

Unfortunately, clearing the cache also eliminates the files that are designed to make your computer run more efficiently. The advantages of clearing the cache include freeing up previous storage space on your computer and eliminating any files that might be causing it to misbehave. We've also written extensively on how to clear the cache on different devices. In addition to being able to clear the cache on Windows or iOS, here's how to clear the cache on popular web browsers: That doesn't always work, though, and sometimes the only way to see the latest version of a web site or other info is to clear the cache, so the app is forced to download everything anew.Įvery browser has an easy way to clear its cache. In theory, apps are supposed to only use the cache to display files unchanged since the last visit.

If there's something wrong with a file stored in the cache, it can cause the app to display data incorrectly, glitch, or even crash.


Not only does this allow everything to run faster as previously mentioned, but in some cases it can allow apps to work "offline." For example, if you don't have internet access, an app can rely on cached data to continue to work even without a connection. To help improve performance, apps store recently and frequently used data to the cache. By storing local copies of web site files, for example, your browser only needs to download that information the first time you visit, and can load the local files on subsequent visits. The key benefit of a cache is that it improves the performance of the system. Benefits of cachesįrom a user standpoint, there are three main benefits to caches, including: Every app is different, though, and so the kind of data it caches will vary, but might include images, video thumbnails, search history, and other user preferences. Like browsers, apps save files and data they deem important so they can quickly reload the information as needed. Apps typically maintain their own cache as well.
