If your iPhone feels sluggish or you’re dismissing “Storage Almost Full” warnings despite deleting apps, your cache might be part of the problem. Browsers and apps save temporary data to help things load faster, but over time, it accumulates and works against you, causing issues like iPhone slowdowns and app crashes.
iOS doesn’t make it obvious, but we’ll show you where to look and how to clear cache for the biggest offenders, such as your browser and apps like Instagram, TikTok(nueva ventana), and YouTube(nueva ventana).
How to clear Safari cache on iPhone
- Go to Settings → Apps.
- Find and tap on Safari.
- Tap Clear History and Website Data.
- Choose All History for a full clear.
- Tap Clear History to confirm.
This will clear your browsing history, cookies, and cached files. Your saved passwords and bookmarks will remain. Note that you will be signed out of websites.
How to clear Chrome cache on iPhone
- Open the Chrome app.
- Tap the three-dot menu ⋮ in the bottom right corner.
- Tap Delete browsing data.
- Set the Time range to All Time for a full clear.
- Select Browsing data and then Cached images and files. You can also include Cookies, site data to clear more data.
- Tap Delete data.
Clearing cookies will sign you out of websites.
If you’re using a different browser, like Firefox or Brave, look for options labeled “Privacy,” “Data,” or “Clear Browsing Data” in the app’s settings.
How to clear app cache on iPhone
Apps also store their own cached data on your iPhone. Unlike Safari, there’s no single place in iOS to clear app cache. Some apps let you do it from within their settings, while others require you to delete and reinstall entirely.
How to clear WhatsApp cache on iPhone
WhatsApp doesn’t have a single button to clear all cache, so you have to free up space from each chat separately:
- Open WhatsApp.
- Go to Settings → Storage and Data.
- Tap on Manage storage.
- Select a chat to view cached files and delete them.
How to clear TikTok cache on iPhone
- Open TikTok.
- Go to your profile and tap on the three-line menu icon on the top right.
- Tap on Settings and privacy, and select Free up space.
- Tap Clear on the cache row.
How to clear Instagram cache on iPhone
Some apps like Instagram don’t have a cache option, but there are alternative solutions:
- Open the Settings app.
- Go to General → iPhone storage.
- Find and tap on Instagram. You can choose from
- Offload App: This removes the app while keeping local data, such as settings and documents.
- Delete App: This removes the app and its local data.
If you’ve deleted the app, you can reinstall Instagram from the App Store and log back in. After offloading, look for the faded Instagram icon on your homescreen and tap on it to reinstall app data.
Offload or delete app to clear cache
For apps without a built-in cache option, you have two choices:
- Offload app: Removes the app while keeping local data, such as settings and documents. When you reinstall the app, local data is restored. This doesn’t free up much space but is less disruptive.
- Delete app: Removes the app and its local data, so you can use a fresh installation. Your account isn’t affected, and you’ll just need to log back in after reinstalling the app.
How to clear system cache on iPhone
System cache, also known as system data on iPhone, includes caches, logs, and temporary files that your iPhone stores to run smoothly. Unlike browser or app cache, there is no direct way to clear it from within iOS.
A restart does help with clearing temporary memory, though, which can fix minor glitches and reclaim a tiny amount of storage. Here’s how to restart your iPhone:
- Press and hold the side button (the power button) and either volume button simultaneously until the power off slider appears.
- Drag the slider to turn off your iPhone.
- Wait for about 30 seconds.
- Press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears.
If system data is eating up a large chunk of storage, you’ll need to clear your browser cache and app cache(nueva ventana). An alternative method is to clear system data by setting your iPhone’s date to the future(nueva ventana), though this isn’t an official fix.
Get more space on iPhone with secure cloud storage
Cache builds over time, but so do photos and videos. When media files start accumulating, your iPhone storage fills up quickly. Clearing cache helps free up some space, but it eventually rebuilds. And deleting personal memories just to keep your phone functional shouldn’t be an option.
Backing up your photos to secure cloud storage means you don’t have to make that trade-off. Proton Drive offers a privacy-first approach to storing photos, videos, documents, and other files so you don’t have to worry about running out of space on your iPhone. We’ve made it easy and safe with automatic backups of photos and videos, and file sharing outside of Apple’s ecosystem.
Proton Drive’s end-to-end encryption keeps your files truly private and accessible only to those you choose. With apps for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, your files are always within reach — even if your phone is lost or stolen.
Frequently asked questions about iPhone cache
Cache saves pieces of content from websites and apps, so that they load faster when you return. Cookies are browser-specific and store details like your login status and site preferences.
When you clear cache, it means your browser or app has to redownload content to your device, and you might even notice it taking longer to load. Clearing cookies removes your website preferences and signs you out across the web. Most browsers let you clear one without the other.
Cache is like a cheat sheet your iPhone keeps for itself. When you visit a website or use an app, bits of content and data get saved locally so that your phone can skip a full download next time. It helps things load and open faster, so you’re not stuck on a loading screen for too long.
The problem is that this cheat sheet grows endlessly. Every site and app adds to it, and iOS does not automatically purge it. This is where the cache becomes an unwieldy storage hog that limits your iPhone’s performance and functionality.
You should not clear iPhone cache regularly, but only when storage is getting full or as a troubleshooting step when apps don’t function properly. Doing it too often can make your iPhone load things slowly, as it has to re-download content it would normally pull from storage.
No. Your saved passwords live in iCloud Keychain or your password manager; clearing cache will not touch them. However, clearing cookies will sign you out of websites, so make sure your logins are saved to your password manager before you clear them.
You can follow the steps above to clear cache on iPhone, which also includes cookies. To delete cookies without clearing history, go to Settings → Safari → Advanced → Website Data, then tap Remove All Website Data, or swipe left on individual sites to delete specific cookies.
iPhone app cleaners can help with some things, like finding duplicate photos, but they can’t actually clear cache from other apps. Apple doesn’t let apps access each other’s data, so a cleaner app has no way to reach the cached files in other apps. If an app claims it can clear your cache for you, take that with a grain of salt.
