{"title":"How to Clear Cache on iPhone","canonicalUrl":"https://www.showmestepbystep.com/tech/how-to-clear-cache-on-iphone","category":{"slug":"tech","name":"Tech"},"creator":{"name":"Payette Forward","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/@PayetteForward","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=So5knMvvBDY"},"tldr":"Clear iPhone caches the right way: Safari, Chrome, App Store hidden cache, social apps, and offloading. Free up 5-15GB without paying for cleanup software.","totalDurationSeconds":582,"difficulty":"easy","tools":[],"materials":[],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Check System Data in the iPhone Storage Settings","text":"Open Settings > General > iPhone Storage. Wait for the bar at the top to load, then scroll all the way down past every app to System Data. If it's over 10 GB, your caches are out of control. Tap System Data to see Apple's vague 'caches, logs, and other resources' line - that's what we're cleaning up."},{"number":2,"title":"Tap Clear History and Website Data in Safari Settings","text":"Settings > Safari > scroll down > Clear History and Website Data. Pick 'All History' for the time range, leave 'Close All Tabs' enabled (recommended), and tap Clear History and Data. This is the single biggest cache reduction on most iPhones."},{"number":3,"title":"Remove All Website Data Under Safari Advanced Settings","text":"Step 2 doesn't catch everything. Go back to Settings > Safari, scroll all the way to the bottom, tap Advanced. At the top of that screen tap Website Data. You'll see exactly how much each site has cached - tap Remove All Website Data to wipe it. Long-time Safari users often have 500MB+ stored here."},{"number":4,"title":"Clear Cached Images and Files in the Chrome App","text":"If you use Chrome at all, this matters - Chrome's cache on iOS can be huge. Open Chrome, tap the 3-dot menu in the bottom-right, scroll down, tap Clear Browsing Data. Make sure 'Cached Images and Files' is checked (the others are optional). Tap Clear Browsing Data, then confirm."},{"number":5,"title":"Restart the iPhone Using Slide to Power Off","text":"A restart flushes a chunk of temporary RAM-cached data. On Face ID iPhones: hold Volume Down + Side button until 'slide to power off' appears. On Touch ID: hold the Side button. Slide to shut down, wait 10 to 15 seconds, then hold the Side button again to power back on."},{"number":6,"title":"Offload Unused Apps from the iPhone Storage List","text":"Settings > General > iPhone Storage > tap any app from the list > Offload App > Offload App. The app icon stays as a faded placeholder, your documents and login state are kept, but the app bundle (the heavy part) is wiped. Tap the icon later to reinstall and pick up exactly where you left off."},{"number":7,"title":"Clear the Hidden App Store Cache by Tapping a Tab 10 Times","text":"Open the App Store. Tap any of the bottom tabs - Today, Games, Apps, Arcade, or Search - 10 times in a row. Just keep tapping the same tab. There's no visible feedback, but the cache is cleared. Apple has never documented this; it's been a known iOS trick for years."},{"number":8,"title":"Clear Media Storage in X and Other Social App Settings","text":"Each social app stashes media. The biggest offenders: Twitter/X, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat. For Twitter: tap your profile photo > Settings and Support > Settings and Privacy > Accessibility, Display, and Languages > Data Usage. Tap Media Storage > Clear Media Storage. Then Web Storage > Clear All Web Storage.Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat have similar Settings > Data sections - poke around if you have one of those apps; clearing the media cache often frees 200MB+."}],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-09-12T18:48:30.511Z","published":"2026-04-27T20:25:05.216Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit ShowMeStepByStep with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure."}