How to Clear the Cache on Mac and Recover a LOT of Storage Space

Surely you’ve heard on occasion talk about the memory of the Mac (and other computers), but do you really know what it is?

Cache files are basically temporary data that computers save to speed up certain processes. For example, browsers save static files from web pages that you visit so you do not have to download them again if you re-enter that web and some applications save other information seeking to be more agile.

In principle the idea of ​​the cache files is very good, the problem is that these files accumulate and can occupy a lot of storage space on hard drives or SSDs, which can cause a slowdown in a Mac in place of the effect they should cause.

Solving this problem is as simple as performing regular maintenance on computers and clearing the cache periodically.

There are three different types of cache that can be a problem of space on any Mac: user cache, system cache, and browser cache.

In the following lines, we will explain two ways to clean all these types of cache: one almost automatically using a cleaning software such as CleanMyMac X and another manual completely manual.

Clean the Mac cache quickly and easily with CleanMyMac X

Using CleanMyMac X to clean the cache of a Mac is a great idea, since you will recover a lot of storage space and you will not waste a lot of time doing many steps to do the cleaning manually.

The steps you must follow to clear the cache of a Mac with this application are:

1. Download, install and run CleanMyMac X on the Mac.
2. Click on the Trash option of the system and start the process by clicking on Analyze.
3. Click on the Clean button.

This is all, after taking these three steps the software will take care of deleting all the cache files and other unnecessary items that take up storage space on the computer. Depending on the use of the equipment and the time it does not clean, the space that can be recovered can be very important (more than 12 GB on my Mac at the time of writing these lines as you can see in the screenshot of CleanMyMac X, but in computers where cleaning has never been done I have seen figures of more than 120 GB).

Clear user cache and applications on Mac manually

The user cache is the one that occupies the most space in the units of the Mac. In this section, it is common to release several gigabytes and this improves the overall speed of the system.

To clear the user and application cache manually, you must do the following:

1. Open a Finder window and click on the option Go – Go to the folder.
2. Type ~ / Library / Caches and press enter to access it. Optionally you can copy all the content to another folder in case something happens when performing the following steps, in some cases, the app developers keep important information inside the cache folder and having a backup can solve possible problems in the future.
3. Enter each of the folders and delete their contents (it is not advisable to delete the folders directly, only its content).

Repeat the previous steps, but in the second step type the path/Library/Caches.

Once all the steps are finished, empty the Recycle Bin to actually recover the storage space. It is also advisable to restart the Mac so that macOS can begin to create the cache correctly again.

Clean the browser cache

Seeking that the experience of navigating through Interner is more satisfactory, browsers keep information in cache to, in theory, accelerate the loading of web pages.

This information is useful in the sites you visit on a regular basis, but not in places where you once accessed something specific and have never returned. All that information is stored in the storage unit of the Mac taking up space and causing the entire system to suffer.

In addition, for privacy reasons, it is also advisable to delete the browsing history along with the cache after all nobody likes that other people can see the pages that you have accessed from your computer.

The way to eliminate the cache memory in each browser is different, so then we explain the steps to clean it in the main ones: Safari, Chrome, and Firefox.

Delete cache files in Safari

Deleting the cache in Safari is as simple as clicking on the History menu and choosing the Clear history option. The problem is that this option will not only erase the cache, but it will also erase the history and, although recommended, you may not want to do that.

To be able to empty the Safari cache and not delete the history, you must do the following:

1. Click on Safari – Preferences in the menu bar.
2. Access the Advanced tab and check the Show the development menu box in the menu bar.
3. Now click on Development in the menu bar and click on the option Empty caches.

Delete cache files in Chrome

Chrome has a quite powerful option to eliminate temporary files, history, cookies and other temporary information generated by the browser. Thanks to it you can choose what you want to eliminate and what you want to keep easily.

The steps you must follow to erase history are the following:

1. Click on the icon with the three vertical points in the upper right corner and choose the option Configuration.
2. Click on the option Show advanced settings in the lower part of the window.
3. Click on the Clear navigation data button.
4. Mark the contents you want to delete (Files and images stored in cache if you only want to delete the cache) and click on Clear browsing data.

Remove Firefox cache

In the case of Firefox the steps to follow are the following:

1. Click on the History menu and choose the option Clear recent history.
2. In the new window choose the option All in the drop-down menu.
3. Click on details and leave only the cache option checked.
4. Click on the Clear Now button.

This is it, with these steps you will eliminate the cache of the main browsers. If you are a user of others, the steps to follow will be similar to one of these three, but if you do not find them you can leave a comment and we will try to help you out.

Finally, in all cases, it is advisable to close and open the browser so that the process is completed 100% and then avoid any type of problem.

Release of removable space

In addition to the cache and temporary files of the first point, the Macs also generate other types of files that can be deleted without consequences, but that the system saves until the free space of the disk or SSD memory is very little.

The problem is that doing it in this way can have certain negative consequences and one of them is that it is not released at the time you need it, so being able to delete these files manually is an advantage.

1. Run CleanMyMac and access the Maintenance function .
2. Select the option Releases removable space and clicks on the Execute button.

After these steps, the software will be put to work and after a few minutes (it will take more or less depending on the amount of data to be cleaned) will inform you that the process has finished and space has been free on your Mac. As you can see in the above capture, in my case it was able to release something more than 7 GB, but minutes before it had released something more than 30 GB (see the last execution date at the bottom of the screenshot).

Another very good way to recover storage space on Mac and that few people know.

Manual or automatic cleaning with the help of software?

Here everyone will have their opinion and perform this important task as they prefer. Personally, I am left with the option to use CleanMyMac X, since I can save a lot of time and use it to do other things more satisfactory. In addition, the software has other very useful functions for day to day as the uninstaller or the application updater.

And you? Do you prefer a manual or automatic?

Also See:Apple changes free batteries of some 13-inch MacBook Pro without Touch Bar manufactured between 2016 and 2017