Cached Data

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. 

How to view cached data?

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.

How to delete cached data on Windows?

• Google Chrome: Scroll to History Tab in browser settings, and click on History. Click Clear Browsing Data and then Clear Data. 
• Firefox: Click on horizontal lines to open the settings menu. Click on Options then Privacy and Security. Then click on Clear History to delete cached data. 
• Microsoft Edge: Click on three-dot menu to access Settings. In the Settings, simply click on Clear Browsing Data and then click Clear to delete cached data. 

How to delete cached data on a Mac iOS?

• For Google Chrome, open Finder Window and Press Shift-Command-G
• Enter ~/Library/Caches/Google/Chrome/Default/Cache and click Go. This will take you to the cached files for Google Chrome on your Mac
• Press Command-A to select all files 
• Click Command+Delete to move the files to the Trash. You may be asked to confirm the move in a with password pop-up. 

What happens if this data is deleted?

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. 

Why delete cached data?

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. 

Does a large data cache slow the performance of the internet browser?

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.