You've probably noticed it. Your MacBook, once a sleek speed demon, starts behaving like it’s wading through waist-deep molasses. Safari hangs for three seconds when you try to open a new tab. Chrome is eating your RAM like a competitive eater at a hot dog contest. Most "tech gurus" will tell you to just "clear your stuff," but honestly, most people have no idea what they're actually deleting when they look for how to clear cache and cookies on Mac systems.
It's not just about "cleaning." It's about understanding why your computer is hoarding data in the first place.
The Difference Between Trash and Tools
Cache files aren't inherently evil. In fact, they’re supposed to help you. When you visit a site like Reddit or The Verge, your browser saves images, scripts, and logos so it doesn't have to download them again the next time you visit. That's the cache. Cookies are different; they are tiny snippets of data that remember you’re logged in or what’s in your shopping cart.
The problem? These files get corrupted. Or they just get massive. I’ve seen user folders where the "Caches" library was taking up 40GB of space. That’s forty gigabytes of digital dust bunnies slowing down your NVMe drive.
Why macOS Hates a Full Drive
Macs use something called "swap memory." When your RAM fills up, macOS uses your hard drive space as temporary RAM. If your drive is choked with ancient cache files from an app you uninstalled in 2022, your system can't "breathe." It’s a bottleneck.
How to Clear Cache and Cookies on Mac (The Safari Method)
If you're using the native browser, Apple hides the most powerful cleaning tools by default. They think you're going to break something. You probably won't, but you need to be intentional.
First, open Safari. Look at the top menu bar. If you don't see a "Develop" menu, go to Settings (or Command + Comma), click the Advanced tab, and check the box at the very bottom that says "Show features for web developers."
Now, look at that new Develop menu.
Click it.
Select Empty Caches.
That’s it for the heavy lifting. But wait, that didn't touch your cookies. For those, you have to go back to Settings, hit the Privacy tab, and click Manage Website Data. You'll see a massive list of every site that has a piece of you stored on your Mac. You can nukes them all by hitting "Remove All," but be warned: you will be logged out of every single website. Every. Single. One. If you don't have your passwords saved in a manager like 1Password or iCloud Keychain, maybe don't hit that button yet.
Chrome is a Different Beast
Google Chrome doesn't care about Apple’s design philosophy. It manages its own junk. To handle how to clear cache and cookies on Mac when using Chrome, you hit Command + Shift + Delete. This is the "Nuclear Shortcut."
A window pops up. You get to choose a time range. "Last hour" is basically useless unless you just visited a site that broke your layout. You want "All time."
- Browsing history: Clear it if you're paranoid.
- Cookies and other site data: This fixes "400 Bad Request" errors.
- Cached images and files: This is the one that actually frees up disk space.
I usually tell people to leave "Passwords and other sign-in data" unchecked. There is nothing more annoying than clearing your cache and realizing you don't remember your banking password.
The "Secret" System Caches
Most people stop at the browser. That’s a mistake. Your Mac itself—the operating system—stores caches for apps like Spotify, Adobe Creative Cloud, and even macOS updates.
Go to your Desktop. Press Command + Shift + G. This opens the "Go to Folder" box.
Type this exactly: ~/Library/Caches
You are now looking at the guts of your user-level software. You’ll see folders like com.spotify.client or com.adobe.Photoshop. If you’ve noticed a specific app acting glitchy, find its folder here and drag the contents to the Trash. Do not delete the folders themselves, just the stuff inside them.
✨ Don't miss: Why Your VHS Video to Digital Converter is Probably Gathering Dust (and How to Actually Use It)
Then, and this is the part people forget, empty your Trash. Your Mac doesn't actually gain any speed until those files are physically wiped from the index.
A Warning on System Caches
You might see another folder if you go to /Library/Caches (without the tilde ~). This is the root library. Leave this alone. These are system-level files. Deleting them won't necessarily break your Mac, but it will make your next boot-up take forever as the OS struggles to rebuild essential components. Stick to the user folder.
The DNS Cache: The Invisible Speed Killer
Sometimes you can't reach a website not because of a cookie, but because your Mac remembers an old "address" for it. This is the DNS cache. If a website recently moved servers, you’ll get a 404 even if the site is live.
To fix this, you need the Terminal. Don't be scared.
- Open Terminal (Command + Space, type "Terminal").
- Paste this:
sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder - Hit Enter.
- Type your Mac password (you won't see any dots appearing while you type).
- Hit Enter again.
Your internet might flicker for a second. That's normal. You just cleared the digital cobwebs from your network pathing.
When "Cleaning" Goes Wrong
There's a reason Apple makes this slightly annoying. Over-cleaning is a thing. If you clear your cache every single morning, your Mac will actually run slower.
Think about it. Every time you open a site, your Mac has to re-download every image and script. That uses battery, data, and CPU cycles. You should only be looking into how to clear cache and cookies on Mac if you're experiencing specific bugs, your drive is nearly full, or you're concerned about your privacy before selling the machine.
Third-Party Apps: Friend or Foe?
You've seen the ads for CleanMyMac X or DaisyDisk. Are they worth it? Honestly, it depends on how much you value your time. DaisyDisk is fantastic for visualizing where the space went, but it doesn't "clean" for you. CleanMyMac does the steps I mentioned above with one click.
If you're tech-savvy, do it manually. Save the $40. If you’re someone who hates digging through the Library folder, the software is fine, just stay away from the "Free Mac Cleaner" apps that look like pop-ups. Those are usually malware in a trench coat. Real experts like Howard Oakley from The Eclectic Light Company often point out that macOS is actually pretty good at self-maintenance, so you don't need to run these tools weekly. Once a quarter is plenty.
The Forgotten Cache: App Store and Downloads
Sometimes, macOS downloaders get stuck. You try to update Ventura or Sonoma, and it just sits there. This is often a "com.apple.appstore" cache issue.
If you go back to that ~/Library/Caches folder and find the App Store folder, nuking those files can often "unstick" a stalled update. It's a niche trick, but it saves a trip to the Genius Bar.
Practical Next Steps
Stop looking for a "magic button" and follow this order of operations:
- Identify the culprit: Is it just one website? Clear cookies for just that site in Safari/Chrome settings.
- The Browser Nuke: If the whole browser is slow, use the "Empty Caches" developer tool in Safari or the Shift-Command-Delete shortcut in Chrome.
- The Library Purge: Use the
~/Library/Cachesshortcut to see if any specific app (like Spotify or Teams) is hoarding more than 2GB of data. - Restart your Mac: This is the most underrated step. A reboot clears out "inactive memory" and temporary system swap files that manual cleaning can't touch.
- Check your Login Items: Go to System Settings > General > Login Items. If twenty apps are starting up and building caches the second you turn on your computer, no amount of cleaning will keep it fast. Turn off anything you don't need daily.
Cleaning your Mac isn't about getting a "perfect" machine; it's about removing the friction between you and your work. Do it once, do it right, and then get back to what you were doing.