It’s not unfamiliar for us to run out of storage space. One common way of clearing space would be deleting cache files, as they often take up space. We wonder, why not just delete it? However, how to do that without deleting important data like browsing history?

You can keep your browsing history while clearing Safari Cache, and in this piece, we’ll discuss how to. Also, we look at the various reasons for clearing Safari Cache and how often you should do it. Now, shall we?

Why Clear Safari Cache

Several factors can make you consider deleting the cache in your browser. They are:

  • Keeping them can pose a security risk: Safari keeps your browsing history and information about the websites you’ve visited and your inputs there so it can make the next experience seamless. However, this can be risky down the line as this information can lead to Privacy concerns like that of websites getting your information or even being used by malicious actors to mine your data.The caches are eating up space: A major reason for clearing caches. This is especially important when your computer doesn’t have massive space available. Using safari for a long time without clearing off irrelevant data makes the caches accumulate to take up significant storage space.Websites are not up to date: Another effect of keeping caches for a long time is that some websites retain the look and format from your last visit despite changes already being made to them.

All these come together to make regularly clearing Safari Cache a good practice.

Clear Safari Cache While Keeping Browsing History

Ordinarily, deleting data about your browser makes you lose all your browsing data like history, password information, and website cookies. However, many browsers let you retain the right to only clear cache while keeping other data, and safari is not an exception.

Clear Safari Cache On Mac

  • When you open Safari, click on Safari at the top menu.In the drop-down menu that shows, go to the Advanced tab.At the very end of the Advanced tab, you will see an option to Show Develop menu in the menu bar. Check this and leave the preference menu.Now, go back to the Safari menu and click the Develop tab that is now there.In the Develop tab, click empty caches, and you will be good to go.

Following these steps is a surefire way of removing cached data on safari.

Clear Safari Cache on iPhone or iPad

Clearing cache on iOS devices is a bit different from on Mac. To do this:

  • Go to your settings appTap SafariGo to advancedGo to website dataClick “Remove all website data.”

This will remove all caches and website data like cookies on Safari. However, if it doesn’t work, adjust your screen time restrictions and stop iCloud sync before doing it again.

How Often Should You Clear Safari Cache?

How often you clear your Safari cache would depend on how many sites you frequent. With Average use, it is advised that you clear your cache every month or two to optimize performance. If your web surfing is more intense or you visit heavy websites, you should clear Safari Cache more frequently than that to have the best experience.

What About Cookies?

Caches aren’t the only data saved by the browser. Cookies are another form of this, and they are used to track the user’s browsing preferences to create a suitable browsing experience.

Differences Between Caches and Cookies

Both Cookies and caches serve a similar function, making the browsing experience more seamless and fast. However, there are certain differences between them.

Caches use storage technology called caching to store web documents to reduce bandwidth usage, loading from the server, and lag. In other words, caches are made up of data downloaded from the internet so the website can display a web page. These files are saved on your hard drive, so the next visit to the same page will need less bandwidth and time to load.

On the other hand, Cookies are made up of your personal information. This includes your inputs on web pages, the types of pages you frequent, and what you seem to like about them. Unlike caches, Cookies are saved both on your computer and on the server, and they are deleted automatically after some time. Because of this, they don’t use so much storage space.

The main takeaway is that caches are data about websites you visit, while Cookies are data about the user’s preferences while browsing the internet.

Should You Delete Cookies Too?

Even more than caches, leaving Cookies has immense security and privacy concerns. If other people have access to your device, you should clear your cookies immediately after every browsing session. Even if not, you should still delete them regularly to avoid issues.

Conclusion

Clearing Safari Cache carelessly can lead to loss of browsing information, including history. However, following the procedures in this article will help you prevent this and delete the caches properly.