How to Clear Cache on Macbook Pro/Air

November 25, 2020November 10, 2022 David Baddeley

If you’re using a MacbookPro or Air for quite some time, you might notice that your laptop’s performance is not as good as it was the first couple of times you used it. Now, before you go out and buy another Mac, you should know that the issue is totally normal and can be fixed.

Your Macbook’s slow performance can be attributed to the amount of junk accumulated in your laptop with all the data and files you go through every time you use it. Over time, your hard drive gets filled with all kinds of junk data, like caches.

In this article, we’re going to talk about caches, how to remove them from your Macbook Pro or Air, and list out several ways to on how to do that.

What Is Cache?

In layman’s terms, a cache is a set of technical data created whenever you use applications or browse the Internet on your MacBook Pro or air. Their primary function is to enable and expedite MacOS operations so your laptop could work faster.

Apple states that cached data on your Macbook Pro or Air speeds up the data user store in iCloud and the downloading of Apple software by “saving content that local Mac computers, iOS devices, and Apple TV devices have already downloaded.”

And that cached data is “available for other devices to retrieve without going out over the Internet.”

There are three kinds of cache files:

User cache
System cache
Browser cache

Why Should You Delete Macbook’s Cache?

Although cache files are useful in speeding up your Macbook’s processes and tasks, they have a tendency to pile up until they overcrowd your system’s folders. And once they do, that’s when your Macbook becomes slower and sluggish, resulting in poor system performance.

Deleting your cache is one of the first things to do when you want a disk cleanup. They may take up only a small amount of space, but over time they can grow over to hundreds and thousands of megabytes.

It’s really advisable to delete the cache stored on your Macbook now and then so you won’t have to deal with some issues like some data becoming corrupted, affecting other apps, and system performance.

How To Clear User Cache and System Cache

When it comes to the caches stored by the several apps you use on your Macbook, you can choose to delete them manually or automatically.

All the caches of any used apps are stored in the system Library or user Library folders. So if you want to delete every cache manually, that’s where you can find all the junk you need to clear.

If it’s your first time doing this, make sure to always back up a copy of all the contents in every folder you intend to delete in case something goes awry. Please take note that you should only remove the contents of the folders, not the folders themselves.

If you want to know how to delete the cache of a specific app or simply delete all cache files in your Macbook Pro or Air, here are the exact steps to follow:

Step 1: Empty and close all applications on your desktop.

Step 2: Open Finder.

Step 3: In the Go menu, hit on Go to Folder.

Step 4: Input ~/Library/Caches in the search field and open the folder.

Step 5: Select which app folder you want to delete junk items on and move them to Trash.

Step 6: Repeat steps 1-5 but replace ~/Library/Caches with /Library/Caches.

How To Clear Browser Cache

There are three most-used internet browsers on any Macbook — Safari, Google Chrome, and Firefox. Let us break down each cache-clearing method for each browser. We have also included the steps on how to delete the cache of your iTunes, just in case you need a tip!

Google Chrome

Step 1: Open the Google Chrome browser.

Step 2: Go to the Chrome menu and select Preferences.

Step 3: Scroll down until you see the Advanced tab.

Step 4: In the Advanced tab, click Clear browsing data.

Step 5: Deselect everything but Cached images and files.

Step 6: In Time Range, choose All time.

Step 7: Click the Clear Data button.

Firefox

Step 1: On the top-right corner of the Firefox menu, click the hamburger icon.

Step 2: Click on Privacy & Security located on the left sidebar.

Step 3: Hit on the Clear Data button on the right side of the Cookies and Site Data part.

Safari

Step 1: After opening Safari, go to the menu and select Preferences.

Step 2: Click on the Advanced tab.

Step 3: Hit the Show Develop menu in the menu bar.

Step 4: Go to Develop in the menu bar.

Step 5: Click on Empty Caches.

iTunes

Whenever you watch a video or listen to music in iTunes on your Macbook Pro or Air, the data is stored as a cache file in the Cache folder.

When not regularly updated, the accumulated cache files can be a burden on your disk, corrupting data and affecting your iTunes software.

Before you can notice any slow changes in your iTunes’ performance, learn how to delete your iTunes’ cache with these steps:

Step 1: Open iTunes on your Macbook Pro or Air.

Step 2: On the apps menu, click on Preferences.

Step 3: Hit on the Advanced tab.

Step 4: In the middle of the section, click Reset Cache.

How To Delete All Caches In One Click

Deleting app and browser caches manually is a lot of work. For a first-timer, there’s the fear of deleting an important file unintentionally, not to mention it takes quite a while to get done.

If you don’t want to risk any issues or you don’t have the time to delete every cache by hand, the best option would be to invest and download a cache-cleaner app to do the task in a matter of seconds.

CleanMyMac X is a dedicated, easy cache cleaner that deletes any unwanted system caches in a push of the button. Here are the steps to follow:

Step 1: Download CleanMyMac X for free.

Step 2: Open the app and select System Junk.

Step 3: Click on the big Scan button at the bottom of the page.

Step 4: If you only want to delete cache data and nothing else, hit on Review Details.

Step 5: Deselect everything but User Cache and System Cache files, then click Clean.

You can also use CleanMyMac X to fully clean all traces of browser data caches in just a few seconds. Here are the steps to do this:

Step 1: Open CleanMyMac X and click on Privacy Module.

Step 2: Select which browser you want to clear.

Step 3: Choose your selections from the rundown of all your privacy tracks and cache.

Step 4: Click Remove.

Conclusion

Cache files are as useful as they can be when it comes to expediting app processes and browsing speed. However, cache data can also quickly pile up and take a large amount of space in your disk, which is detrimental to your Macbook’s performance.

We really hope that our guide helps you learn the ins and outs of deleting unwanted cache files. We also hope that you check out CleanMyMac X so you could clean up your cache and more in just a few clicks!