how to clear cookies safari iphone

Clear the history, cache and cookies from Safari on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch

Find out how to delete your history, cookies and cache in Settings.

Delete your history, cache and cookies

Clear your cookies and the cache, but keep your history

Delete a website from your history, block cookies, use content blockers, delete history, cache and cookies.

Go to Settings > Apps > Safari.

Tap Clear History and Website Data.

Clearing your history, cookies and browsing data from Safari won't change your AutoFill information.

When there’s no history or website data to be cleared, the button to clear it will turn grey. The button may also be grey if you have web content restrictions set up under Content & Privacy Restrictions in Screen Time .

To visit sites without leaving a history, turn Private Browsing on .

Go to Settings > Apps > Safari > Advanced > Website Data.

Tap Remove All Website Data.

When there’s no website data to be cleared, the button to clear it will turn grey. The button may also be grey if you have web content restrictions set up under Content & Privacy Restrictions in Screen Time .

Open the Safari app.

Tap the Edit button, then select the website(s) that you want to delete from your history.

Tap the Delete button.

A cookie is a piece of data that a site puts on your device so that site can remember you when you visit again.

To block cookies:

Go to Settings > Apps > Safari > Advanced.

Turn on Block All Cookies.

If you block cookies, some web pages may not work. Here are some examples:

You'll likely not be able to sign in to a site even when using your correct user name and password.

You may see a message that cookies are required or that your browser's cookies are turned off.

Some features on a site may not work.

Content blockers are third-party apps and extensions that let Safari block cookies, images, resources, pop-ups and other content.

To get a content blocker:

Download a content blocking app from the App Store.

Tap Settings > Apps > Safari > Extensions.

Tap to turn on a listed content blocker.

You can use more than one content blocker. If you need help, contact the app developer .

Information about products not manufactured by Apple, or independent websites not controlled or tested by Apple, is provided without recommendation or endorsement. Apple assumes no responsibility with regard to the selection, performance or use of third-party websites or products. Apple makes no representations regarding third-party website accuracy or reliability. Contact the vendor for additional information.

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• Clear Safari cache on Mac
• Clear Safari cache on iPhone or iPad
• How to save passwords when clearing your cache

How to clear your Safari browser cache on a Mac, iPhone, or iPad

• You can clear your cache on Safari in just a few steps on a Mac, iPhone, or iPad.
• Clearing your cache, as well as history and cookies, can help resolve your device's performance issues.
• Clearing your cookies will clear your passwords as well, unless you save them with keychain.

A cache is a store of data. When you visit a website on your Mac, iPhone, or iPad, the Safari browser keeps a snapshot of the pages you view.

If you go back to that website, Safari loads the cached page in an instant, instead of taking the time to retrieve the page from the internet again.

But an overloaded cache can take up storage space and cause your device to run inefficiently — and it could use a periodic clearing.

Here's what you need to know to clear your cache on Safari, as well as your cookies and browsing history.

How to clear Safari cache on Mac

You can either clear just your cache or your cache, history, and cookies. 

Clear your cache

1. Click on the Safari tab at the top left of your screen and choose Preferences from the dropdown menu.

2.  Click the Advanced tab of the menu that pops up.

3.  At the end of the tab, select the Show Develop menu in menu bar box and close the Preferences menu.

4. Click the Develop tab from the Safari menu at the top of the page.

5. Click Empty Caches from the dropdown menu.

Clear your cache, history, and cookies

You may also want to clear your browsing history and cookies in addition to emptying your cache. Here's how to do that.

1. Choose the History tab at the top of your screen.

2. At the very bottom of the dropdown menu, choose Clear History.

3.  A box pops up with a choice to clear the last hour, today, today and yesterday, or all history. Choose your time frame and click the Clear History button.  

Once you clear the history, it will also clear the cache and cookies associated with that time period.

How to clear Safari cache on iPhone or iPad

To clear your cache and browsing history:

1. Open the Settings app.

2. Tap Safari .

3. Tap Clear History and Website Data .

4. On the screen that pops up, choose Clear History and Data .

To clear your cache but not your browsing history:

3. Tap Advanced .

4. Tap Website Data .

5. Choose Remove All Website Data .

What happens to saved passwords when you clear your cache

When you clear your cache, history, and cookies, you may discover that Safari has logged you out of your favorite websites.

While clearing Safari's cache alone will not delete your passwords, clearing your history and cookies can. That's because when you empty your cookies, you will lose their password data saved in Safari as well. And keep in mind that clearing your history also clears its associated cookies.

Luckily, Apple has a solution to this problem. If you use iCloud, check your iCloud settings on your phone or computer.

Make sure that you've checked the box for Safari. As long as this box is checked, any passwords you save through your browser will stay safe in your keychain .

• Main content

How to Clear Cache and Cookies on iPhone from Browsers and Other Apps

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What does it mean to clear iPhone cache and should you do it? Many users aren’t familiar with caches and cookies, but managing them correctly can dramatically improve an iPhone’s performance. In fact, knowing how to clear cache on your iPhone might be the key to getting a rogue app working again or loading a familiar website faster.

However, there are a couple of things you should know before you clear the iOS cache or erase cookies on your iPhone… And it’s all here. Read on!

Table of Contents

What are Caches and Cookies on the iPhone?

Your iPhone’s cache is responsible for storing temporary data from apps and websites. This allows said apps and websites to launch faster or run more smoothly because they don’t have to load everything from scratch.

Cookies , on the other hand, are records of your browsing history and preferences, login credentials, settings, and more. This allows users to keep their settings after closing the browser and/or stay logged into certain websites, but it gives advertisers more information about you.

Should I Clear Cache Data?

There are multiple reasons to clear cache data that affect everything from storage space to user privacy. Let’s break them down:

So if you’re experiencing issues with storage, website loading and functionality, malfunctioning apps, or you’re concerned about your privacy, clearing the cache on your iPhone might be a good move.

How to Clear Browser Cache on iPhone

As we mentioned in the last section, clearing your browser cache is helpful not only for performance, but it could actually fix “broken” websites on your iPhone. Browser caches also tend to take up more storage space because many of those files may consist of high-resolution images.

This is great because you won’t have to load those high-resolution images every time you open the website (as it simply loads the cache data), but that data quickly adds up. It may also be storing large files from websites that you don’t (and don’t plan to) visit anymore.

The process of clearing browser caches on your iPhone differs slightly depending on which browser you use. Here are step-by-step instructions to clear your browser cache on iPhone for Safari, Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox:

To clear Safari cache on your iPhone:

Google Chrome

To clear cache data on your iPhone’s Google Chrome browser:

Step 5. Click Clear Browsing Data again to confirm the deletion.

Mozilla Firefox

To clear the browser cache for Mozilla Firefox on your iPhone:

How to Clear Browser Cookies on iPhone

As we previously mentioned, browser cookies don’t take up a lot of space but they do store sensitive data like login credentials and personal information. They even help advertisers understand your browsing habits.

It’s a good idea to clean up your cookies regularly to ensure that websites you no longer visit don’t have access to your data. It can also resolve certain issues (such as account conflicts) that cause errors or lag when loading websites.

We’ll show you how to clear your browser cookies for Safari, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox.

To clear browser cookies in Safari on iPhone:

To clear browser cookies in Google Chrome on iPhone:

To clear browser cookies in Mozilla Firefox on iPhone:

Step 1. Open Firefox on your iPhone and tap the menu button (3 lines) in the bottom-right corner of the screen. Then, tap Settings .

How to Block Collecting of Cookies on iPhone

Individual cookie files typically take up less space than browser cache files, as they only store information like login credentials or online shopping cart items. However, left alone, these files add up over time and may even get corrupted. This affects not only the performance of a website, but it may cause broken links and/or login errors.

Just like clearing browser cache on your iPhone, blocking cookie collection depends on your browser. Below are step-by-step instructions to block cookies on Safari, Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.

To prevent Firefox on iPhone from collecting cookies:

How to Clear Cache of Other iPhone Apps

Clearing an app’s cache can help you troubleshoot app errors on your iPhone. There is no way to collectively clear the caches of all your installed apps, so you’ll have to go through them one by one.

To clear the cache of an iPhone app, open Settings and tap on the app you want to clear (you might have to scroll down to find it). Then, toggle ON Clear app cache on next launch . This method will clear the app cache without deleting the app.

However, this option is only available until iOS 12 – for newer iOS versions, your iPhone should automatically clear cache data when it needs space. If you want to manually reclaim more storage space, you will have to delete and reinstall the app (which will clear its cache). We’ll show you how to do this using the popular app, Instagram.

To manually clear an app’s (in this case Instagram) cache by deleting and reinstalling it:

In summary, you can clear the cookies and delete cache on your iPhone to boost your device’s performance and even troubleshoot certain errors. It’s also a good habit to develop to maintain your iPhone’s daily performance. However, make sure that you know your credentials or have them saved elsewhere!

Where do I find the cache on my iPhone?

• B rowser cache – Safari browser caches can be found in the Settings app > Safari . Google Chrome’s caches can be found in the History section of the settings menu (3 dots) within the app itself.
• Browser cookies – Just like browser caches, it depends on the browser. For Safari, it’s found in the Settings app > Safari . For Google Chrome, it’s found in the Settings app > Chrome (this only disables third-party cookies, but not Goole Chrome’s own cookies).
• App cache – You can find app caches by opening each individual app in the first Settings menu.

How do I clear my YouTube cache on iPhone 13?

Is it ok to clear cached data on iphone 11, does clearing an iphone cache delete everything, how to clear the system cache on an iphone.

• Close all apps.
• Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button.
• Once you see the power slider on-screen, release the Sleep/Wake button and press and hold the Home button until you return to the home screen. This will have reset the cache on your iPhone.

How to clear the message cache on an iPhone 12?

• Open the Settings app > General .
• Tap iPhone Storage > Messages.
• Tap either Offload App or Delete app, which will clear out the message cache.

Expect some temporary performance issues until the Messages app rebuilds the cache.

How to Delete Cookies from Safari on Your iPhone & iPad

When you delete cookies from Safari on your iPhone or iPad, you free up storage space and improve your device's performance speeds. Clearing the cache and deleting cookies can also help safeguard your online privacy! We'll show you how to clear your cache and cookies, plus how to disable cookies for future browsing if you choose to do so.

What Are Cookies on the iPhone or iPad?

• How to Delete Cookies from Safari on iPhone or iPad

How to Clear Cookies & History on iPhone or iPad

How to disable cookies on iphone or ipad.

Cookies are pieces of data placed on your iPhone or iPad (or any other device on which you browse the internet) by the websites you visit in order to enhance your browsing experience and collect your data. From helping you retain login information to tracking what sites you typically visit or what items you are interested in on Amazon, cookies and their associated data can make your web experience quicker, smoother, and more intuitive. They can also be used to track you in ways you don't want, though, and after a while, cookies and their saved data can take up valuable storage space on your iPhone or iPad and diminish overall performance. To learn other ways to improve your Apple devices' performance, sign up for our free Tip of the Day newsletter.

Keep in mind, though, that clearing cookies on your iPhone will delete saved logins and other website information.

How to Delete Cookies from Safari on iPhone or iPad

If you're ready to clear cookies from Safari, here's what to do:

When you clear cookies along with your Safari browsing history, you'll be able to save additional storage space. Also, if you ever have issues with Safari, clearing the cookies and history is beneficial in helping you troubleshoot. If you're ready to free up storage space on your iPhone by deleting cookies and clearing your Safari browsing history, here's how to go about it:

And that's it! Remember that after you delete cookies on your iPhone or iPad, you will be logged out of any accounts you were signed into.

You can also permanently disable cookies on iPhone or iPad if you wish. Keep in mind that permanently disabling cookies may prevent websites from working properly. For example, you will likely be unable to log in to a website when entering your correct username and password. You might receive messages that will tell you to enable cookies or that cookies are turned off. Plus, some features may not work on a website. A good alternative to permanently disabling cookies on iPhone or iPad, if you want to prevent cookies from accumulating, is to  turn on Private Browsing from within your Safari browser. But if you'd like to try disabling all cookie collection, here's how:

Now that you know why cookies matter and how to clear storage space by deleting saved cookies and your Safari browsing history, you might also like to learn  how to hide apps on your iPhone .

Author Details

As Senior Gear Editor at iPhone Life, Dig reports on the latest and greatest accessories built for the iOS ecosystem. From rugged gear and Bluetooth speakers, to headphones, unique iDevice cases, and iOS remote controlled vehicles, Dig's articles cover a wide range of great gear for the iPhone and iPad. A core gamer for over three decades, Dig also writes iPhone Life's Game Centered column, which focuses on the best iOS games and game related news. Additionally, Dig's company, iDoc Tech Support, offers web design and administration services as well as iPhone and iPad repairs. When not at his work desk, Dig loves spending time with family and enjoying the wonders of nature. You can follow him on Twitter @idoctech

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2 Easy Ways to Delete Cookies Using the Safari Web Browser

Last Updated: May 10, 2024 Fact Checked

Using iPhone and iPad

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Rain Kengly . Rain Kengly is a wikiHow Technology Writer. As a storytelling enthusiast with a penchant for technology, they hope to create long-lasting connections with readers from all around the globe. Rain graduated from San Francisco State University with a BA in Cinema. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 591,498 times. Learn more...

Cookies are bits of website data that help Safari remember your preferences, passwords, usernames, and more. However, this data can get corrupted over time and cause issues with your browser. Clearing your cookies and cache is a good way to keep Safari functioning properly. This wikiHow teaches you how to delete cookies using the Safari web browser on a Mac, iPhone, or iPad.

Quick Steps

• Click the Safari menu and select Settings...
• Click Privacy .
• Click Manage Website Data .
• Select which websites with cookies you want to delete.
• Click Remove or Remove All .

• You can clear your cookies and cache without deleting your entire history .

• If you're unsure which websites you want to clear, you can check your history .

• Your cookies will be deleted for these websites.

• You may be prompted to confirm this action.
• Keep in mind that some websites require cookies in order to load some features. Blocking all cookies will prevent some websites from working correctly.

• If you want to delete your history along with your cookies and cache, return to the Safari settings page . Scroll down and tap Clear History and Website Data , select a timeframe, and then tap Clear History .

• Navigate to the Safari settings.
• Tap Advanced at the bottom of the page.
• Toggle on Block All Cookies .
• You can also block and unblock certain websites.

Community Q&A

• Cookies help websites remember who you are and what your preferences are. If you delete all of your cookies, you will need to log back in to any websites which previously had stored passwords or other account information. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 1

• Blocking cookies will result in some websites not functioning properly, while a few websites may cease to load or work altogether. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-is/guide/safari/sfri11471/17.0/mac/14.0
• ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/105082

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We're going to assume that most How-To Geek writers know how to delete the history, cookies, and cache in Mobile Safari, but just in case you don't know, here is how to do it.

Open up the Settings app and find Safari in the left-hand list, and then scroll down the right side until you find the "Clear History and Website Data" button.

You'll be prompted to verify that you really want to do this, and it will point out that this is also going to delete the history from other devices using your iCloud account to sync Safari.

Related: How to Clear Cookies / Cache for a Single Website on iPhone or iPad

Perhaps this is a good time to point out that you should use private browsing mode if you don't want history being saved on your device!

• Apple iPhone