How to Clear Cache on Mac: The Complete 2026 Guide

Updated March 2026 · 8 min read

"Clear your cache" is the first thing anyone suggests when your Mac is slow, running out of space, or acting weird. But there are actually five different types of cache on your Mac, and they each live in different places.

Here's every type, where to find it, and how to clear it safely.

Quick reference

Cache type	Typical size	Safe to delete?	Location
Browser cache	1–10 GB	✅ Yes	Browser settings
App cache	5–50 GB	✅ Yes	`~/Library/Caches/`
System cache	2–10 GB	⚠️ Mostly	`/Library/Caches/`
DNS cache	Tiny	✅ Yes	Memory only
Developer cache	5–50 GB	✅ Yes	Various

1. Browser cache

Safari

Open Safari → Settings (Cmd+,)
Advanced tab → check "Show features for web developers"
Develop menu → Empty Caches

Chrome

Cmd+Shift+Delete
Select "Cached images and files"
Time range: All time → Clear data

Firefox

Cmd+Shift+Delete
Check "Cache" → Clear Now

Browser caches are always safe to delete. Sites will just load slightly slower on first visit.

2. App cache

This is the big one. App caches live in ~/Library/Caches/ and can easily total 20–50 GB:

open ~/Library/Caches

Common space hogs:

Spotify — 2–8 GB of offline music cache
Slack — 1–5 GB of message and file cache
Google Chrome — 2–10 GB across profiles
Microsoft Teams — 1–4 GB
Docker — 5–30 GB of image layers

You can delete individual app cache folders. The app will recreate them — you might just need to log in again.

3. System cache

System-level caches live in /Library/Caches/ (note: no tilde). These include font caches, kernel caches, and shared framework caches.

sudo open /Library/Caches

⚠️ Be more careful here. Most items are safe, but some system caches help macOS boot faster. When in doubt, leave it.

4. DNS cache

If websites aren't loading or you're getting "server not found" errors, clearing DNS cache often helps:

sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

This is instant and has zero risk.

5. Developer caches

If you code on your Mac, these can be enormous:

Tool	Location	Typical size
Xcode DerivedData	`~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/`	5–30 GB
npm cache	`~/.npm/`	1–5 GB
Homebrew cache	`~/Library/Caches/Homebrew/`	1–10 GB
pip cache	`~/Library/Caches/pip/`	0.5–3 GB
CocoaPods	`~/Library/Caches/CocoaPods/`	1–5 GB
Docker images	`~/Library/Containers/com.docker.docker/`	5–50 GB

All of these are safe to delete. Run npm cache clean --force, brew cleanup, or just delete the folders directly.

Skip the manual work

CacheClear finds all five cache types in 60 seconds. Every item is labeled safe, review, or protected.

Download CacheClear — Free Scan

How often should you clear cache?

For most people, once a month is enough. If you're a developer or creative professional, every two weeks is better — your caches grow faster.

Signs you need to clear cache now:

Mac says storage is almost full
Apps are running slower than usual
You see "System Data" using 50+ GB in Storage settings
You haven't cleared cache in 6+ months

Is it safe to clear all caches at once?

For user-level caches (~/Library/Caches/): yes, completely safe. The worst that happens is apps take a moment to rebuild their cache on next launch.

For system-level caches: mostly safe, but it's better to be selective. That's why CacheClear labels every item — so you know exactly what you're deleting.