How to clear cache on Mac – Mac user’s complete guide

In the 21st century, most people strive for higher mobility when different portable devices come in handy. We all use laptops, smartphones, tablets, and other devices daily. However, most of us still know very little about the devices we are using, which is a significant omission.

This guide will talk about one element present in all of our devices, which is still poorly understood by the users. That’s the application cache. Here, we will give a precise definition to this term, explain why it is useful, and guide how to clear application cache Mac. So, let’s dive in and finally get rid of the confusion caused by this term!

Overview

In simple words, the application cache is meant for storing and retrieving all kinds of web resources. It saves the information about every resource you’ve used and then pulls out this data from the disk whenever you revisit them. This ensures a much faster loading speed, as when connecting to known resources, the system won’t connect to the network again.

What are the pros of using the cache? As a matter of fact, the application cache has lots of benefits. First of all, it makes offline browsing possible, which is extremely important nowadays. Secondly, storing cache files makes the system work much faster since the resources come not from the network but straight from your disk. Finally, it provides a certain level of resilience and flexibility to users, which is also essential.

Why is it important to clean it?

So, if application caching brings so many benefits, why would someone ever want to clean it? To answer this question, it is important to understand that every web resource provides hundreds and even thousands of files that are later stored in the cache. Thus, if you never clear your device’s cache, you may have it filled with millions of files, which eventually will lead to slower system performance.

Also read: How to send large files free on the internet.

Besides, there is one more reason to bear in mind. As all of you probably know, web developers introduce updates to their apps and other web resources quite often. With every new update, they remove some of those files that systems cache and replace them with the new ones. So, what happens if you don’t clear your cache? Even though the update has arrived, your system will keep serving the old version of the once cached resource. This can lead to numerous errors, slow speed of loading, missing buttons, and much more!

How to delete app cache on Mac?

To do everything right and not cause any harm to the system, be sure to follow these guidelines:

1. Go to Finder > Go to Folder.
2. Enter the following directory ~/Library/Caches and press the ‘Enter’ key.
3. Look for the folders with the names of your apps and clear the insides of them.
4. Done.

As you now see, it is quite an easy process. However, there are a few extra tips to keep in mind. First of all, make sure that you have about 10%-15% of space in the junk. That’s the potential space that can be taken by your apps cache files. Also, be very cautious as not every application’s cache can be cleared with no dire consequences, so you should pay due attention to not delete essential files.