How to Clear Cache on iPhone: Safari, App Storage and Offloading

Two different things get called "cache" on an iPhone. There's the website data Safari stores as you browse, and there's the clutter individual apps build up over months of use. Apple gives you a clear switch for the first one and a storage screen for the second, and knowing which one you're dealing with saves a lot of pointless tapping.

Clearing the Safari cache step by step

This is the version most people want. It wipes your browsing history, cookies and cached website files in one go.

1. Open the Settings app and tap Apps.
2. Scroll to Safari and tap it.
3. Scroll down and tap Clear History and Website Data.
4. Pick the timeframe you want to clear. If you use Safari profiles, choose one profile or All Profiles.
5. Tap Clear History to confirm.

Apple notes that this doesn't touch your AutoFill information, so the details Safari fills in for you stay put. If the button is grey, there's either nothing to clear or Screen Time web content restrictions are switched on, so check those before assuming something's broken.

Keep your history, lose the cached files

If you'd rather keep the list of sites you've visited, there's a second route that removes cookies and cached data only:

1. Go to Settings > Apps > Safari.
2. Tap Advanced, then Website Data.
3. Tap Remove All Website Data, then Remove Now.

I use this one when a site I rely on starts loading old versions of pages or a login loop won't go away. You'll be signed out of most websites afterwards, so have your passwords handy.

Which option clears what

Setting you tap	History	Cookies and cached website data	Your apps
Clear History and Website Data	Removed for the timeframe you pick	Removed	Not affected
Remove All Website Data	Kept	Removed	Unchanged
Offload App (iPhone Storage)	Not touched	Not touched	App removed, documents and data kept
Delete App (iPhone Storage)	Left alone	Left alone	App and its data removed

Why apps don't have a Clear Cache button

This is the bit that catches people out. On an iPhone, Apple handles app caches itself. Its storage help page says that when your device is low on storage it frees up space by removing items you can download again or don't need, such as unused apps and temporary files. In Apple's own words, your device removes cached and temporary files so you don't have to.

So the third-party "cache cleaner" apps you'll see advertised can't reach into other apps and empty them. Apple also says cached data and temporary data might not count as usage on the storage screen, which is why the number next to an app doesn't always match what you'd expect.

Freeing space app by app in iPhone Storage

When one app has ballooned, this is where you deal with it:

1. Open Settings, tap General, then iPhone Storage.
2. Wait a moment for the list to load. You'll see recommendations at the top and apps sorted by how much space they use.
3. Tap the app that's taking up the most room.
4. Choose Offload App to remove the app but keep its documents and data, or Delete App to remove the app and its data.

Offloading is the gentle option. The icon stays on your Home Screen with a little cloud next to it, and tapping it reinstalls the app with your data still there. Deleting and reinstalling is the closest thing to clearing one app's cache, but you'll lose anything that app stored only on the phone, so check it syncs to an account first.

Let your iPhone offload unused apps for you

If you've got dozens of apps you open once a year, switch on automatic offloading. Go to Settings > Apps > App Store and turn on Offload Unused Apps. When storage runs low, your iPhone removes apps you're not using while keeping their data. I like this for event apps, parking apps and the odd tool I downloaded for one client job.

What the Other storage category holds

You may notice a grey chunk labelled Other or System Data when you check storage. Apple describes it as things like Siri voices, fonts, dictionaries, non-removable logs and caches, the Spotlight index and system data. You can't empty it with a button, and Apple says the system manages those caches. It tends to shrink on its own when the phone needs room.

When clearing the cache is worth doing

• A website keeps showing an old version of a page after you know it's changed.
• You're stuck in a sign-in loop on one site.
• You've handed your phone to someone else and want a clean browser.
• Your storage warning has popped up and Safari or a single app is near the top of the list.

It's not a speed boost for the whole phone, and it won't fix a slow battery. If everything feels sluggish, a restart and a software update will usually do more.

The short version from me

For Safari, use Clear History and Website Data when you want a fresh start, or Remove All Website Data if you'd like to keep your history. For everything else, don't go hunting for a cache button that isn't there: open iPhone Storage, find the greedy app and offload it. I'd switch on Offload Unused Apps and forget about it. And if photos are what's filling your phone, my roundup of Google Photos alternatives can help you move them off it, and my list of free photo editing apps for iPhone is worth a look before you install yet another one.

Frequently asked questions

Does clearing the Safari cache delete my passwords?

No. Apple says clearing history and website data doesn't change your AutoFill information. You'll be signed out of websites, though.

Why is Clear History and Website Data greyed out?

Either there's no data to clear, or Screen Time web content restrictions are switched on.

Can I clear the cache of one app on iPhone?

There's no cache button for apps. You can offload the app, which keeps its data, or delete and reinstall it, which removes its data.

Do cache cleaner apps work on iPhone?

They can't empty other apps' caches. Apple's help page says the iPhone removes cached and temporary files itself when it needs space.

Does clearing Safari history clear history in other apps?

No. Apple says it doesn't clear histories kept by websites you visited or in other apps.