How to clear the cache on my iMac?
clear Caches on Mac
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
iMac 21.5″, macOS 12.6
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clear Caches on Mac
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
iMac 21.5″, macOS 12.6
Following your direction into Library/Caches I can see hundreds of Folders, each with dozens of folders within folders in hierarchy, with files of various suffixes and names beginning with "Cache." Are all these candidates to Delete in one broad stroke? Or, must I search each folder for ONLY those files that are names starting in 'Cache?"
And, what about all those staring with com.Apple ? Are these untouchables? I have included a brief screenshot.
A little more detail is requested to help the uninformed not make a major mistake that may screw up my machine's performance. MacBook Pro 2021 running Sonoma.
Following your direction into Library/Caches I can see hundreds of Folders, each with dozens of folders within folders in hierarchy, with files of various suffixes and names beginning with "Cache." Are all these candidates to Delete in one broad stroke? Or, must I search each folder for ONLY those files that are names starting in 'Cache?"
And, what about all those staring with com.Apple ? Are these untouchables? I have included a brief screenshot.
A little more detail is requested to help the uninformed not make a major mistake that may screw up my machine's performance. MacBook Pro 2021 running Sonoma.
My Mac is loading VERY slow from start and slow to load programs and I was advised to clear all caches and that was what I am trying to do, is there another way to solve my slowness problem?
To clear the cache on your iMac, follow these steps:
1. Open the Finder app on your iMac.
2. Click on the "Go" menu at the top of the screen.
3. Hold down the "Option" key on your keyboard and click on the "Library" option that appears.
4. In the Library folder, open the "Caches" folder.
5. Select the folder(s) of the app(s) whose cache you want to clear.
6.Press the "Command" and "Delete" keys on your keyboard to move the selected folder(s) to the Trash.
7. Empty the Trash by right-clicking on the Trash icon in the Dock and selecting "Empty Trash."
It's important to note that clearing the cache may cause some apps to take longer to load the first time you use them after the cache has been cleared, but it can help free up space on your iMac and potentially improve its performance.
John Galt wrote:
Would you care to explain how clearing a cache improves a Mac's performance?
Sure! When you use your Mac, your computer stores data in the cache memory to make it easier and faster to access that data again in the future. This can include things like web pages you've visited, app data, and system files.
Over time, however, the cache memory can become cluttered with outdated or unnecessary data, which can slow down your Mac's performance. Clearing the cache memory can help to free up space and improve your Mac's performance by removing this unnecessary data.
There are a few different types of cache memory that you may want to clear:
Overall, clearing the cache memory can be a helpful way to improve your Mac's performance, especially if you've been using your computer for a long time and haven't cleared the cache in a while. However, it's important to note that clearing the cache won't necessarily solve all performance issues, and you may need to take other steps to optimize your Mac's performance.
Onyx will make it easy to clear the right caches...
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Northern Cache Cleaner..
John Galt wrote:
Would you care to explain how clearing a cache improves a Mac's performance?
Would you care to explain how the bot is able to avoid the auto-numbering that the editor tool adds? I keep trying to add spaces between the items in my numeric list like the bot does, but the editor always wins.
Caches speed up the system.
It would be better to describe what kind of system you have in as much detail as possible. Then describe the problem you are having in as much detail as possible.
No. Be more specific than that.
I am running Monterey 12.6.3. When starting from cold it takes over 2 minutes (sometimes much longer) for the white line to move across then another couple of minutes for Safari to load and similar with all other applications. Safari is the only application in the startup menu. Once an application has loaded it is still very slow. There is still lots of space available on the hard drive.
The amount of free space is irrelevant. What kind of iMac is this? My guess is that you have an older iMac that has only a mechanical hard drive. If my guess is correct, this is as good as it gets. Those old iMacs (up to 2019) are just horribly slow.
If you have a newer one from 2017 or later, you can get an external Thunderbolt 3 SSD and use that as a boot drive. Just make sure it is a true Thunderbolt SSD. It is 2023, so in many cases, claims about being "Thunderbolt" are simply lies.
sunny_mike wrote:
It's important to note that clearing the cache may cause some apps to take longer to load the first time you use them after the cache has been cleared, but it can help free up space on your iMac and potentially improve its performance.
Would you care to explain how clearing a cache improves a Mac's performance?
Why? Unless you have a corrupted cache all you're doing is slowing your Mac down.
IN any event you can do this by restarting in Safe Mode
Start up your Mac in safe mode – Apple Support (UK)
You might want to check for items that login when your computer starts and remove anything not needed.
https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/open-items-automatically-when-you-log-in-mh15189/mac
Safari > Settings, click Advanced, then select “Show Develop menu in menu bar.” This gives you an option to empty caches.
That refers only to Safari cache. It does nothing for the many other caches on your Mac.
Thanks but that didn't do it.
How to clear the cache on my iMac?