How to Clear Cache and Cookies on Youtube

If you are experiencing issues while opening the YouTube app or suffering from frequent crashes, clearing the cache is an effective way to end those kinds of issues.

While cache files are small in size, they can accumulate pretty quickly, especially if you are using them extensively daily. Thus, it hogs up your important storage space.

So, how do you clear it? And, does it delete your data?

In this article, we have explained how you can clear your YouTube cache whether you use the app or on a browser.

How to Clear the YouTube Browser Cache and Cookies?

Browser cache stores all kinds of cache, including the YouTube cache. So, the cache can accumulate on the browser you use to watch YouTube videos.

You can clear the YouTube cache, but not all browsers have an option. Alternatively, you can clear the whole browser cache.

Here’s how to do it on different browsers on a desktop.

On Chrome 

Usually, most users know how to clear Chrome’s cache from the Privacy and security section. However, doing this clears the cache of all the websites.

To clear only the cache related to Youtube:

1. Open YouTube on Chrome.
2. Click the three dots icon in the top-right corner and select More tools > Developer tools.
   
3. Right-click the reload button and select Empty Cache and Hard Reload to clear the site’s cache quickly.
   

For more options such as clearing cookies, local storage, service workers, etc.

Follow the steps below:

1. Select the Application tab. If you don’t find it, click the double-arrow icon and select it.
2. Then, select Storage on the left under the Application section.
3. In the right pane, enable the Cache storage checkbox under the Cache. You can uncheck checkboxes if you don’t want to clear them.
   
4. Click Clear site data.

On Safari 

On Mac, you can clear the YouTube cache on the Safari browser as follows:

1. Launch the Safari app.
2. Then, click Safari next to the Apple icon and select Preferences.
   
3. Under the Privacy tab, click Manage Website Data next to the Cookies and website data field.
   
4. Scroll down and select youtube.com.
   
5. Click Remove.

On Firefox 

While there isn’t an option to clear the YouTube cache only on Firefox, you can clear the whole cache as follows:

1. Launch the Firefox browser.
2. Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete key on Windows and Command + Shift + Delete on Mac.
3. Then, enable the Cache checkbox and configure other settings according to your preferences.
   
4. Click OK when done.

How to Clear the YouTube App Cache?

The YouTube app has its own cache stored separately on your device. You can clear it with the steps below, depending upon the device type. Furthermore, you can also clear the app data if you want.

On Android

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap on Apps.
3. Scroll to the Youtube app.
4. Next, tap on Storage.
5. Now, tap on Clear cache.
   

On iPhone 

1. Go to the Settings app.
2. Then, navigate to General > iPhone Storage.
3. Scroll down and select YouTube from the list of apps.
4. Now, tap on Offload App.
   

What Happens After You Clear the Cache?

Clearing the cache helps you free up storage and can resolve various issues while using YouTube.

Sometimes the cache can accumulate and become corrupt, so clearing it replaces it with a fresh one which can help to resolve YouTube-related issues.

And clearing it doesn’t delete your YouTube data such as subscriptions, liked videos, watch history, etc. And, unlike clearing cookies, you won’t be logged out of currently signed-in accounts.

However, it has one significant downside. That is, YouTube may take longer than usual to load or open. It’s because your browser now needs to request the YouTube server to re-download a fresh copy of necessary files, such as icons, images, fonts, etc., related to YouTube.

Related Questions

Does Clearing Cache Also Clear Cookies?

In short, the answer is “No.” While cache and cookies both help to boost website performance, they aren’t the same thing, and clearing one doesn’t clear the other.

Cookies help browsers to remember the frequently visited sites and activities performed on them and thus provide a personalized experience.

On the other hand, the cache is created by the browser to load the frequently visited sites faster.

How Often Should You Clear the Cache?

There isn’t a hard and fast rule regarding how frequently you should clear the cache.

However, if you experience problems like YouTube pausing randomly, its buttons not working, or any other similar issues, clearing its cache can effectively solve them.

Also, you can clear the cache whenever your device runs low on storage and you need to free up some space.