The Google Chrome web browser has come a long way since its debut in 2008. Thanks to a constant stream of updates focused around improving its responsiveness and refining the UI, Chrome has become one of the most popular web browsers today.

Besides the recently-added Safety Check and Memory Saver features, Chrome uses a ton of feature to enhance your browsing experience. Caching is one such feature that improves the loading times for your oft-repeated websites, though it's not exclusive to Chrome and exists in pretty much all web browsers. However, there are some instances where you might want to clear the cache. In this article, we’ll walk you through all methods of deleting the cache files created by Google Chrome.

What are cache files in Google Chrome?

The Google chrome app on a Pixel Fold home screen.

Similar to the cache storage facility utilized by most modern apps, Google Chrome creates a folder on your storage drive where it downloads and stores the data from your recent and most-used web pages. By keeping images, text, and other files within the cache storage, Chrome speeds up the process of loading the web page the next time you use it. But if you're on an older device with limited storage, it might be a good idea to remove the cache files and clear up some space.

How to clear the cache on Google Chrome via Chrome settings

Regardless of whether you’re using the Windows, macOS, or Linux version of Google Chrome, the procedure to delete the cache is largely the same. All you have to do is:

  1. Click on the three dots in the top right corner of Google Chrome.
    Chrome with the three dots button highlighted
  2. Select the Settings option from the drop-down menu.
    Chrome with the Settings option highlighted
  3. Navigate to the Privacy and Security tab and choose the Clear browsing data option.
    Chrome with the Privacy and Security tab tab and Clear browsing data option highlighted
  4. Pick the Time range.
    Chrome with the Time range option selected
  5. If it's unchecked, enable the Cached images and files setting by clicking on the checkbox next to it.
    Chrome with the Cached images and files option selected
  6. Click on Clear data to delete the cache files.

How to clear the cache on Google Chrome via File Explorer

If you’re on a Windows PC, you can use the File Explorer utility to clear the cache from Google Chrome.

  1. Right-click on the Start button and select File Explorer.
    A Windows 11 desktop with the Start button and File Explorer highlighted
  2. Navigate to the folder where Chrome stores the cache files by typing the following address in the Address Bar: 
    %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Cache\Cache_Data
  3. Tap Ctrl+A to select all the files and press the Del key to delete them.
    File Explorer with the cache files highlighted
  4. Choose Continue when prompted by Windows.

How to clear the cache on Google Chrome via Linux terminal

If you're using a Linux system, the built-in terminal utility lets you run a simple command to get rid of Google Chrome’s cache files.

  1. Press Ctrl+Alt+T to launch the terminal.
  2. Type the following command and press Enter: 
    rm -rf ~/.cache/google-chrome
    Ubuntu terminal with the command to delete the cache files

We've used Ubuntu for this guide, but you can execute the same command on other Linux distributions.

How to clear the cache of a specific website on Google Chrome

Finally, you can delete the caches for a specific web page on Google Chrome with the help of Chrome DevTools.

  1. Launch the web page whose cache you wish to clear.
  2. Press F12 to open Chrome DevTools.
    Chrome with the DevTools highlighted
  3. Right-click on the Reload button and choose Empty Cache and Hard Reload.
    Chrome with the Reload button and Empty Cache and Hard Reload

Should you clear the cache on Google Chrome?

Google Chrome logo overlaid on a Lenovo ThinkPad X13s laptop

Since this neat feature can save time for those on particularly slow Wi-Fi connections, we don't recommend frequently clearing the cache files. That said, the amount of storage occupied by the cache tends to build up over time. For those who spend a lot of time on Chrome, the cache files can quickly accumulate. Soon, you'll notice the cache takes up more than a few GBs on your device.

Additionally, deleting the cache is a preliminary fix when you run into technical bugs when loading a web page. Sometimes, Chrome may end up displaying the cached version of a website instead of loading the more up-to-date variant from the official server. So, the next time a website renders broken images, outdated information, or simply refuses to load, it's time to clear the old cache files on your Chrome browser.