Yes, it is safe. That said, don't just delete all the contents of your cache folder without reason. It can be beneficial to clear out those taking up the significant space in your /Library/Caches/ if you need to free some up, but you really shouldn't clear any contents of your /System/Caches unless there is a problem. Jun 25, 2019 Recover macOS caches folder, log files, Library folders automatically If your data has been permanently deleted and you don’t have a backup from which you can recover it, the most reliable option to restore them is to opt for the secure and reliable Mac.
- Mac High Sierra Can I Delete The Library Cache Folder Windows 10
- Mac High Sierra Can I Delete The Library Cache Folder Windows 10
- Mac High Sierra Can I Delete The Library Cache Folder Download
- Mac High Sierra Can I Delete The Library Cache Folder Mac
Optimized Storage in macOS Sierra and later* can save space by storing your content in iCloud and making it available on demand. When storage space is needed, files, photos, movies, email attachments, and other files that you seldom use are stored in iCloud automatically. Each file stays right where you last saved it, and downloads when you open it. Files that you’ve used recently remain on your Mac, along with optimized versions of your photos.
* If you haven't yet upgraded to macOS Sierra or later, learn about other ways to free up storage space.
Find out how much storage is available on your Mac
Choose Apple menu > About This Mac, then click Storage. This is an overview of available storage space on your Mac, as well as the space used by different categories of files:
Click the Manage button to open the Storage Management window, pictured below. (The Manage button is available only in macOS Sierra or later.)
Manage storage on your Mac
The Storage Management window offers recommendations for optimizing your storage. If some recommendations are already turned on, you will see fewer recommendations.
How to transfer music from ipod to mac itunes.
Store in iCloud
Click the Store in iCloud button, then choose from these options:
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- Desktop and Documents. Store all files from these two locations in iCloud Drive. When storage space is needed, only the files you recently opened are kept on your Mac, so that you can easily work offline. Files stored only in iCloud show a download icon , which you can double-click to download the original file. Learn more about this feature.
- Photos. Store all original, full-resolution photos and videos in iCloud Photos. When storage space is needed, only space-saving (optimized) versions of photos are kept on your Mac. To download the original photo or video, just open it.
- Messages. Store all messages and attachments in iCloud. When storage space is needed, only the messages and attachments you recently opened are kept on your Mac. Learn more about Messages in iCloud.
Storing files in iCloud uses the storage space in your iCloud storage plan. If you reach or exceed your iCloud storage limit, you can either buy more iCloud storage or make more iCloud storage available. iCloud storage starts at 50GB for $0.99 (USD) a month, and you can purchase additional storage directly from your Apple device. Learn more about prices in your region.
Optimize Storage
Click the Optimize button, then choose from these options.
- Automatically remove watched movies and TV shows. When storage space is needed, movies or TV shows that you purchased from the iTunes Store and already watched are removed from your Mac. Click the download icon next to a movie or TV show to download it again.
- Download only recent attachments. Mail automatically downloads only the attachments that you recently received. You can manually download any attachments at any time by opening the email or attachment, or saving the attachment to your Mac.
- Don't automatically download attachments. Mail downloads an attachment only when you open the email or attachment, or save the attachment to your Mac.
Optimizing storage for movies, TV shows, and email attachments doesn't require iCloud storage space.
Empty Trash Automatically
Empty Trash Automatically permanently deletes files that have been in the Trash for more than 30 days.
Reduce Clutter
Reduce Clutter helps you to identify large files and files you might no longer need. Click the Review Files button, then choose any of the file categories in the sidebar, such as Applications, Documents, Music Creation, or Trash.
You can delete the files in some categories directly from this window. Other categories show the total storage space used by the files in each app. You can then open the app and decide whether to delete files from within it.
Learn how to redownload apps, music, movies, TV shows, and books.
Where to find the settings for each feature
The button for each recommendation in the Storage Management window affects one or more settings in other apps. You can also control those settings directly within each app.
- If you're using macOS Catalina, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Apple ID, then select iCloud in the sidebar: Store in iCloud turns on the Optimize Mac Storage setting on the right. Then click Options next to iCloud Drive: Store in iCloud turns on the Desktop & Documents Folders setting. To turn off iCloud Drive entirely, deselect iCloud Drive.
In macOS Mojave or earlier, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click iCloud, then click Options next to iCloud Drive. Store in iCloud turns on the Desktop & Documents Folders and Optimize Mac Storage settings. - In Photos, choose Photos > Preferences, then click iCloud. Store in iCloud selects iCloud Photos and Optimize Mac Storage.
- In Messages, choose Messages > Preferences, then click iMessage. Store in iCloud selects Enable Messages in iCloud.
Mac High Sierra Can I Delete The Library Cache Folder Windows 10
- If you're using macOS Catalina, open the Apple TV app, choose TV > Preferences from the menu bar, then click Files. Optimize Storage selects “Automatically delete watched movies and TV shows.”
In macOS Mojave or earlier, open iTunes, choose iTunes > Preferences from the menu bar, then click Advanced. Optimize Storage selects “Automatically delete watched movies and TV shows.” - In Mail, choose Mail > Preferences from the menu bar, then click Accounts. In the Account Information section on the right, Optimize Storage sets the Download Attachments menu to either Recent or None.
Empty Trash Automatically: From the Finder, choose Finder > Preferences, then click Advanced. Empty Trash Automatically selects “Remove items from the Trash after 30 days.”
Other ways that macOS helps automatically save space
With macOS Sierra or later, your Mac automatically takes these additional steps to save storage space:
- Detects duplicate downloads in Safari, keeping only the most recent version of the download
- Reminds you to delete used app installers
- Removes old fonts, languages, and dictionaries that aren't being used
- Clears caches, logs, and other unnecessary data when storage space is needed
How to free up storage space manually
Even without using the Optimized Storage features of Sierra or later, you can take other steps to make more storage space available:
- Music, movies, and other media can use a lot of storage space. Learn how to delete music, movies, and TV shows from your device.
- Delete other files that you no longer need by moving them to the Trash, then emptying the Trash. The Downloads folder is good place to look for files that you might no longer need.
- Move files to an external storage device.
- Compress files.
- Delete unneeded email: In the Mail app, choose Mailbox > Erase Junk Mail. If you no longer need the email in your Trash mailbox, choose Mailbox > Erase Deleted Items.
Learn more
- When you duplicate a file on an APFS-formatted volume, that file doesn't use additional storage space on the volume. Deleting a duplicate file frees up only the space required by any data you might have added to the duplicate. If you no longer need any copies of the file, you can recover all of the storage space by deleting both the duplicate and the original file.
- If you're using a pro app and Optimize Mac Storage, learn how to make sure that your projects are always on your Mac and able to access their files.
Benefits of deleting temporary files
Storing temporary and cache files, alongside everything else stored in your Mac, takes up space that could be put to better use. Depending on how many apps you use on a regular basis, you could be storing dozens - even hundreds - of cache and temporary files without realizing it, all incrementally slowing your Mac down.
Cache and temporary files can include everything from web browser cache and history, including cookies and passwords, to messaging cache folders, partially completed downloads, app temp files and folders, and so much more that is taking up space on your Mac.
Types of temporary files:
- browser cookies
- outdated system logs
- application cache
- intermediate document versions
Why do browsers collect cache?
Most web browsers will only try to hold onto a limited amount of cache data and cookies. This helps your browser run faster when loading a web page that you’ve visited before. But it won’t hold onto everything. Most will try and self-clean this data after a period of time.
And apps, also hold onto as much as they need, and will sooner or later, try and clear out that data. Automated cache clearing doesn't always work and sometimes when an app or web browser isn’t working properly - or if you've fallen victim to malware or adware - a direct intervention is needed to clear out temporary files and cache data to get an app, browser or other application to work as it should.
The old caches may cause software glitches and compatibility issues.
Delete temporary files with CleanMyMac
Clearing out unnecessary temporary and cache files will increase the amount of hard drive space available, and it should improve the overall performance and speed of your Mac. You can do this one of two ways: manually — which we cover below — or using a time-saving tool, such as CleanMyMac X.
Get a free version of CleanMyMac — a link to free download
According to the developer, this app removes up to 74 GB of junk on average Mac. Most of it is system junk, in other words, temporary files and caches. If you are overloaded with temporary files and too much cache data, it will highlight this and you can safely delete everything, saving you time and space. Another way to clear out cache files and data is to go through your files manually. Here is how you do that.
How to delete temporary files manually
Before you begin, always back up your Mac. Whether you use Time Machine, iCloud, or a third-party hard drive or cloud-based storage system, make sure you’ve got everything backed up.
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There are 4 main types of caches you'll encounter on your Mac:
Here is how to clear temporary files from a Mac:
- Quit or close any open and active apps. To make sure this is done, Force Quit anything that hasn't closed properly. Anything that needs to be closed that way might benefit from a cache clear out.
- Go to the Finder in macOS
- If you are using Sierra or a more recent OS, hold down the SHIFT key. Or for those using an older macOS, press down the OPTION or ALT key, and pull down the Go menu in Finder.
- Choose Library from the options presented in the Go menu
- Once you’ve got access to Library, go to the Caches folder
- Now this will show you the full range of cache and temporary files that are being stored on your Mac. Be certain which ones you want/need to delete before sending them to the Trash.
- To send cache folders to the Trash, either right-click and select Move to Trash, or drag and drop them into the Trash.
- Empty the Trash — the same way you would when removing any other files - to clear them out of your Mac.
Typical cache file looks like this: “com.apple.iTunes”.
Deleting browser cache
Mac High Sierra Can I Delete The Library Cache Folder Mac
Unless you are either deleting everything, with some apps you can make these same changes in settings. In every web browser, you can clear the cache, cookies, saved passwords and browser history.
How to empty the cache in Safari:
Other web-based apps also have settings that give you control over the cache and cookies, so to avoid deleting everything, you might want to go to the specific app containing the data and clearing it out that way.
Another way to safely delete temporary files, cookies and cache is to Restart your Mac. If you keep it running and in sleep mode for days or weeks at a time, there are a lot of automatic maintenance systems that can’t operate until you restart or shut down your Mac then start it up again. Restarting your Mac is doing it a big favor and should help it run smoother
Locate hidden temporary folders with CleanMyMac
Did you know, there is a way to peek under the hood of your Mac? The tool we've just told you about, CleanMyMac X has an instrument for viewing the inner parts of your macOS. It's called Space Lens. It looks like this:
These 'bubbles' represent folders of different size. Here you can explore the Library and other distant parts of your computer.
Get the app here for free (a link to the developer's site)
Once you install the app, click the Space Lens tab in the sidebar.
Explore! This tool is really fun.
The outdated system files may hold back the performance of any Mac, even the most powerful models. And that's why Mac cleaning software exists. Either you choose a manual or automatic cleanup, your Mac will thank you for it. Hope you've learned something helpful today. Come back for more Apple/Mac tips.