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How to Clear Cache on iPhone: Safari, Chrome and Apps

An iPhone with a browser window and a row of app icons, each releasing a thin stream of light particles that fade into the background

iPhone has no single clear-cache button. How to clear it in Safari and Chrome, what Offload App and Delete App remove, and when an app has its own option.

Marco LeeNovember 1, 20265 min read

There’s no single “clear all cache” button on iPhone, and iOS already removes cached files on its own when space runs low. To clear cache yourself, do it per place: Safari in Settings > Apps > Safari, Chrome in its own menu, and apps through their own cache setting or by deleting and reinstalling them.

Why iOS has no “clear all cache” button

Cache is data an app or website saves so things load faster next time. On iPhone, every app keeps its own. Each app has its own home directory, and sandboxing is designed to stop apps from reading or changing what other apps store (Apple Platform Security). So there’s no switch that reaches into every app at once.

iOS also handles cache for you. When storage runs low, your iPhone “removes cached and temporary files, so you don’t have to.” And when you look at an app’s size in iPhone Storage, cached and temporary data might not count in that number (Apple Support).

So I’d clear cache by hand when a website or app misbehaves, or for privacy. If what you really need is space, I’d start with iPhone storage full? How to free up space fast instead.

How to clear cache on iPhone in Safari

  1. Open Settings, tap Apps, then tap Safari.
  2. Scroll down and tap Clear History and Website Data.
  3. Confirm the timeframe you want to clear, then tap Clear History.

That deletes your history, cookies and cache, and it doesn’t change your AutoFill information (Apple Support). It also removes permissions you gave websites to use your location or send you notifications (iPhone User Guide).

To keep your history, clear only the website data:

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

This clears data used for tracking and the data websites use to save your login, while your history stays (Apple Support). With either option, expect to sign in to some sites again.

If the button is gray, there’s either nothing to clear or Screen Time’s web content restrictions are blocking it (Apple Support). Clearing Safari also doesn’t touch browsing history in other apps or any history that websites keep on their own (iPhone User Guide). If you’re clearing Safari because pop-ups keep coming back, see how to stop pop-up ads on iPhone.

How to clear cache in Chrome on iPhone

Chrome keeps its own cache, separate from Safari’s.

  1. Open Chrome, tap More, then tap Delete Browsing Data.
  2. Next to Time Range, choose a duration. The default is only 15 minutes, so pick a longer range if you want older data gone.
  3. Tap Browsing Data and select what to delete. Cached Images and Files is the cache: parts of pages, like text and images, that Chrome keeps so they open faster. Cookies, Site Data covers cookies and other site storage.
  4. Tap Confirm, then Delete Browsing Data.

Some things stay: saved passwords (unless you pick them under Manage other Google data), site permissions, and searches saved to your Google Account. If you’ve saved a type of data to your Google Account, deleting it here removes it from your account and from your other signed-in devices too (Google Chrome Help).

Other browsers keep their own data too, so clear it from that browser’s settings.

How to clear cache for other apps

Start inside the app. Some apps have their own clear-cache button. I’d use it when it’s there: it’s aimed at the cache, while the iOS options below work on the whole app.

Spotify is one. It stores parts of music and podcasts as cache so they play without lagging. To clear it, tap your profile picture, then Settings and privacy > Data-saving and offline, and under Storage, tap Clear next to Clear cache (Spotify Support).

For Instagram, TikTok or any other app, look for a storage, data or cache section in the app’s settings. If you can’t find one, iOS gives you two tools in Settings, and they’re easy to mix up.

Offload apps vs. delete apps on iPhone

Both live in Settings > General > iPhone Storage: tap an app in the list, then choose Offload App or Delete App (Apple Support).

Offload App Delete App
What it removes The app itself The app and its data on your iPhone
What it keeps The app’s documents and data Data stored in iCloud, like photos or documents saved in the app
To get it back Reinstall the app; its documents and data stay Download it again from the App Store and set it up fresh

Offloading frees the space the app itself takes. Because it keeps documents and data, and Apple doesn’t say whether cached files count as either, it isn’t a reliable way to clear an app’s cache.

Deleting is. It “removes it and its data from your iPhone,” while anything the app saved to iCloud stays. You can also delete from the Home Screen: touch and hold the app, tap Remove App, then Delete App and Delete. Available storage can take a moment to update. To reinstall, open the App Store, tap your picture, then Apps & Purchase History and Your Apps (iPhone User Guide). Before you delete, I’d make sure you know the app’s login and that anything you’d miss is synced or saved elsewhere.

To have your iPhone offload unused apps for you when storage is low, go to Settings > Apps > App Store and turn on Offload Unused Apps. Your data stays, and the app’s icon stays on the Home Screen with a cloud symbol; tap it to reinstall (iPhone User Guide). I’d turn this on if you have apps you open a few times a year.

What about System Data?

System Data (Other on some iOS versions) holds non-removable logs and caches, along with Siri voices, fonts and the search index (Apple Support). You can’t clear it from Settings, and if you see it in the storage graph, you don’t need to take any action (Apple Support). If it’s still huge, our storage-full guide covers what people try and why more iCloud space won’t help.

Where Mistero Cleaner fits

Honest version first: Mistero Cleaner can’t clear other apps’ caches, Safari’s cache or System Data. No App Store app can, because of the sandboxing described above.

Mistero Cleaner, part of the Mistero VPN app, works on the photo and video side. The App Store listing says it can “Find similar photos, screenshots, and large videos,” lets you “Review items before removing them,” and can “Compress large photos and videos to save storage space.” Version 4.1.0 added Cleanup Guides, which the release notes describe as “Step-by-step instructions to clear the cache in popular apps and free up storage” (App Store listing, read Nov 1, 2026). Those are instructions, not a button: you still clear each app yourself.

More about the feature: Mistero Cleaner.

Sources

Pricing New subscribers can start a 3-day free trial. After the trial, the subscription renews automatically at $12.99 per week unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the trial ends, in Settings > [your name] > Subscriptions (Apple Support). There's also a one-time Lifetime purchase for $99.99. These are US App Store prices as of October 2026; the purchase screen shows the current price before you confirm.

Frequently asked questions

Can I clear all the cache on my iPhone at once?
No. iOS has no single button for it. You clear Safari in Settings, other browsers in their own menus, and apps one by one. Your iPhone also removes cached and temporary files by itself when it needs space.
Does offloading an app clear its cache?
Don't count on it. Offload App removes the app but keeps its documents and data, and Apple doesn't say whether cached files are part of that. Deleting the app removes it and its data from your iPhone.
Will clearing Safari's cache sign me out of websites?
Expect to sign in to some sites again. Clearing website data removes the data websites use to save login information. Your AutoFill information isn't changed.
How do I clear the Instagram cache on iPhone?
Look in Instagram's own settings for a storage or cache option first. If there isn't one, delete the app and reinstall it from the App Store, which removes its data from your iPhone. Offloading keeps the data.
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