This article explains how you can clear cache on your iPhone. The instructions in this guide will work on iPhone 17 series, iPhone 16 series, iPhone 15 series, iPhone 14 series, iPhone 13 series, and iPhone 12 series running the latest version of iOS 26.
Your iPhone’s web browser picks up a lot of files, images and data from the websites that you visit, and a lot of that does not need to be on your iPhone. Whether you’re using Safari, Google Chrome, or Mozilla Firefox, this data stored in your cookies and cache can be helpful in some cases. It’s what lets you quickly load websites you frequently access and keeps you logged into accounts you have. That’s great, but there’s plenty of information in the cookies and cache of your browser that isn’t necessary and could even be a privacy risk.
What is cache?
Cache — aka browser cache — refers to the temporary storage of certain data, including images, files, and scripts from websites you’ve visited. Such website content is stored — or cached — on your phone to help your browser execute faster the next time you visit that site.
Why Clear Cache on iPhone
Why should we clear the cache on the iPhone? Clearing cache on iPhone has many benefits. These include:
- It will help you see the most recent webpage changes.
- It may fix some Safari issues, such as Safari freezing.
- It may speed up your iPhone.
- It may help you free up storage space on your iPhone.
How to Clear Cache in Browser on iPhone
Web browsers temporarily stores Internet files (images, web site pages and files, etc.) when you visit websites to reduce server lag so that you can view the websites faster in the future. In short, these cache files are useful in faster loading of the web pages.
Whether you use Chrome, Safari or other browsers on your iPhone, your cache builds up that digital clutter over time. Clearing your cache gives the browser a new start, which can speed up your web surfing, even on iOS 17 or the latest iOS 18.
Here are step-by-step instructions on how to clear your cache on your iPhone based on the browser you use.
Clear Cache in Safari on iPhone
Safari is the default browser on iPhones, and you can clear your Safari cache in a few easy steps. Starting with iOS 11, following this process will affect all devices signed in to your iCloud account. As a result, all your devices’ caches will be cleared, and you’ll need to sign in to everything the next time you use them. Here’s what to do.
- On your iPhone, go to Settings > Apps > Safari.
- Tap on Clear History and Website Data.
- Tap on Clear History to confirm.
Clear Cache in Chrome on iPhone
Chrome is another popular browser for iPhone users. Thankfully, Google makes it easy to clear your Chrome cache, making it much faster to clear your data.
- On your iPhone, open Chrome.
- Tap on More button.
- Tap on Settings.
- Tap on Privacy and Security.
- Tap on Delete Browsing Data. Another menu will open up. Select the intended time range at the top of the menu (anywhere from Last Hour to All Time). Make sure that Cookies, Site Data is checked, along with Cached Images and Files.
- Tap on Delete Browsing Data.
- In the popup window, tap on Delete Browsing Data to confirm.
- Tap Done when you’ve deleted the Chrome cache.
Clear Cache in Firefox on iPhone
If you’re a Firefox user, we got you covered. Clearing the cache on your iPhone is pretty easy. Just follow these steps.
- On your iPhone, open Firefox.
- At the bottom-right of the screen, tap on the menu button.
- Tap on Settings at the bottom of the menu.
- Tap on Data Management under the Privacy section.
- You can select Website Data to clear data for individual sites, or select Clear Private Data at the bottom of the screen to clear data from all selected fields.
Clear App Cache on iPhone
Restart iPhone to Clear Cache
- If your iPhone has a Face ID:
- Press and hold either volume button and the side button until you see the power-off slider.
- Drag the slider, then wait 30 seconds for your phone to turn off fully.
- To turn your phone back on, press and hold the side button (on the right side of your iPhone) until you see the Apple logo.
- If your iPhone has a Home button:
- Press and hold the side button until you see the power-off slider.
- Drag the slider, then wait 30 seconds for your phone to turn off.
- To turn your phone back on, press and hold the side button until you see the Apple logo.
Reset iPhone to Clear Cache
Factory reset your iPhone to clear its cache. Open the Settings app. Then tap on General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings and confirm your decision. You’ll be asked to enter your passcode, followed by your Apple Account password to turn off Apple’s Find My service.
After entering your password, the screen will go dark and the Apple logo along with a progress bar will show up. A few minutes later, you’ll be greeted with a screen with “Hello” in different languages flashing on it, indicating the reset was a success. This will also clear your iPhone cache.
How to Backup Important Data before Clearing the Cache
Before you clear cache on your iPhone, create a backup that you can use to restore your data. You can use iCloud to back up your phone by going to Settings > Apple Account > iCloud > iCloud Backup > Back up now. This backup method can take a while, depending on how long it’s been since you’ve backed up your phone, but it’s pretty easy.
Just make sure to keep your phone connected to a Wi-Fi network and on a charger to prevent the backup from draining the battery.
How to Access Website without Leaving the Cache
If you’re learning how to clear the cache on an iPhone, you might wonder if there’s a way to use Safari without leaving cache. Yes! To visit sites without leaving cache, simply turn Private Browsing on.
Enable Private Browsing
- Launch Safari on your iPhone.
- Tap the Tabs button.
- Swipe to the Private tab group button, then tap the tab that you want to open.
Block Cookies
A cookie is a piece of data that a site puts on your device so that site can remember you when you visit again.
To block cookies:
- On your iPhone, go to Settings > Apps > Safari > Advanced.
- Turn on Block All Cookies.
There are also third-party extensions — such as Ghostery and Disconnect — that help you block cookies and trackers in Google Chrome.
If you block cookies, some websites might not work. The following are some examples:
- You will likely not be able to sign in to a site even when using your correct username and password.
- You might see a message that cookies are required or that your browser’s cookies are off.
- Some features on a site might not work.
What happens when you clear iPhone cache?
Clearing your iPhone cache removes the website data your phone stored locally to prevent having to download that data upon each new visit. The data in your cache builds over time and can end up slowing things down if it becomes too bulky or out of date. (My phone had about 160MB of data stored in Chrome when I checked.) Clearing that data gives sites a fresh start, which may fix some loading errors and speed up your browser. Clearing your cache also signs you out of pages, so be prepared to sign in to everything again.
How often do I need to clear iPhone cache?
Most people only need to clear their iPhone cache once every month or two. That’s generally the point when your browser will build up a cache large enough to start slowing things down. If you frequent a large number of sites, you should err on the side of clearing your cache more often.
