This article is written in a way that it will help you clear any type of cache file in your phone, laptop (Mac and Windows), and more! Changes between Android 5.0 and 6.0 include the location of the buttons for clearing caches and app data.
The app cache stores app or website elements so that they can be loaded quickly the next time you use them. In apps like Google Maps or Chrome, this cached data can take up the available storage space on the device.
App data relates to both the cache and other stored information, such as Connection settings and settings in the app itself.
You keep hearing that you need to clear your cache to fix your device problems. Clearing your cache seems like a magical solution to all of your problems. But have you ever wondered what exactly happens when you clear your cache? In this article, we will explain what a cache is and how you can clear it on your iOS, Android, Windows and macOS.
There are apps on the Google Play Store and the iOS App Store that can do this for you. However, if you keep clearing your cache, you are unlikely to get the speed it promised. If you do this manually, it only clears caches or data for apps that you recognize as memory hogs, and you don’t need to add another app to your collection.
What is a cache?
The cache consists of data. However, this is not personal and recorded data. Instead, apps use data to make your system run faster. A cache is a separate storage location that an application creates to store its data. Because of this, each app’s cache is different.
Apps use your cached data to run faster, pages load more quickly and give you a smooth experience. In a time of impatience, the average cache grows in size. The larger your cached data, the faster your system will run. This means that the system (or the application) already has the information available at all times instead of generating it from scratch.
For example, when a browser loads a web page, the browser records information about that page. You can even cache images of the page. The next time you load this webpage, it will load much faster because of the cached information. This does not mean that the webpage will not load without a cache, but that it loads much quicker because of the cached information.
Why Should I Clear the Cache?
So it looks like caching is a really good thing. However, this improved accessibility comes at a price. On the one hand, your cache can get bigger and bigger and take up valuable storage space on your device. So, if you run out of space, clearing your cache should be a breeze.
Also, the cache files can sometimes be damaged. This will cause your application to malfunction. For this reason, it is generally recommended that you clear the cache when trying to troubleshoot the application. The cache can get corrupted in several ways, from annoying updates to restoring backups. Most of the time, just clearing the cache seems to solve the problem.
What if you Clear the Cache, What Happens?
When you delete cached data from either an application or your operating system, you are deleting temporary files that were not strictly necessary for the program. These files can sometimes be deleted automatically after a certain period anyway. These temporary files are permanently deleted when you clear the cache data.
You don’t have to worry about removing passwords and other personal information as it is never cached. If you clear your cache, you won’t have to reconnect to your apps. It is recommended that you clear the cache regularly to keep your device running efficiently.
When you clear the cache, you will temporarily gain additional space. However, over time, the application (or system) will re-create these temporary files. For this reason, the cache should be cleaned regularly.
How do I clear the cache on different operating systems?
Depending on your operating system, there are different ways to clear the cache partition. You can also clear the cache of individual apps if you find that they are not working correctly. If the cached data was important, you might find that your device performs better after deleting it.
How to Clear the Cache on a Windows 10 PC
There are two main factors behind temporary cache files on your Windows PC: system cache and application cache. Follow the instructions below to clear cache files for each type.
Clearing the System Cache
Clearing your cache in Windows 10 is incredibly easy. This is because Windows has its built-in application to help you with this. Disk Cleanup is a Windows application that can be used to delete temporary files from your system to speed them up.
Click the start menu and type “Disk Cleanup” into search. Windows 10 usually stores temporary files on C drive.
Select the cache files that you want to delete. You can see how much space will be freed up when you delete these files.
Click OK at the bottom to proceed and delete the selected temporary cache files.
Clearing Software Cache
In addition to the system cache, the apps installed in Windows 10 also have their cache. All of these applications store their temporary files in a folder on drive C. You can access this folder with a simple command at the command prompt.
Right-click on the start menu and select “Run”. Now type in% Temp% and press Enter. This will open your temporary folder for apps.
Go ahead, select everything (Ctrl + A) and delete them.
Note: When you uninstall an app, its cache data is also deleted. To clear the cache of individual apps, you can uninstall and reinstall them at any time.
How to Clear the Cache on Mac
You can quickly clear cache files on your Mac computer to speed them up or fix operating system problems. You need to be careful in clearing system cache files on Mac computer as some files may depend on it for important information.
Close or minimize any open applications to access the Finder screen. Now press Shift + Command + G on your keyboard to start “Go to Folder”. You can also open Finder and go to Go> Go to Folder.
When the address prompt appears, enter the following path to navigate to the cache folder of all apps on your system.
~ / Library / caches
The folder shown contains the cache folders for all Apple system apps as well as third-party apps that you have personally installed on your Mac. You can either delete all the folders in the “Caches” folder or delete them individually.
If you don’t want to delete all of the cached folders, you can double-click a folder and select all of the files in it by using the keyboard shortcut ‘Command + A’ and ‘Command + Option’ + Delete ‘and then click the button ‘Delete’ to permanently delete them.
How to Clear the Cache on Android
Clearing cache files on your Android device is one of the most common solutions to problematic apps. You can delete both individual app caches and system caches.
Clearing the Android System Cache
To clear your Android system’s cache, you need to go into recovery mode. The method of accessing Recovery Mode on Android depends on your device. The link below will tell you how to start your device in recovery mode. If your device cannot be found, a simple Google search will bring up the answer.
In recovery mode, use the power button to navigate to wipe cache partition. Press the power button to confirm your selection. Clearing your cache files only takes a few seconds.
After deleting, use the volume buttons to navigate to “Reboot system now” and press the power button.
Clear Android App Cache
You can access your app caches on Android via the operating system itself. With Android, you can no longer relieve all apps together, so you have to empty the cache of each app individually.
- Open your device settings and go to Apps.
- Select the application from the list.
- Now tap on “Storage”. Select “Clear Cache” at the bottom right.
Do this for each app that you want to remove. Note that uninstalling an application will automatically clear the cache.
How to Clear Cache on iPhone and iPad
Unlike Android, iOS devices do not have a native setting to delete cached files from the system or apps. If you find that the app cache is getting too big, you can uninstall and reinstall the app.
However, keep in mind that this will erase all data stored in the app. You should, therefore, back up all data before uninstalling. You will find that unlike Android, there are no apps available in the App Store to clear the cache. This is due to the way Apple applications can interact with the system or the lack of it.
How often should you clear your cache?
Well, there is no right answer to that. Depending on your system, you may need to clear the cache more frequently. For example, Android now has its method of clearing the cache when more space is required.
So you only need to clear an app’s cache if you have problems or run out of storage space. Note, however, that caches regenerate over time. As you use the app, it will increase the cached data to better understand your needs.
Can photos be deleted by clearing the cache?
You may find that gallery apps tend to have large caches. This is because they save thumbnails and content offline. That way, the app can preview your photos without having to download them from the server every time.
However, clearing a gallery app’s cache does not delete photos. The app doesn’t cache any personal data, so you don’t have to worry. However, you will find that your photos may take a lot longer to load after clearing the cache.
What is the difference between Clear Data and Clear Cache on Android?
Unlike iOS, Android apps store cache files separately from user data. Cache files are temporary files that make the application run faster and easier. Application data, however, is user data that was entered when the application was downloaded.
The app regenerates your cache if it is cleared, but not your data. The data includes everything from usernames and passwords to downloaded music files. When you clear the app data, you are permanently erasing everything stored by the app and starting over. All application accounts are also signed out.
Now you know how to clear your cache files. Remember that if you continue to use the application, the cache files will be regenerated. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us in the comments below.