How to Clear Cache in Chrome


clear cache Chrome

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Chrome is an immensely popular browser option and for good reason. It comes with all sorts of useful additions, and extensions. It’s also widely compatible with tons of devices and software. However, for all its versatility, Chrome does tend to become somewhat sluggish in time. One way to improve this browser’s performance is by clearing Chrome cache. This will remove temporary files, cookies, login information and other data that might make Chrome run slower or take up space on your hard drive. In this guide, we will show to clear cache in Chrome using various operating systems.
clear cache Chrome

Why You Should Clear Cache Chrome for Windows, Mac, and Android

Each one of the operating systems has its own way to clear cache in Chrome. The clear cache Chrome procedures are quite similar. For the purpose of this article, we will be looking how to clear cache in Chrome for three operating systems.
If you are not sure whether you should clear Chrome cache, then perhaps we should see what the cache does in the first place. Generally, internet websites are built to speed up our connectivity as much as possible. For this purpose, websites save a small part of themselves in the browser with each visit, so as to speed up the connection the next time instead of having to pass once more through the server.
Clearing cache Chrome will make initial browsing a bit more difficult, however, it will also make your entire PC work faster. What the process does is to clear those pieces of data so as to make the PC go faster. The data included when clearing your cache and cookies is:

  • Passwords
  • Flash and JavaScript data
  • The browsing history
  • The download history
  • Cookies and site data
  • All Autofill entries

The data not removed when clearing your cookies and cache are as follows:

  • Your content settings
  • Extensions
  • Add-ons
  • Google activity
  • Anything tied to a Google or similar account

How to Clear Cache in Chrome for Windows, Mac, and Android

So we’ve looked at why it is a good idea to clear the cache from time to time. In the following section, we will talk about how to clear cache in Chrome. As you will see, the procedure is quite simple. Depending on when you last cleared your cache, the actual deletion part may take a while however.
clear cache Chrome

How to Clear Cache Chrome for Windows

How to Clear Cache through Chrome

  1. Open a new tab in Chrome;
  2. Click on the Menu button in the upper-right corner of the Chrome window. The Menu page is represented by three dots.
  3. Select the “More tools” option in the Chrome browser menu.
  4. The “More tools” link will open a new menu. Select “Clear browsing history” from this menu.
  5. You can then choose which items you want to delete. Generally, by default, the items selected will be “Browsing history”, “Search history”, “Cached images” and “Cookies”. You can also choose to delete passwords, app data, and other login information.
  6. You can also choose the time frame you want to delete.
  7. Once you have selected the information you want to delete, click on “Clear browsing data”.

This is how to clear cache in Chrome using the built-in cache clearing function. The procedure is not very complicated, but it does involve a few steps. If you find this method of clearing Chrome cache a bit tedious, you may want to consider installing a clear cache Chrome extension. Below, we explain how to clear cache in Chrome using an extension.
clear cache Chrome

How to Clear Cache in Chrome using the Clear Cache Chrome Extension

Before you can use the Clear Cache Chrome extension, you will need to acquire it from the Chrome web store. To get the Clear Cache Chrome extension:

  1. Open your Chrome browser;
  2. Click on the Menu button;
  3. Drag your cursor to the More tools option;
  4. Click the Extensions option, just below the Clear browsing data link;
  5. You will then see a list of the Chrome extensions currently installed. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the “Get more extensions link
  6. The link mentioned earlier will bring you to the Chrome web store. Find the Clear Cache Chrome extension
  7. Click on the big, blue ADD TO CHROME button;
  8. Wait for the extension to install;
  9. Click on the shortcut to the right of the address bar.

The Clear Cache Chrome extension allows you to delete your browsing history with just one click. By using the shortcut to the extension, you can skip quite a lot of steps.

How to Clear Cache in Chrome for Mac

If you’re using a version of iOS, particularly iOS X, the procedure to clear cache Chrome is pretty much the same as for Windows. The iOS version of Chrome is more or less identical. Here’s how to clear cache in Chrome on an Apple device:

  1. Open your browser;
  2. Click on the Chrome menu button on the browser toolbar;
  3. Drag your cursor to the More Tools option;
  4. Wait for the list to drop down;
  5. Click on Clear browsing data…;
  6. Select the time period for your data obliteration;
  7. Select the extent of what you want to be deleted;
  8. Click on Clear browsing data.

The instructions above will work on any Apple device, regardless of whether you want to clear Chrome cache on a desktop, Macbook or mobile device. If you want to know more about how to clear cache on iPhones, you can take look at our extended article on how to clear browsing history on iPhone.
clear cache Chrome

How to Clear Cache in Chrome for Android

If you have an Android device, chances are you have Chrome installed as your default browser. Naturally, it is quite easy to clear cache in Chrome from an Android device.

  1. Get your mobile device;
  2. Open Google Chrome;
  3. Click on the Menu button (the three vertical dots);
  4. Tap on the Settings option;
  5. Click on Privacy;
  6. Scroll to the bottom of the page;
  7. Click on Clear browsing data;
  8. Make sure that you check every box you want to be cleared;
  9. Tap on CLEAR DATA.

These are ways in which you can clear cache in Chrome. Since the basic clear cache Chrome extension is part of the browser, not the device you are using it on. it’s quite likely that these instructions will be useful regardless of what device you are using.
If you know of any other ways how to clear cache in Chrome, please share them with us in the comments!
Image sources: 1, 2

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