
If you are really chasing storage, look past the cache. Duplicate photos, giant videos, and old downloads free far more space than any browser cache. Our clean up phone storage guide walks through the whole process, and Cleanor for iOS finds the duplicates and bloated media automatically so you reclaim space that actually matters.