- Clearing the cached data on your Mac deletes the temporary media files, such as images and text files, that it collects from websites you visit.
- Clearing your cache regularly can help protect your identity and make your computer’s applications run more efficiently.
- Even if your shortcut buttons aren’t working, it’s simple to delete cached files from your Mac.
- You may have heard that clearing the cache on your various electronic devices is important now and then. But what exactly is caching, and why is it used by our devices?
Cached data is made up of various temporary files that exist on a specific area of your computer. Cached data on your Mac computer, according to Apple, speeds up the download of Apple software and data stored in iCloud by “saving content that local Mac computers, iOS devices, and Apple TV devices have already downloaded,” and cached data is “available for other devices to retrieve without going out over the Internet.”
Caching is especially important if your Mac is connected to the internet via wired ethernet rather than Wi-Fi. According to Apple, the best performance will be obtained when it is connected to your network via Gigabit Ethernet.
However, if your Mac is set to cache, that data must be cleared regularly in order for your computer to run more efficiently. This is because clearing your cache can help protect your identity, improve the performance of apps on your computer, and prevent you from using outdated forms that your Mac collected when you first visited a website.
Here’s what you need to know to clear the cache on your Mac.
Shortcuts for clearing the cache on your Mac
Shortcuts make clearing your Mac’s cache extremely quick and simple. Here’s how to go about it:
- With your Finder window open, press shift-command-G.
- Type the command /Library/Caches into the search box.
- Press the “Go” button. This will take you to a folder containing all of your Mac’s cached files.
- To select all folders, press command-A.
- Press the command-delete key.
- A pop-up will appear asking you to confirm that you want to delete all of those files, and you’ll need to enter your Mac’s password to proceed.
Please keep in mind that if you have any open windows, you will most likely see a folder in there. It should otherwise be completely empty.
How to Clear Your Mac’s Cache Without Using Shortcuts
If your keyboard isn’t working properly or the command keys aren’t working properly, you can still clear the cache on your Mac. It simply takes a little more time. Here’s how you do it:
- Close or minimize all open windows so that the top toolbar says “Finder.”
- Click “Go.” Click “Go to Folder” under that.
- Type the following into the search box: ~/Library/Caches
- Select “Go” to access the folder containing all of your Mac’s cached files.
- Return to the toolbar at the top of the screen and select “Edit,” then “Select All.”
- In the toolbar at the top of the screen, select “Move to Trash” under “File.”
- To clear your computer’s cache, enter your Mac’s password in the action-confirmation pop-up.
