Every app on your android device quietly stores small temporary files, an app cache, to load faster the next time you open it, and over months that pile of leftovers can add up to gigabytes of wasted space or genuine performance issues that leave a phone feeling sluggish for no obvious reason. Learning how to clear cache on Android takes only a couple of minutes and is one of the safest fixes in the whole troubleshooting toolbox, since it removes temporary files without touching your photos, logins, or saved data.
This guide covers clearing cache for a single app, clearing it in your browser, and the rarer system-level option, along with the one common mix-up that can genuinely delete something you wanted to keep. iPhone owners follow a broadly similar philosophy within Settings, though the exact menus differ from Android's.
Cache is temporary data an android phone stores locally in small cache files so an app does not have to redownload the same images, scripts, or content every time you open it. Good cache management is one of the simplest best practices for keeping a phone running smoothly. A small, healthy cache genuinely speeds things up, but a bloated one can do the opposite, especially in apps you use constantly like a browser, a social media app, or a messaging platform. Importantly, none of this touches your personal data, app data such as saved settings, or anything like passwords and login info stored elsewhere on the device. Clearing it forces the app to rebuild that temporary storage from scratch, which often resolves glitchy behaviour, frees up meaningful storage space, and rarely causes any downside beyond the app loading slightly slower the very next time you open it.
This is the method you will use most often when you clear cache on Android, and it works the same way across nearly every modern phone. Open Settings, tap Apps, then See all apps, and select the app giving you trouble, though the exact path can shift slightly depending on your android version. Inside its app settings screen you will find everything you need. Inside that app's info screen, tap Storage & cache, then tap Clear cache. The stored data disappears instantly, and the app keeps working exactly as before, just without the accumulated clutter.
The exact wording shifts slightly depending on your phone's device manufacturer, though the underlying app caches work identically underneath. Samsung's One UI places Apps between Device Care and General Management, and also bundles its own one-tap cleanup tool inside Device Care itself. Pixel phones keep Apps near the top of the main Settings list. Xiaomi's MIUI sometimes labels the same menu Manage Apps, while Realme and Vivo bundle their own quick-clean tools inside Phone Manager and iManager respectively. If a menu name in this guide does not match what you see, the Settings search bar will usually find it in a couple of taps regardless of how a manufacturer has renamed things.
One important warning belongs here. Avoid clearing the cache for Google Play Services specifically, since it is a core system component handling account syncing and notifications, and doing so can cause more problems than it solves.
A browser tends to accumulate more browser cache than almost any other app, since it stores images, scripts, and browsing history from every site you visit, and clearing it periodically keeps things running as an efficient browsing experience rather than a sluggish one. To clear the chrome cache specifically, tap the three dots in the top right corner, select History, then Clear browsing data. Choose a time range, from the last hour up to all time, and make sure Cookies and site data plus Cached images and files are both checked before confirming. Keep in mind that clearing cookies alongside the cache will sign you out of most websites, so expect to log back in afterward. Firefox for Android follows a similar path, tap the three dots, then Settings, then Delete browsing data, and select cached images and files there instead.
Older phones and some custom ROMs still offer a system cache partition, separate from any individual app's own caches, reachable only through Recovery Mode rather than the normal Settings menu. On most modern devices this option has quietly disappeared, since Android now manages cache automatically at the app level, making a full wipe unnecessary. If your device still has it, power off completely, then hold Volume Up and the power button, or that same combination of buttons using the side key on newer Samsung phones, until the recovery screen appears, and use the volume keys to select Wipe Cache Partition before confirming and rebooting. Unless you are troubleshooting something unusual and your specific phone still supports it, the per-app method above solves the vast majority of everyday slowdowns.
Every Android app screen shows both Clear Cache and Clear Storage or Clear Data right next to each other, and confusing the two is the single most common mistake people make. Clear Cache removes only temporary files and is completely safe. Clear Storage or Clear Data wipes the app back to a fresh install, deleting saved logins, settings, and any local progress along with it. Always look twice before tapping, and stick to Clear Cache unless you specifically intend to reset an app entirely.
It is also worth steering clear of third-party cleaner or booster apps promising to automate this process. Most bundle aggressive ads or request permissions far beyond what a simple cleanup tool should ever need, and the built-in Settings menu already does the job just as effectively for free.
Stock Android has no single button to clear cache on Android for every app at once, but Storage settings shows total cache used. For a genuine bulk clear, use Samsung's Device Care Clean Now or Files by Google's Clean feature, both clearing multiple app caches safely in one tap.
Yes, but stick to trustworthy ones. Files by Google is a free, official Google app that safely recommends and clears cache across multiple apps. Manufacturer tools like Samsung's Device Care do the same. Avoid unfamiliar third-party cleaner apps, since many are bloatware requesting excessive permissions.
Learning to clear cache on Android is one of the lowest-risk, highest-value habits you can build into your phone's upkeep, whether you do it for a single misbehaving app, your browser after months of heavy use, or occasionally across your most-used apps as routine maintenance. Stick to the built-in Settings menu, double-check you are tapping Clear Cache rather than Clear Data, and skip the cache partition wipe entirely unless a specific, stubborn problem genuinely calls for it. A phone that feels sluggish rarely needs a factory reset when a couple of minutes clearing cache will usually do the job instead.
Miles Hollen · Editor
Editor
