How to clear the cache on a macbook air

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Things You Should Know
About This Article
Is this article up to date?
Should I clear the cache on my macbook air?
How do I clear my cache and cookies on Mac?
What happens if I delete all cache files on Mac?
Is it OK to clear cache on Mac?

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This wikiHow teaches you how to clear the cache of temporary system files that your Mac stores as you use it, as well as how to clear the Safari browser's cache of temporary Internet files. Keep in mind that clearing the system cache can cause your Mac to freeze or crash unexpectedly; this is a normal response to clearing the cache.

Things You Should Know

Clear your system cache by closing as many programs as possible. Then, go to Finder > Go > Go to Folder….
Type ~/Library/ and click Go. Open the "Caches" folder and drag all of the contents of the folder to the Trash. Then, empty your trash.
To clear cache on Safari, open Safari and go to Safari > Preferences… > Advanced. Check "Show Develop menu in menu bar". Click Develop > Empty Caches.

1
Close as many open programs as possible. Open programs use files from the "Cache" folder, so you won't be able to remove as many cached files as you like if you have multiple programs open.
2
Go to your Mac's Finder. Do this by clicking on your Desktop image or on the blue smiley-face icon on the far left in your Dock.
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3
Click Go. It's in the menu bar at the top of the screen. A drop-down menu will appear.
4
Click Go to Folder…. You'll find this option near the bottom of the Go drop-down menu. Doing so opens a text box.
5
Enter the "Library" folder path. Type ~/Library/ into the text box.
6
Click Go. It's a blue button in the bottom-right corner of the text box. This will open the Library folder, in which you should find a folder named "Caches".
7
Double-click the "Caches" folder. This folder should be near the top of the Finder window, but scroll down to find it if it isn't there.
8
Select the "Caches" folder's contents. Click one item or folder in the "Caches" folder, then press ⌘ Command+A. Doing so selects everything in the "Caches" folder.
9
Delete the "Caches" folder's contents. Click the File menu item at the top of the screen, then click Move Items to Trash in the drop-down menu. The "Caches" folder's contents will be moved to the Trash.
- If you receive an error telling you that one or more of the files can't be deleted, they're being used by a program that's currently open. Skip deleting these files for now, then try deleting them later when the programs in question aren't open.
10
Click Finder. It's a menu item in the top-left corner of the screen. A drop-down menu will appear.
11
Click Empty Trash…. This option is in the Finder drop-down menu.
12
Click OK when prompted. Doing so will empty the trash, thus completely clearing the cache files from your Mac.

1
Open Safari. The Safari app icon resembles a blue compass, and can usually be found in your Mac's Dock at the bottom of the screen.
2

Click Safari. It's a menu item in the top-left corner of the screen. A drop-down menu will appear.
- If you see a Develop menu item in the bar at the top of the screen, click it instead, then skip ahead to the "Click Empty Caches" step.
3
Click Preferences…. It's near the top of the Safari drop-down menu. A new window will open.
4
Click the Advanced tab. You'll find it on the far right side of the Preferences window.
5
Check the "Show Develop menu in menu bar" box. It's at the bottom of the Preferences window. This adds the Develop tab to the menu bar for Safari.
6
Click Develop. It's an option in the menu bar at the top of the screen. A drop-down menu will appear.
7
Click Empty Caches. You'll see it in the Develop drop-down menu. Doing so will automatically clear your Mac's Safari cache.
- You won't see a pop-up window or a confirmation notice when the cache is cleared.

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Question
How do I clean up my Mac?

Gonzalo Martinez is the President of CleverTech, a tech repair business in San Jose, California founded in 2014. CleverTech LLC specializes in repairing Apple products. CleverTech pursues environmental responsibility by recycling aluminum, display assemblies, and the micro components on motherboards to reuse for future repairs. On average, they save 2 lbs - 3 lbs more electronic waste daily than the average computer repair store.

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Shutting down your Mac completely clears your cache. It's a good idea to completely shut down your computer routinely to make sure there aren't applications that you quit but are still taking up some RAM space.
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How do I speed up a MacBook Pro?

Margaret Althea Elvenshadow
Community Answer
If you're using Google Chrome as your browser, look at the top right corner, at the end of the search bar. You should see three dots in a vertical line. Click on them. A list should pop up. Mouse over the option that says "More Tools," and click "Clear Browsing Data." If you're using Safari as your browser, look up at the Apple menu bar at the top, that has "File" and "Edit" and all that jazz. If you see an option that says "Develop," click on it. Near the bottom of the list, there is an option that says "Empty cache." Select it. If you don't see "Develop," click "Safari>Preferences>Advanced Settings>Show Develop Menu in menu bar."
Question
The operation Empty Trash cant be completed because the item "Cache.db" is in use. How can I solve this issue?

Open the Terminal app and type: sudo rm -r ~/.Trash

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It's normally a good idea to restart your computer once the cache has been cleared since clearing the cache can cause your Mac to run into errors or glitches until you restart it.
As a small thank you, we’d like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full price—wine, food delivery, clothing and more. Enjoy!
As a small thank you, we’d like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full price—wine, food delivery, clothing and more. Enjoy!

Clearing the system cache may cause your Mac to crash. While your Mac should restart and begin working again without any problems, make sure that your work is saved and that you've exited any open programs before clearing the system cache.
As a small thank you, we’d like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full price—wine, food delivery, clothing and more. Enjoy!

About This Article

Article SummaryX

1. Close open programs.
2. Open Finder.
3. Click Go.
4. Click Go to Folder...
5. Type “Library” for the folder path.
6. Click Go.
7. Double-click Caches.
8. Delete all files in the folder.
9. Click the Finder menu.
10. Click Empty Trash.

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Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 737,134 times.

Is this article up to date?

Should I clear the cache on my macbook air?

Over time, some cache files might become corrupted and affect the stability of the software. Old caches load outdated content on web pages. You should remove caches and cookies if you want to delete your personal data stored by websites and applications.

How do I clear my cache and cookies on Mac?

To clear cache and cookies: From the home screen, Select Settings > Safari. At the bottom of Safari's settings screen, Select Clear cookies and data or Clear Cookies and Clear Cache. Confirm when prompted.

What happens if I delete all cache files on Mac?

It is not always safe to delete the system cache But be careful—if you delete a file that macOS needs to keep the system running, your Mac could freeze up. Clearing the system cache will not speed up your Mac. Cache is designed to make it faster for apps and services to load.

Is it OK to clear cache on Mac?

You can delete cache files on your Mac without having to worry about it acting up. This is because the important files will just load back when needed. However, you have to be careful not to delete files that are important for running your system.