If you’re an iPhone user, you might be wondering how to clear Safari cache on iPhone. Clearing your Safari cache, history, cookies, and browsing data can help improve your browser’s performance and free up storage space. It also helps protect your privacy by removing stored information about websites you’ve visited.
How to Clear Safari Cache, History, and Cookies on iPhone
Clearing the Safari cache on your iPhone is simple and quick. Follow these easy steps to remove your browsing data, including your history, cookies, and cache. Doing this regularly can help maintain your device’s performance and ensure that you aren’t storing unnecessary data.
Step 1: Open the Settings App
The first step in clearing your Safari data is to open the Settings app on your iPhone. This app is where you can manage all the settings for your device, including your Safari preferences.
Step 2: Navigate to Safari Settings
Once you’re in the Settings app, scroll down and find Safari under the list of apps. Tap on it to open the Safari settings.
Step 3: Clear History and Website Data
Within the Safari settings, you will see an option labeled Clear History and Website Data. Tap on this option, and a pop-up window will appear, asking you to confirm your action. Once confirmed, Safari will remove all of the following:
- Browsing history: The websites you’ve visited.
- Cookies: Small pieces of data used by websites to remember you.
- Cache: Temporary files like images and scripts that help websites load faster.
Keep in mind that clearing your history, cookies, and cache won’t affect your AutoFill information. Your saved passwords and other autofill data will remain safe.
Step 4: No Data? Button Turns Grey
If you don’t have any history or website data to clear, the Clear History and Website Data button will turn grey. This just means there’s no data available to delete. If the button is grey due to web content restrictions, it could also be because you have enabled Content & Privacy Restrictions through Screen Time. In this case, you would need to adjust these settings to clear Safari data.
How to Turn On Private Browsing on Your iPhone
If you prefer not to have Safari store your browsing history or cookies in the first place, you can enable Private Browsing. With Private Browsing, Safari won’t remember the pages you visit, your search history, or your AutoFill information. It also helps block trackers that websites use to monitor your browsing behavior.
How to Turn On Private Browsing Mode
To turn on Private Browsing on your iPhone, follow these steps:
- Open Safari: Launch the Safari app on your iPhone.
- Tap the Tabs Button: At the bottom of the Safari app, tap the Tabs button to view all your open tabs.
- Switch to Private Browsing: Swipe to the Private tab group and tap on it. This will enable Private Browsing.
- Dark Address Bar: When Private Browsing is active, the address bar at the top of Safari will turn black or dark. This indicates you are in Private Browsing mode.
What Happens in Private Browsing Mode?
When you are in Private Browsing mode, Safari will:
- Not save your search history or browsing history.
- Not store any cookies.
- Not save any AutoFill information.
- Block trackers and add protections against advanced fingerprinting techniques used to identify users.
Private Browsing ensures that your online activity is not recorded or tracked by websites, offering an extra layer of privacy.
How to Clear Only Cookies and Cache
Sometimes, you may not want to clear your entire browsing history, but you may want to delete the cache and cookies that Safari has stored. This is possible with a few simple steps.
Step 1: Go to Safari Settings
Open the Settings app, scroll down to Safari, and tap on it.
Step 2: Access Advanced Settings
Next, scroll down to the Advanced section. Here, you will see the Website Data option.
Step 3: Remove All Website Data
Tap on Website Data to see the list of websites that have stored data on your iPhone. To remove this data, tap Remove All Website Data. This will delete cookies and cache but keep your browsing history intact.
If there’s no website data to clear, the Remove All Website Data button will be greyed out. You may also see this if you have set up web content restrictions in Content & Privacy Restrictions under Screen Time.
How to Delete Specific Websites from Safari History
If you want to delete specific websites from your browsing history without clearing everything, Safari makes it easy to do so. Here’s how:
Step 1: Open Safari
Launch the Safari app on your iPhone.
Step 2: Go to Bookmarks and History
In Safari, tap the Show Bookmarks button at the bottom of the screen. Then tap on History.
Step 3: Edit and Delete Websites
Tap the Edit button in the bottom right corner of the screen. You will now be able to select individual websites from your browsing history. Tap on the Delete button next to the websites you want to remove.
This allows you to keep the rest of your browsing history while deleting specific sites you don’t want to remember.
How to Block Cookies in Safari
Cookies are small data files that websites store on your iPhone to remember your preferences or login status. While cookies can make browsing more convenient, they can also track your activity across the web. If you want to block cookies, you can follow these steps.
Step 1: Open Safari Settings
Go to Settings > Safari, then scroll down to the Advanced section.
Step 2: Enable Block All Cookies
Toggle the Block All Cookies option to on. This will prevent websites from storing cookies on your iPhone.
What Happens When You Block Cookies?
Blocking cookies can improve your privacy, but it might also cause some websites to not function properly. For example:
- You may not be able to log in to some sites, even if you use the correct username and password.
- Some features on websites may not work as intended.
- You might see messages telling you that cookies are required for the site to function properly.
While blocking cookies offers privacy benefits, it’s important to remember that some sites may not work without them.
How to Use Content Blockers in Safari
Another way to enhance your privacy while browsing is by using content blockers. These are third-party apps or extensions that help block unwanted content like cookies, pop-ups, and ads.
How to Set Up Content Blockers
- Download a Content Blocking App: Visit the App Store and download a content blocker app. There are several options available, such as AdGuard, 1Blocker, and others.
- Enable Content Blockers: After downloading, go to Settings > Safari > Extensions. Here, you’ll see the content blockers you’ve installed. Toggle them on to start blocking content.
You can use multiple content blockers at once to maximize your privacy and prevent unnecessary tracking.
Conclusion: How to Clear Safari Cache on iPhone
Now you know how to clear Safari cache on iPhone, delete history, cookies, and browsing data, and even block trackers to improve your privacy. Regularly clearing your cache and cookies can help Safari run more smoothly, free up storage, and protect your personal information.
In addition to clearing data, consider using Private Browsing to avoid saving your history, or use content blockers to stop pop-ups and trackers. Adjusting these settings can improve your overall browsing experience and help keep your iPhone’s performance at its best.
By following these simple steps, you can ensure that your Safari browser stays fast, secure, and efficient while maintaining your privacy. Whether you want to clear your browsing data completely or just specific pieces, you have full control over what Safari stores.
Source: Google Search Labs | AI Overview
To clear the cache on Safari on an iPhone, you can do the following:
- Go to Settings
- Select Apps
- Select Safari
- Tap Clear History and Website Data
Clearing the cache will also remove your browsing history, cookies, and permissions you’ve granted to websites. However, it won’t clear any browsing history that websites you’ve visited may have kept independently, or your browsing history in other apps.
Clearing the cache can help speed up your device’s performance. However, blocking cookies may prevent some webpages from working, such as when you try to sign in to a site.
