Cached data is designed to improve the user experience when browsing the internet or using an app. When a user visits a website or uses an app, there is certain data like images, scripts, files, videos, that are stored on the device. The objective of storing the data in a cache is to speed up the website loading. When the user visits the same website again, the loading time is minimized as certain data already exists on the device. The cached data occupies space on the device and over time, the cache can grow significantly.
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There are different methods to view the cache depending on the operating system, browser, and type of device. For example, users of the Google Chrome browser can view cached data in the AppData folder in Windows 10 but other browsers or operating systems will have different methods of viewing cached data. For Windows users, there are several third-party tools such ChromeCacheView that provide easy viewing.
Cached data is considered as temporary storage so there should be no issues if it’s deleted. The website loading or browsing processing time will increase slightly with no cached data. When deleting cached data, the user also has the option of deleting browser history, autofill data, and saved passwords.
The primary reason that users would want to clear cached data is to free up memory, which can get drained by all the stored cached data. As the users reopen the apps and websites, the cached data will again start to accumulate, so deleting the cached data will have to be a regular task to keep the browser performing at its best. For Windows users, there are different methods of deleting the cached data. The simplest method for most Windows users is to clear cached data through browser settings.
The internet browser keeps collecting cached data every time a new website is visited. The browser is designed to automatically manage this data but when the total cache size increases, it can cause the browser to slow down resulting in a sluggish user experience. Clearing up the cache should help the browser perform faster. The frequency of deleting this data will depend on the usage of the internet browser or apps.