Another of the big problems that exist is that there is a lot of ignorance with the function that these files have. The truth is that it can be called 'garbage' that is generated with each of the searches that you carry out that do not have a real function. Many of these files, except for the most recent ones that are generated, do not fulfill any type of function within the operating system. All they do is annoy and take up valuable space that in some cases makes it impossible to download other files locally or even install software updates.
Is it safe to delete them?
When it comes to deleting any internal file from the macOS system, there is always a fear. The fear of deleting something important from the 'forbidden' folders makes one fear that the computer will be completely corrupted. Nothing could be further from the truth. These files have the function of faster loading of a specific web address or having the login data. For example, when you are on a social network such as Twitter and you are logged in, the fact that every time you enter it is logged in is a result of the cache.
As soon as the cache is completely deleted, this is also completely deleted. The page in question will load more slowly and you will not be logged in. This happens especially with the most recent cache, which is the only one that has any kind of utility. If you want to be much more selective, you can delete those temporary files that are older so as not to suffer these consequences. But the most important thing about this is that clearing the cache is completely safe and you will not end up corrupting the operating system by clearing it. It should be considered a form of Mac maintenance in the long run.
Clearing the cache process
When clearing the cache on a Mac, keep in mind that it can be generated in various parts of the system. The first of these is in the native browser itself that is used on a daily basis. But it must also be taken into account that all applications that are used daily as a simple text manager also end up generating this type of temporary files.
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— Stuart Gooch Mon Jul 29 10:23:55 +0000 2019
Clear Safari's temporary memory
The web browser is undoubtedly one of the most troublesome points when it comes to generating cache. There are many websites that are visited on a daily basis and that is why a large number of temporary files are generated. In the short term, they obviously do not pose any type of problem, but over the months the accumulation of files that weigh a few KB in the end can mean several GB of totally wasted use.
Safari does not make it easy at all to clear the cache. First hand it includes within the entire browsing history something that you may not want to delete. To make it much more specific, special developer permissions must be activated as follows:
- Open Safari on your Mac.
- Choose 'Safari' from the top toolbar.
- Click 'Preferences'.
- In the menu that appears, select the 'Advanced' section.
- Activate the box that says 'Show the Development menu'.
- Now in the upper toolbar you will see a new section next to 'Bookmarks' called 'Development'.
- Click on this section and select 'Clear Cache'.
At this point you should close and return to start the Safari browser so that the deletion you have made can be appreciated. As we have mentioned previously, from this moment on all logins will be deleted and you will notice that the web pages begin to load more slowly at first. It should be noted that the passwords as such are not deleted since they are stored in the iCloud keychain, which in this case is not modified.
Delete temporary application files
Another possibility is to delete the cache of the applications you use on a daily basis on your Mac. All these files must be deleted manually by accessing to internal system folders. You will need to access the path ~/Library/Caches that is located inside the main storage unit. To access you simply have to enter the Finder and at the top follow the Go > Look for.
At the moment a folder will be loaded inside which you will find numerous subfolders. Each of these subfolders has the names of each of the applications that you have installed on your computer. By deleting everything inside, the application will be left without any type of cache. But you have to be very careful in this regard, because if you have some type of project active in any application, it may end up being deleted. Some applications use the cache to store important information in this sense, and it is because in this case you should always choose to delete the oldest cache while keeping the most recent one.
Using third-party applications
If you want to make this deletion process much easier and safer, you can find third-party applications to do it. When executing its internal analysis, it allows you to search among all your folders for files that are considered temporary in order to proceed to eliminate them. It is what is ultimately considered maintenance tasks in a general way on any computer that always promise to improve the performance of the device. In addition to general cleaning, other extra features are also offered.
These apps can help prevent you from accidentally deleting something that shouldn't be deleted. It also takes away the task that can be so scary, which is entering the internal files of your Mac since it will detect them itself and with a single button you will delete all this information in a simple way. But not only from the applications, but also from all the browsers you have installed, as well as from the Mail application, which also generates a large number of multimedia files.