How to clean your Mac computer’s cache to make it run more efficiently?

Do you have a mac computer that you find getting slower and slower? Still, running out of space on your internal drive and don’t know how to speed up your beautiful mac? If this is the case, surely you must have read articles on the internet giving you lots of ideas on how to improve the performance of your mac.

How to clean your Mac computer

 You have surely come across the phrase “empty your cache” in several of these articles. Do you really know why you are advised to  clear your mac’s caches ? Better, do you first have a clear idea of ​​what the “cache” is?

If you want to know more about the cache and the reasons why it is recommended that you clear it often on your mac, then this article is for you!

Hide here, hide there: what is it really?

Small example. You need to clean your house for the first time. Get up in the morning, determined to do it, then you realize that you don’t have what you need to do the housework: soap, mop, detergent, etc. You then decide to go to the convenience store on the corner of your street to buy the necessary, then come back to do your cleaning day. The following week, you still want to tidy up a bit.

This time, no more worries since you have already purchased the equipment. Cleaning is faster and more efficient than the first time. This is the same way caching works on computer systems. Your cache, in this example, is your cleaning equipment.

When you arrive on a site, or use an application, data is loaded and then saved to facilitate the next use. For an application for example, the data will be saved in a temporary file, the cache, then will be used the next time the application is launched in order not only to reduce the response time of the application, but also to limit the requests that the user requests. The application sends to its server to receive the data because this data is already pre-saved in your device. The same goes for websites that will store part of their data in the memory of your device so that your next visit is easier and more fluid.

The cache or “the caches”: 3 main groups

When we talk about cache, we are actually talking about three main groups:

First, the system cache. This is a set of pre-recorded data that your operating system creates to make it easier to operate. Next, the application cache. As seen previously, each application has a cache file that it creates in order to save data that it could use later and faster. Finally, the browser cache, which constitutes all the files stored in the cache by the various websites you visit.

If you have followed this correctly, then you should now understand why cleaning its cache is important, as the data in all three cache groups can sometimes grow to insane sizes, which affects the way your mac functions a lot. Yes, excess of anything is harmful, even when it comes to computer cache.

How to clear your cache on mac?

You have two options: manually clear the cache or use one of the many cleaning apps on Mac. The second option being the most simplistic even for beginners, here is, for the more curious and the amateurs of data processing, how to empty your cache manually.

Find the system cache

First of all, an important note. Always back up cache folders that contain “com.apple” in their name before deleting them. The mistake to avoid is deleting important system cache files, which could cause your mac to malfunction. Also, don’t delete the folders; delete the files.

Open the folders, move them to the recycle bin, then go to the recycle bin and empty it. If after deleting the cache files you do not find any malfunction, then all is well, and you can delete the cache files that you have backed up.

By following the ~ / Library / Caches path, you will directly access the cache files on your system.

Clean up your apps

Access the settings of your applications and then the management of their storage. Then select the clear cache option. This will free up a lot of space, especially on apps that you use very frequently.

Don’t forget about browsers

Access the settings of your internet browser, then empty the cache. If you are a heavy internet user, don’t be surprised to free up several hundred megabytes or more just in your browser cache. You can also take the opportunity to delete your history. It doesn’t change much on the storage side, but it’s nice to completely empty every now and then.

Leave a Reply