How to clear your iPad cache (and wipe out lag for good)

4 days ago 11
How to wide   your iPad cache - and hole  dilatory  show  for good
Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

Follow ZDNET: Add america arsenic a preferred source connected Google.


ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

  • Clear your iPad cache regularly to boost velocity and escaped storage.
  • Safari, Chrome, and apps each store cache that tin dilatory performance.
  • Restarting your iPad helps wide hidden files and amended stability.

If you're thing similar me, you're astir apt a spot of a information hoarder, possibly without adjacent realizing it. My iPad Pro has astir a 100 apps installed and a mates of browsers I regularly use, each with much than 10 tabs unfastened astatine each times, and they're each caching data.

In theory, caching is great, arsenic it helps your favourite apps and browsers load faster. In practice, though, it's each excessively casual for those impermanent files -- images, scripts, logins, etc. -- to heap up and dilatory down your iPad. It's similar a backpack filled with junk. On a hike, it's useful to person snacks and h2o astatine your disposal, giving you the vigor to marque it up the upland astatine grounds speed.

Also: How to wide your iPhone cache (and hole dilatory show for good)

At immoderate point, though, each that other weight, particularly if you've picked up rocks oregon specimens on the way, makes hiking a existent slog. Clearing the cache regularly is similar dumping retired your backpack. It frees up retention and tin springiness your iPad a noticeable boost.

Let's locomotion done each mode to purge cache connected an iPad moving iOS 26, and I'll explicate wherefore it matters successful much detail.

How to wide cache connected your iPad

What you'll need: An iPad moving iPadOS 26 and your Apple ID password oregon instrumentality passcode useful successful lawsuit you're prompted for it.

If Safari is your default browser connected your iPad oregon iPad Pro, cognize that each webpage you visit, each representation you load, and each video you ticker saves impermanent files locally called cache. Here's however to wide it.

  1. Open Settings > Apps.
  2. Scroll down to Safari and pat it.
  3. Find and pat Clear History and Website Data.
  4. Choose a clip framework (I suggest All History).
  5. Tap Clear History to erase your history, cookies, and cache.

Clearing Safari's past and website information tin resoluteness glitches oregon amended browsing velocity without deleting your bookmarks oregon saved passwords. It simply removes cache, history, and cookies, allowing Safari to commencement caller the adjacent clip you unfastened it. 

Also: I recovered an iPhone and Mac browser that's faster, safer, and easier than Safari

Tip: If you privation much granular power (for example, to delete cookies but support your browsing past successful Safari), scroll further down successful Settings > Apps > Safari to Advanced > Website Data, and past pat Remove All Website Data. This volition wide website information lone from Safari, specified arsenic cookies and tracking information.

While you'll beryllium logged retired of websites, your bookmarks and autofill passwords volition inactive beryllium available.

Show more

Clear Safari past  and website data
Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

If you usage Chrome connected your iPad instead, you tin wide cache conscionable similar you tin successful Safari. It besides stores images, scripts, and tract information to velocity up your browsing experience. Over time, though, that cache tin get bloated and buggy. You mightiness announcement that websites are not updating properly, pages are loading slowly, oregon you're experiencing login glitches.

Also: I fto ChatGPT Atlas bash my Walmart buying for maine - here's however the AI browser cause did

Unlike Safari, Chrome has its ain built-in controls for managing cache and cookies. You don't request to excavation done your iPad's Settings app due to the fact that everything is done close wrong the Chrome app.

  1. Open the Chrome app connected your iPad.
  2. Tap the three-dot paper successful the top-right corner.
  3. Select Settings from the dropdown menu.
  4. Choose Privacy and Security, past pat Delete Browsing Data.
  5. Select the clip scope you privation to wide (I suggest All time).
  6. Make definite Cached Images and Files is checked. You tin besides cheque Cookies and Site Data for a deeper purge, and adjacent Browsing History if you privation to beryllium other thorough. Chrome makes it casual for you to decide.
  7. Tap Delete Data to confirm.

Deleting the cache successful Chrome volition unit the browser to load caller information from websites the adjacent clip you sojourn them. It tin besides escaped up a noticeable magnitude of retention if you're a dense tab hoarder (guilty). You mightiness beryllium logged retired of immoderate sites if you wide everything, but similar Safari, your bookmarks and autofill passwords volition remain.

Show more

Clear Chrome browsing data
Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

Chrome is large due to the fact that it offers a Clear Cache option, but astir apps don't, truthful you mightiness privation to see offloading oregon deleting apps you don't need. Offloading removes the app from your instrumentality to escaped up abstraction but keeps your documents and data. Deleting removes everything, including the app and its data.

Deleting is the lone mode to afloat hitch section cache, but some methods tin wide impermanent files and escaped up space.

  1. Open Settings > General > iPad Storage. You'll spot a database of apps and however overmuch abstraction each 1 uses.
  2. Sort by size and reappraisal immoderate app taking up a batch of storage. Just pat 1 to prime it and spot your options.
  3. Select Offload App to delete the app but support its data. This inactive clears astir of the cached files for that app.
  4. If you request a full reset, pat Delete App instead. This removes each app information and settings.
  5. After offloading oregon deleting, you tin reinstall the app from the App Store if you inactive request it.

This instrumentality is particularly utile for societal media, gaming, oregon streaming apps that tin heap up gigabytes of cache. Netflix, for example, was taking up implicit 16GB connected my iPad Pro earlier I offloaded it to escaped up section storage.

Also: Your AirTag isn't genuinely travel-ready unless it has this accessory - here's wherefore I vouch for it

Tip: You tin besides alteration Offload Unused Apps (in Settings > App Store) to fto your iPad automatically region apps you seldom use. This helps escaped up abstraction implicit clip without you having to manually offload each app.

Show more

Offload oregon  delete unused apps
Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

Once you've cleared cache from your browsers and offloaded oregon deleted unused apps, restart your iPad. iPadOS manages a batch of "invisible" cache and hidden impermanent files successful the background, and a speedy reboot tin flush those retired and refresh the memory, often making everything consciousness faster.

I'm not talking astir a afloat mill reset, conscionable a elemental restart.

  1. Hold down the Power and Volume Down buttons astatine the aforesaid time, past hold a fewer seconds.
  2. Slide to Power Off your iPad.
  3. Press the apical Power fastener to crook it backmost on.

If your iPad's buttons aren't working, you tin besides spell to Settings > General > Shut Down.

Also: Is an iPad Pro inactive worthy it successful 2025? I tested the M5 exemplary for weeks, and here's my advice

Even a regular reboot tin assistance support things moving smoothly and improve show and security.

Show more

Restart your iPad
Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

What is cache connected my iPad?

The TL;DR version: Cache is simply a postulation of impermanent files that apps and websites store locally to velocity up loading, browsing, and your wide acquisition connected the iPad. For example, images oregon scripts from websites are saved truthful they don't person to download again. It's utile for performance, but excessively overmuch cached information tin dilatory your iPad down, truthful you should regularly wide it.

Also: 3 Apple devices you astir apt shouldn't bargain this period (and 9 that are harmless for now)

Will clearing the cache delete each my data?

No. Clearing cache and browser past lone removes impermanent data, arsenic good arsenic your past and cookies -- not your bookmarks oregon passwords. Offloading an app besides keeps your documents and settings safe, but deleting an app removes everything for a afloat reset.

How often should I wide the cache connected my iPad?

It depends. As a wide rule, wide your browser past and cache astir erstwhile a period (or much if you browse heavily) and reboot your iPad each day. Apps tin beryllium offloaded oregon removed arsenic needed -- similar if they're behaving oddly oregon taking up excessively overmuch space.

Also: The champion iPad stylus of 2025: Our apical picks for penning and drawing

Can I wide cache successful different browsers oregon apps?

Safari and Chrome aren't the lone browsers you mightiness usage connected your iPad. You mightiness besides usage Firefox oregon Edge, and each has its ain cache-clearing method (linked). Many apps don't fto you wide cache directly, but immoderate do, truthful it's worthy checking their settings oregon enactment pages for your astir commonly utilized apps. For example, TikTok and Snapchat some fto you wide cache wrong their apps.

Show more

Read Entire Article