How to Clear the Safari Cache on a Mac (Without Losing Your Passwords)
Safari's cache holds saved copies of pages, images and scripts to make sites load faster. Clearing it fixes pages that look broken or out of date, and it frees a little space.
Quick answer: To clear only the cache, turn on Show features for web developers in Safari > Settings > Advanced, then choose Develop > Empty Caches (⌥⌘E). To clear history, cookies and website data as well, use Safari > Clear History. If you want to see how much space caches use across the whole Mac, the Space App scans and grades them Safe, Review or Caution.
Option 1: clear only the cache (keeps logins)
Open Safari > Settings > Advanced.
Turn on Show features for web developers. On older macOS versions this is called Show Develop menu in menu bar.
Choose Develop > Empty Caches, or press ⌥⌘E.
This removes cached files only. You stay signed in to sites, and your history is untouched.
Option 2: clear history, cookies and website data
Choose Safari > Clear History, pick a time range, and confirm. This removes history, cookies and other website data for that period. You will be signed out of most sites.
Option 3: remove data for one site
Open Safari > Settings > Privacy.
Click Manage Website Data.
Search for the site, select it, and click Remove.
This is the right choice when a single site misbehaves and you do not want to be signed out everywhere.
Which one to use
| Problem | Best option |
|---|---|
| Page looks broken or out of date | Empty Caches |
| One site will not load properly or keeps logging you out | Manage Website Data |
| You want to remove tracking and browsing records | Clear History |
What about other browsers and system caches
Chrome and Firefox have their own settings, covered in clearing cache and cookies in Safari, Chrome and Firefox. For app and system caches, see how to clear cache on a Mac, and for DNS specifically, how to flush the DNS cache.