How to clear Safari cache, history, and cookies on your Mac

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How to clear Safari cache, history, and cookies on your Mac. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

Over time, Safari stores a significant amount of data to help websites load faster. However, outdated or corrupted cache and cookies can cause websites to display incorrectly, lead to login loops, or slow down your overall browsing experience. Clearing this data is a standard first step in troubleshooting most web-based application issues on macOS.

Quick Fix: Clearing History and Cookies

If you need to quickly wipe your browsing data and reset your session, follow these steps:

1. Open Safari.
2. In the top menu bar, click on History.
3. Select Clear History... from the dropdown menu.
4. In the pop-up window, choose the desired time range (e.g., all history).
5. Click Clear History.

Detailed Instructions: Clearing Cache Only

If you wish to clear the website cache without losing your browsing history or saved passwords, you must first enable the Develop menu.

Step 1: Enable the Develop Menu

1. Open Safari.
2. Click Safari in the top menu bar and select Settings... (or use the shortcut Command + ,).
3. Click on the Advanced tab.
4. At the bottom of the window, tick the box for Show features for web developers (in older macOS versions, this is labelled Show Develop menu in menu bar).

Step 2: Empty Caches

1. Close the Settings window.
2. You will now see a new Develop menu in the top menu bar.
3. Click Develop.
4. Select Empty Caches from the list.

Managing Specific Website Data

If only one specific website is causing problems, you can clear the data for that site specifically without affecting your other open tabs or logins.

1. Go to Safari > Settings....
2. Click on the Privacy tab.
3. Click the Manage Website Data... button.
4. Use the search bar to find the specific organisation or website.
5. Select the website and click Remove.
6. Click Done.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Safari is still loading old versions of a page

If a website still appears outdated after clearing the cache, try a "Hard Refresh" to force the browser to download the latest version of the page:

• Press Command + Option + R.

Website login issues persist

If you are unable to log into a portal after clearing data, ensure that your browser is not blocking all cookies:

1. Go to Safari > Settings... > Privacy.
2. Ensure Block all cookies is unchecked.

If these steps do not resolve your issue, please Open a Ticket and our technical team will analyse the problem further.

Still Having Issues?