Clearing Cache and Cookies... downside? What problems can this create?

Start with these simple steps (after you made sure you have a backup of all your personal data!):

1. Start or restart your Mac.
2. Immediately after you hear the startup sound, press and hold the Shift key.
3. Release the Shift key when you see the Apple logo appear on the screen.

This will get you in Safe Mode, which will be even slower than you used to. Don't worry: after startup has completed, you can immediately restart in normal mode. This way a lot of stuff will be 'cleaned' automatically.

If it doesn't improve the speed, please post an Etrecheck report: http://etrecheck.com

In system library > click on go > computer > macintosh HD > caches remove all contents by doing a right click - move to trash .

In user library > click on go > hold option key & don't release it > library > remove contents of caches , cookies into the trash .

Finally , restart from apple logo & empty the trash .

Generally ,in user library you can remove the caches , cookies contents in 2 months if they are highly accumulated , also removing the contents will not harm the system & system will be faster .

Also, web sites stores cookies & other data on your mac this data may include include information that you have provided such as name , email addresses etc .

Your passwords are stored in user library > keychains .

note : we remove caches , cookies contents from user library but avoid removing caches from system library , but in your case since it is not removed from eight years it should be removed .

you'll notice when you open disk utility via spotlight in others note down the GB for, example it is 8.6 after removing contents of caches & cookies the figure will come down .

Hope this will help you..! And yeah, Cleaning cache and cookies possibly will clear all the saved passwords and email ids from your browsers.

WHV: Start in safe mode as Esquared instructs. This clears the operating system caches. If you are talking about cookies you are talking about using browser software. If you mean you are having slow interface in the browser then it is a completely different issue and you need to provide a clearer description of the issue or you may receive incorrect recommendations which may be risky to your computer.

Computer "cleaning" is a bit of a myth with Macs. It is mostly something you see recommended by people who have recently switched from Windows, or people trying to sell you snakeoil cleaning software that is a solution in search of a problem. There could be a long list of possible reasons for slow operation including something simple such as your hard drive is too full.

Caches are mostly there to speed up operation by storing information so the computer does not have to re-download it or generate it again. If they get corrupted they can cause problems but this is unusual. Caches can be located in several places and this is why we need to place your issues in the context of when you are having problems.

Cookies are something in a web browser. They are used by web sites to store information about your visits, for good or bad. If you delete cookies a site may require you to type in a password again, or may forget your display preferences. Deleting cookies is done from inside a browser and the image in Samsezcool's post shows a browser preferences display.

I would avoid doing anything in the system folder yourself unless given specific instructions to do so. It is easy to mess up your computer. (I would also like to add that I think some people do not realize you are running an older operating system version -- Etrecheck requires OSX 10.6 or higher to run.)

If this is something you are only experiencing while using Safari you would be better off posting in the Safari forum, making it clear which version of Safari you are using.