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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.
Jump To:
- What Are Cookies on the iPhone or iPad?
- How to Clear Cache & Cookies on iPhone or iPad
- How to Disable Cookies on iPhone or iPad
Related: How to Hide Apps on iPhone (& How to Find Them Later on)
What Are Cookies on the 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. 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. After a while though, 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 Clear Cache on iPhone or iPad & Delete Cookies
If you're ready to free up storage space on your iPhone by deleting cookies and clearing your cache, here's how to go about it:
- Open the Settings app.
Tap Clear to confirm.
Lots of junk can build up on desktop Mac computers, too. So after tidying up your iPad, delete browser cookies on your other devices. Defragging your Mac’s hard drive or permanently deleting Mac files can speed things up as well.
In Chrome
When you clear the cache in Chrome on your iPad you have more options than you do on Safari. Here’s how to clean up your Chrome cache on iPad.
Tap the three horizontal dots in the upper right. Then tap Settings.
Scroll down to Privacy and tap it.
Tap Clear Browsing Data.
Select the option Cached Images and Files and keep everything else unchecked. Then tap Clear Browsing Data.Tap again to confirm.
You’ve cleared your Chrome iPad cache, but there are more ways to clean a browser. Clearing your browser history on Chrome is another way to speed up your iPad.
In Firefox
Deleting the Firefox cache on your iPad is easy. Here’s how.
Open Firefox and tap the hamburger menu in the upper right. Then tap Settings.
Tap Data Management.
Keep only the Cache option toggled on and tap Clear Private Data. Tap again to confirm.
If you want to clear your cache in Firefox on your computer, check out our dedicated guide.
How to clear cookies on iPad
Deleting browser cookies on iPad means you’ll stop seeing personalized ads, because cookies are what help advertisers track your interests to serve you targeted ads. But clearing your iPad cookies also means you’ll be logged out of all the accounts you’re currently signed in on, so make sure you remember your passwords.
Cookies help sites create better experiences for their users and they also make browsing faster and more convenient. But because cookie data builds up, clearing cookies on your iPad will help streamline your device.
Disabling cookies may increase your privacy, but the loss of convenience might not be worth it, especially since there are other ways to keep your data secure, like using anti-tracking software or a comprehensive security and privacy app.
Here’s how to clear cookies on your iPad on Safari, Chrome, and Firefox.
In Safari
Here’s how to clear cookies by deleting website history and data in Safari on an iPad.
Open your iPad’s Settings, scroll down, and select Safari. Then, find the option to Clear History and Website Data and tap it.
Tap Clear to confirm.
You’re done – you’ve cleared your Safari history on iPad, in addition to all the other temporary files that Safari generates.
In Chrome
Here’s how to delete cookies in Chrome on an iPad.
Tap the three horizontal dots in the upper right. Then tap Settings.
Scroll down to Privacy and tap it.
Tap Clear Browsing Data.
Check the option for Cookies and Site Data and leave everything else unchecked. Tap Clear Browsing Data and tap again to confirm.
Now that your Chrome cookies are deleted, you may want to clear your Chrome history, otherwise your online activity will still be visible to anyone who uses your device.
In Firefox
Here’s how to clear your cookies in Firefox on iPad.
With Firefox open, tap the hamburger menu in the upper right, and tap Settings.
Tap Data Management.
With only the Cookies setting toggled on, tap Clear Private Data. Tap again to confirm.
You might want to clear your Firefox history on iPad, too. If so, select that option as well.
How to clear cache and cookies on iPhone
Clearing cache and cookies on an iPhone is just as easy as it is on an iPad. Here’s how.
Open your iPhone Settings and tap Safari. Scroll down and tap the button that says Clear History and Website Data.
Tap Clear History and Website Data again to confirm.
And that’s it, your iPhone’s browser is squeaky clean.
As the default iOS browser, the process for Safari is almost exactly the same as on iPad, but if you use Firefox or Chrome, you’ll notice a few small differences, such as that the iPhone settings options are on the lower right of the screen.
The cache can obviously build up on other smartphones, so check out our guide to clearing the cache on your Android, too.
What is a cache and what are cookies?
The cache is where website data (pictures, text, layout info, etc.) is stored so your browser doesn’t have to load everything again every time you revisit a website. In that way, cached data helps websites load more quickly.
Cookies are small bits of data that remember your login information, location and language settings, and other preferences. Having that data automatically accessible is helpful if, say, you don’t want to re-enter your login details all the time or want weather forecasts for your location.
Why should you clear your cache and cookies?
Periodically clearing cache and cookies is good device hygiene, because it can prevent advertisers from tracking you and can help speed up your browsing. But cookies and cached data are essential to the streamlined experiences we enjoy on today’s web, so you shouldn’t delete them all the time.
If your iPad feels slow or clunky, or pages aren’t loading properly, then getting rid of cache and cookies might help speed things up. Cached data builds up over time and can take up gigabytes of space, slowing down your browser. And cookies help companies and marketers track your activity, which can compromise your privacy.
If you want your browser to run like new again, clearing out cache and cookies is a good place to start.
Protect your browsing activity with Avast AntiTrack
Cache and cookies can make your browsing smoother, but you should always be in control of your data. With so many websites using tracking technology to monitor your activity, specialized privacy tools like Avast AntiTrack are crucial to safeguarding your data.
Avast AntiTrack blocks online tracking, which prevents advertisers and data miners from following your browsing activity. Try it for free today.