How to Clear Cache and Cookies on Your Phone and Computer Without Losing What Matters

When a website loads slowly, shows an old version of a page, or refuses to log you in, clearing the cache and cookies is often the first fix people suggest. It works more often than you might expect. But it also logs you out of sites and forgets some preferences, so it helps to know what you are deleting before you press the button. This guide explains the difference between the two, what you will lose, and the exact steps for the browsers and phones most people in the UK use.

What cache and cookies actually do

The cache is a store of files your browser saves so pages load faster next time: images, styles, and scripts from sites you have visited. When you return to a site, the browser reuses those files instead of downloading them again. Cookies are small pieces of data sites save on your device, often to remember that you are logged in, what is in your basket, or your cookie consent choice. Some cookies also track you across sites for advertising, which is why clearing them can feel like a small privacy win.

The two cause different problems. A stale cache can show you an outdated page or break a site after it has been updated. A problem cookie can trap you in a login loop, where a site keeps forgetting who you are. Clearing both at once fixes most of these glitches, but clearing only the cache is enough if your only problem is an outdated page, and it keeps you logged in.

Before you clear anything

Clearing cookies logs you out of most websites. If you do not remember some passwords, check that they are saved in your browser or a password manager first. Clearing the cache alone does not log you out. Neither step deletes your bookmarks, saved passwords, or downloaded files in most browsers, but the exact options vary, so read the checkboxes before confirming. If you only have trouble with one site, most browsers let you clear data for that site alone, which is the gentlest option and the one to try first.

Clear data for just one site

In Chrome on a computer, open the site, click the padlock or site settings icon in the address bar, choose Site settings, then Clear data. In Safari on a Mac, the simplest route is the full clear below, since per site controls are less direct. On an iPhone, go to Settings, then Safari, then Advanced, then Website Data, where you can remove data for individual sites. On Android, Chrome lets you clear a single site from Site settings under the site’s page. Try this first. If the problem affects every site, move on to a full clear.

How to clear cache and cookies in Chrome

On a computer, open Chrome and press Ctrl and Shift and Delete together on Windows, or Command and Shift and Delete on a Mac. Choose a time range. All time gives the cleanest result, but it logs you out everywhere. Tick Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files, then Clear data. In most recent versions, you can also go to Settings, then Privacy and security, then Delete browsing data, for the same options.

On Android, open Chrome, tap the three dots, then Delete browsing data, and tick the same two boxes. On an iPhone, Chrome uses the same menu, under Settings, then Privacy, then Clear Browsing Data. Close the browser fully afterwards and reopen it, so the change takes effect cleanly.

How to clear cache and cookies in Safari

On a Mac, open Safari, go to Settings, then Privacy, then Manage Website Data, and choose Remove All. That clears cookies and cached data. You can also use Develop, then Empty Caches, if the Develop menu is enabled, to clear only the cache without logging you out. On an iPhone or iPad, go to Settings, then Safari, then Clear History and Website Data. This also clears your browsing history on that device, and on other devices signed into the same iCloud account if Safari syncing is on. In most recent versions the wording is the same, though the exact menu layout can vary slightly.

How to clear cache and cookies in Edge and Firefox

In Edge on a computer, press Ctrl and Shift and Delete, tick Cookies and saved website data and Cached images and files, then Clear now. You can also find the same options under Settings, then Privacy, search, and services. In Firefox, press Ctrl and Shift and Delete, tick Cookies and Cache, choose a time range, and click Clear. Firefox also offers a per site option: right click a page, choose View Page Info, then Clear Cookies and Site Data. In both browsers, closing and reopening the browser after clearing helps the fix stick.

When clearing helps, and when it will not

Clearing cache and cookies helps with outdated pages, broken layouts after a site update, login loops, and some checkout errors. It will not fix a slow broadband connection, a site that is down for everyone, or a phone that is slow because its storage is full. If only one site is broken, clear that site alone first. If every site is slow, the problem is more likely your connection or device, and clearing data repeatedly will not help. As a rule, clear data when you have a specific symptom, not as a daily habit, since a full cache actually makes your regular sites load faster.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will clearing cache and cookies delete my passwords?

In most browsers, no, as long as you only tick cookies and cached images and files. Saved passwords are a separate checkbox. Check what is ticked before confirming, because some clear data screens select more than you expect.

Why am I logged out of everything afterwards?

Cookies are how sites remember you are logged in. Clearing them removes that memory, so you need to sign in again on each site. Your accounts themselves are untouched, and signing in restores them.

How often should I clear cache and cookies?

Only when you have a problem, or every few months if you want a privacy tidy up. Clearing them daily slows down your regular sites, since the browser has to download everything again, and it forces you to log in repeatedly for little benefit.