How to Clear Cache on iPhone (iOS 27): Safari, Chrome & Apps

A website that won't load properly, a page that keeps showing an old version, or an iPhone that's running low on storage. Clearing the cache is one of the first fixes worth trying. The catch is that iPhone doesn't have a single "clear all cache" button, so the steps depend on whether you're dealing with Safari, Chrome or another app.

The steps below follow Apple's and Google's official support pages, checked on November 8, 2026, and use the current Settings layout, where browser settings live under Settings > Apps. That layout is the same in iOS 26 and iOS 27. Apple's security releases page lists iOS 27.2 (released October 26, 2026) as the latest version, and iOS 27 runs on iPhone 11 and later, so the steps work on everything from iPhone 11 to iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Quick answer: for Safari, go to Settings > Apps > Safari > Clear History and Website Data. To keep your history, use Settings > Apps > Safari > Advanced > Website Data > Remove All Website Data instead. For Chrome, open Chrome and tap More > Delete Browsing Data. Other apps don't have an iOS-wide cache button: use the app's own setting if it has one (TikTok and Facebook do), or delete and reinstall the app.

Which method do you need?

What is cache on an iPhone?

Cache is temporary data that apps and browsers store so things load faster next time. A browser saves images, scripts and parts of pages you've visited. A streaming or social app might save thumbnails and previews. Most of the time this helps, but cached files can go stale or pile up.

How to clear Safari cache on iPhone

According to Apple Support, you have two options.

Option 1: Clear history, cache and cookies

1. Open Settings, tap Apps, then tap Safari.
2. Scroll down and tap Clear History and Website Data.
3. Choose the timeframe you want to clear, then tap Clear History.

This doesn't change your AutoFill information. If the button is grey, there's either nothing to clear or Screen Time content restrictions are switched on.

Option 2: Clear cache and cookies but keep your history

1. Open Settings > Apps > Safari, tap Advanced, then Website Data.
2. Tap Remove All Website Data.
3. Tap Remove Now.

Use this if you want to fix loading problems but still find sites in your history. Expect to sign in again on some websites.

Clear the cache for just one website

If only one site is misbehaving, you don't need to wipe everything. On the same Website Data screen, find the site (there's a search box at the top), swipe left on it and tap Delete. You stay signed in everywhere else.

Delete a site from your history instead

If you only want a page gone from your history (not its cached files), Apple's current steps are: open Safari, go to your Start Page, tap the History button, tap More, then Select Websites. Pick the sites you want gone and tap the Trash button.

How to clear Chrome cache on iPhone

Chrome has its own cache, separate from Safari. Following Google's Chrome Help page:

1. Open Chrome.
2. Tap More (the three dots), then Delete Browsing Data.
3. Next to Time Range, pick a duration. The default is only 15 minutes, so change it to a longer range if you want a real clean-up.
4. Tap Browsing Data and select Cached Images and Files (and cookies or history if you want those gone too). Tap Confirm.
5. Tap Delete Browsing Data.

Shortcut: Google says you can type "Delete browsing data" into Chrome's address bar and tap the action chip to jump straight to that screen. Clearing Cached Images and Files alone doesn't sign you out of websites; ticking Cookies, Site Data does. Saved passwords aren't removed unless you go into Passwords and passkeys separately.

If you're signed in to Chrome with sync, deleting history also removes it from your other devices that use the same Google Account.

How to clear app cache on iPhone

Unlike Android, iOS doesn't give you a "Clear Cache" button for each app. Here's what you can do instead.

Check the app's own settings first

Some apps have a built-in clear-cache option, which is the only way to clear an app's cache on iPhone without deleting the app. See the TikTok, Facebook and Instagram steps below.

Offload the app

1. Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage.
2. Tap the app.
3. Tap Offload App, then reinstall it from the same screen.

Offloading frees the storage used by the app itself but keeps its documents and data, as Apple explains. That means it usually doesn't clear the app's cache, which is stored with that data. It's still a good fix for an app that's acting up, because you get a fresh copy of the app without losing your files or sign-in.

Delete and reinstall the app

On the same screen, Delete App removes the app and its data (see how to delete apps on iPhone for every method). Reinstalling gives you a fresh start, but you may need to sign in again and could lose anything that wasn't backed up or synced. Deleting an app doesn't close your account, though; if you're done with TikTok for good, here's how to delete your TikTok account.

Good to know: Apple says iPhone removes cached and temporary files on its own when it needs more space, so you don't have to do this regularly.

How to clear cache for Instagram, TikTok and Facebook on iPhone

These are the apps people most often want to clean up. Menu names change from time to time, so if a label doesn't match, use the search box inside the app's settings and type "cache" or "storage".

TikTok

TikTok has a proper cache button on iPhone:

1. Open TikTok and tap Profile.
2. Tap the Menu button (three lines) at the top right, then Settings and privacy.
3. Scroll down and tap Free up space.
4. Tap Clear next to Cache, then confirm.

You stay signed in, and your posted videos, messages and drafts aren't touched. Downloads and Drafts are listed separately on the same screen, so only clear those if you mean to.

Facebook

Facebook lets you clear the cache of its built-in browser (the pages you open from links inside the app), as Facebook's Help Center describes:

1. Open Facebook and tap the Menu (three lines), then Settings & privacy > Settings.
2. Tap Browser.
3. Tap Clear next to Cookies and cache, then confirm.

You can also get there by opening any link in Facebook, tapping the Options (three dots) at the top right, then Settings. This doesn't sign you out of Facebook. To clear the rest of the app's stored data, delete and reinstall Facebook.

Instagram

The Instagram app for iPhone has no clear-cache button (Android users can clear it in phone settings, iPhone users can't). Your options are:

• Clear recent searches: tap the search tab, tap in the search bar, then See all > Clear all.
• Delete and reinstall Instagram: go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Instagram > Delete App, then download it again from the App Store. This is the only way to fully clear Instagram's cache on iPhone. Your posts, messages and followers are stored on Instagram's servers, so they come back when you sign in. Unposted drafts saved on the phone can be lost, so post or save them first, and make sure you know your password.

The same delete-and-reinstall method works for YouTube, WhatsApp, Snapchat and most other apps without a built-in option. For WhatsApp, back up your chats first in WhatsApp > Settings > Chats > Chat Backup.

How to clear System Data on iPhone

If Settings > General > iPhone Storage shows a large grey System Data (or Other) bar, that's mostly caches, logs and system files. Apple says iPhone deletes cached and temporary files by itself when it needs space, and there's no button to clear them. What tends to help:

1. Restart your iPhone. This clears some temporary files and memory.
2. Clear Safari website data and big app caches using the steps above.
3. Delete old message attachments: in iPhone Storage, tap Messages and review large attachments.
4. Use the recommendations at the top of the iPhone Storage screen.
5. Update iOS in Settings > General > Software Update.

As a last resort, backing up and erasing the phone resets System Data completely. Only do that if storage is still a problem, and follow how to factory reset iPhone so you don't lose anything.

Does clearing cache free up space on iPhone?

A little, but less than most people expect. Apple's storage guide says cached and temporary data might not even count in the app sizes you see, and that iPhone removes cached and temporary files on its own when space runs low. So clearing cache is mainly a fix for things that look or behave wrong, not a storage tool.

If space is the real problem, these free up far more:

1. Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage and tap Show All next to the recommendations. Tap Enable on the ones that make sense, such as offloading unused apps.
2. Sort through the biggest apps in the list. Offload or delete the ones you don't use.
3. Review large videos in Photos and big attachments in Messages.
4. Remove offline downloads, like saved music, maps or videos, from inside the apps that store them.

If you need a clean slate for one app, use the TikTok or Facebook buttons above, or delete and reinstall it.

What about clearing RAM on iPhone?

There's no RAM-clearing button, and you don't need one: iOS manages memory on its own. If the phone feels slow or an app is stuck, swipe up from the bottom and pause to open the app switcher, swipe the stuck app away, or restart the iPhone. If it's frozen and won't respond, use a force restart; here's how to hard reset iPhone.

What happens when you clear cache?

• Pages may load a little slower at first, because the browser has to download images and files again.
• You may be signed out of websites if you also clear cookies.
• Old or broken versions of pages are replaced with fresh ones, which often fixes display problems.
• Some storage is freed up.
• Your saved passwords and photos are not deleted by clearing browser cache. Safari's option also doesn't change your AutoFill information.

Clearing cache didn't fix it?

Still having trouble? If a page still won't load after clearing cache, check you're on the right Wi-Fi and that Settings shows a normal IP (not a 169.254 address) — here's what an IP address is and how to find yours. If your AirPods are acting up too, see how to reset AirPods. To capture an error message before you clear anything, here's how to screenshot on iPhone. Missing calls or texts from someone? Check you haven't blocked them with our guide on how to unblock a number on iPhone. And if the phone is frozen, learn how to turn off iPhone or force restart it.

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