How to Clear Safari Cache on Mac

Method 2: Remove data for one website

When a single site misbehaves (a login loop, a stuck basket, a page that will not update), clear just that site and keep the rest.

1. Choose Safari > Settings, then click Privacy.
2. Click Manage Website Data.
3. Select the website, or several websites, in the list.
4. Click Remove.

These are Apple’s current steps (Apple: Clear your cache and cookies in Safari on Mac). Expect to be signed out of that site, so have the password to hand before you start.

Method 3: Remove all cookies and website data

This is the full reset for site data. It fixes the widest range of problems and signs you out of almost everything.

1. Choose Safari > Settings, then click Privacy.
2. Click Manage Website Data.
3. Click Remove All, then confirm.

Apple adds a note worth reading before you click: “Removing cookies and website data in Safari may change or remove them in other apps” (Apple).

Method 4: Clear history

1. Choose History > Clear History.
2. Click the pop-up menu and choose how far back to clear.
3. Confirm with Clear History.

Apple lists what this removes: the pages you visited, the back and forward list, frequently visited sites, recent searches, webpage icons and snapshots, the list of downloads (the downloaded files stay), sites added for Quick Website Search, and sites that asked for your location or to send notifications (Apple: Clear your browsing history in Safari on Mac).

Two things to know. If Safari syncs through iCloud, Apple says the history “is removed from all of them”, meaning your iPhone and iPad as well. And Apple’s current list does not mention the cache or cookies, while many older guides say Clear History wipes those too. If your goal is an empty cache, use Method 1 or Method 3 rather than relying on Clear History.

Where Safari keeps its cache on disk

Safari’s cache lives in your user Library at:

~/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari

Much of Safari’s other data sits in its app container at ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Safari. Both folders exist on a Mac running macOS Sequoia 15.7, but try to list the cache folder in Terminal and you will probably see this:

ls ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari
ls: /Users/you/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari: Operation not permitted

That message is macOS privacy protection at work. Safari’s data is one of the categories that only apps with Full Disk Access can read. Apple describes the setting as allowing “apps to access all files on your computer, including data from other apps”, with Safari named as an example (Apple: Change Privacy & Security settings on Mac). You grant it in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access.

You could give Terminal that access and delete files by hand, but there is little reason to. The Develop menu and Manage Website Data clear the same data while Safari is aware of it, which avoids corrupting its databases mid-write. If you do grant Full Disk Access to anything, remove it again when you are finished.

Never delete the whole ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Safari folder. It holds far more than cache.

Is clearing the Safari cache worth it for disk space?

Sometimes. Safari’s cache is rebuilt as you browse, so clearing it frees space only until you visit the same sites again. If your Mac is short on space, the cache is rarely the main cause. Start with how to check storage on Mac and the broader guide to clearing cache on Mac, and look at System Data if that bar is the large one. Using Chrome as well? The steps are different: see how to clear Chrome cache on Mac.

The faster way: MacWipe

MacWipe’s Smart Scan checks caches, logs, the Trash and browser data in one pass, including Safari’s cache folder and Safari traces such as history and cookies. Because those sit behind macOS privacy protection, MacWipe needs Full Disk Access to reach them, and it asks for it when it does. It leaves Safari’s history and cookie files alone while Safari is open, so it never touches those databases mid-write.

You see every item and why it is safe before anything goes. Caches are deleted, since Safari rebuilds them; history and cookie files go to the Trash. MacWipe runs on macOS 14 Sonoma or later, on Apple silicon and Intel. It is signed with a Developer ID and notarised by Apple.

Download MacWipe and run a free scan.

FAQ

How do I clear the Safari cache without deleting my history?

Turn on Show features for web developers in Safari > Settings > Advanced, then choose Develop > Empty Caches. History, cookies and logins stay as they are.

Will clearing the Safari cache sign me out of websites?

Emptying the cache does not. Removing cookies and website data does, which is what Manage Website Data > Remove or Remove All does. Apple warns it “may also sign you out of websites”.

Will I lose my saved passwords or bookmarks?

No. Saved passwords and bookmarks are kept apart from the cache and website data, and none of the methods above list them among what gets removed. Clearing history does remove the list of downloads, though the files themselves stay.

Why does my Mac say “Operation not permitted” when I open the Safari cache folder?

macOS protects Safari’s data. Only apps you add under System Settings > Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access can read it. Use Safari’s own Develop menu or Manage Website Data instead.