How To Clear PC Cache [Ultimate Guide]

The cache of your PC is temporary data stored in your processor, which your system uses frequently. Clearing your PC’s cache will eliminate temporary files that occupy disc scape and sometimes cause performance issues. Such files can get corrupted at some point, and removing them leads to improving the overall speed of your system. Therefore, I will convey simple methods of cache clearing in this article.

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Key Takeaways

• Cache is a fast and temporary memory that stores data from the most frequently used applications and files.
• Clearing the computer’s cache is often recommended for issues like slow operations, applications crashing, etc.
• You can clear the cache of your PC by using the Disk Cleanup utility or manually removing temporary files through Storage, or using third-party software like CCleaner.

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What Happens When You Clear PC Cache?

Your cache is kept on your computer in a temporary directory, where the files occupy disc space. Cached data is susceptible to corruption. Clearing your cache will remove these files, freeing up some space on your device.

However, your cache typically only takes up a little space, so this might not significantly impact the amount of space you have on your device.

In the case of a web browser, “clearing your cache” instructs the browser to remove the temporary files it has saved to speed up internet browsing. Some website settings are lost after your cache and cookies have been cleared.

How Clearing Cache May Fix Problems

If you are experiencing unusual errors or crashes on your PC or it has become slow, it might be time to clear your PC’s cache. The operating system relies heavily on temporary files to perform its tasks. These file caches can occasionally get corrupted or damaged or grow to such a size that they cause issues with your computer’s performance or consume excessive storage.

If that’s the case, you’ll need to clear the cache on your computer to prevent these issues. Clearing the cache is an excellent step for troubleshooting issues and improving the performance of your computer.

How To Clear PC Cache

Clearing your PC’s cache is a simple task you can efficiently perform by following the methods listed below.

Clear Cache Using Disk Cleanup Utility

Users can delete files and free up a significant amount of storage using Disk Cleanup Utility if they are no longer required. It’s a great maintenance practice to run Disk Cleanup at least once every month. Here’s how to use it:

1. Press the Windows Key, type in “Disk Cleanup,” and open the Disk Cleanup utility.

   

2. Alternatively, you can press Windows Key + R to open the Run menu and type “cleanmgr” to open the utility.

   

3. select the one you want to clear the cache for if you have multiple storage drives.

   

4. Check the boxes next to the “Temporary files” entries and any other entries you want to clean up in the Disk Cleanup window, then click the OK button.
5. Choose “Delete Files” when the prompt initiates the clean-up process.

   

Clear Up Temp System Files

Windows or other applications on your computer produce temporary files, often known as temp files or tmp files, to store data while a permanent file is being written to or changed. Temporary files frequently stay available for much longer than they ought to. Hence they occupy space and slow down your computer.

Deleting these Temp files can free up storage on your PC.

1. Press the Windows Key and type “Settings” in the search bar.

   

2. Go to the “System” option in the Settings menu.

   

3. Select the “Storage” option on the left side column.

   

4. Select “Configure Storage Sense or Run it now.”
5. Configure Storage Sense menu will open. Ensure you have checked the option “Delete temporary files that my apps aren’t using.”
6. Click on “Clean Now” to start the cleaning process.

   

Clear Temporary Files In The Storage

Temporary files and cache in your storage can also be cleared from the System settings. Follow these steps to clear temporary files:

1. Go to “System” settings.

   

2. Select “Storage” in the Settings menu, as previously explained.
3. Select the option of “Temporary files” to open it.

   

4. Select the files you want to remove by marking the checkboxes and clicking “Remove.”

   

5. Wait for the cleaning process to complete the cache cleanup.

Clear Cache Using CCLEANER

You can also clear your PC’s cache using a third-party application like CCleaner.

1. Go to the link here and download the CCleaner application.

   

2. Once the application has been installed, open it and click the “Cleaner” option on the left.
3. The application will calculate the number of files that can be deleted.
4. Click on Run Cleaner to start up the cleaning process.

   

Clear Up Microsoft Store Cache

Your usage-related data has been stored in the Windows or Microsoft Store cache. This may include temporary download files, log files, downloaded thumbnails, and more. The data in said cache can occasionally become corrupted, which can cause issues with the application.

Clearing out its cache may help solve these issues. You can clear Microsoft Store’s cache by following these steps:

1. Open the “Run” menu by pressing Windows Key + R.

   

2. Type in “wsreset.exe” and press Enter on the keyboard.

   

3. A black screen will flash for a second, and Microsoft Store will open, which means the store’s cache has been cleared.

Flush DNS Cache

“DNS cache” refers to temporarily storing data about past DNS lookups. The DNS cache can be cleared to help maintain the appropriate loading of websites and online apps and troubleshoot the internet connection on the PC. You can do it by following the steps below:

1. Press the Windows Key and type in “Command Prompt.”Command Prompt – Image Credits [Emopulse]
2. Right-click the Command Prompt icon and select “Run as administrator.”
3. Click the “Yes” button when the confirmation prompt appears.
4. Type “ipconfig/flushdns” in the command prompt window and press Enter.

   

5. When you see the “Successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache” message displayed on the screen, that means the DNS cache has been cleared.

   

Clear Location Cache

To clear the location cache on your PC, you need to follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings menu as mentioned in the previous steps.
2. Go to the option of “Privacy” and select it.

   

3. Select the location option in the “App permissions” section on the left.
4. Scroll down to find the “Location History” option and choose the “Clear” option to clear the location history.

   

Delete Browser Cache On PC

Your browser keeps creating cache files while you are surfing on the internet. To clear your browser’s cache:

1. Open your browser and simultaneously press the Alt + Shift + Delete keys.
2. Select the “All Time” option in the “Time Range” drop-down menu.

   

3. Ensure the “Cached images and files” check box is selected before clicking “Clear Data.”

   

4. Clicking on “Clear Data” successfully clears the cache.

Benefits of Clearing PC Cache

• Deleting cache data improves computer efficiency and aids in troubleshooting.
• Cleaning the cache can free up storage space and solve issues related to your device’s battery life, speed, security, and performance.
• Hackers can use the cache data to start an attack that jeopardizes security. Clearing the cache keeps your data secure.
• Storing cached material in your browser can lead to access or display issues. Clearing the cache solves these problems.
• Additionally, it implies that anyone using the computer after you can view your past online activity or access personal data. Your privacy is protected, and your browser performs better after clearing your cache.
• Clearing the DNS cache resolves network errors by refreshing the connection.

Drawbacks of Clearing PC Cache

Getting rid of the cache data improves computer efficiency, speeds up web page loading, and aids troubleshooting. However, it does have a few cons as well.

• You can lose some essential files if something goes wrong while clearing the cache. Ensure your data is backed up before you attempt to delete the cache.
• Another drawback is that you must log in again for the website after clearing the browser cache.
• If you clear the cache, a previously cached website must be downloaded again the next time you access it. A new cache will be produced as a result of the new download.
• Some web server stores frequently visited content fragments in a fragment cache, for instance, in typical applications for online purchasing. If the system’s performance depends on the fragment cache’s effective operation, suddenly clearing it might make every request served by the server take ten times as long or more to complete because each request would have to travel back to the database to reconstruct the fragment from source data.

Final Words

PC cache is temporary data your pc creates to make loading times faster. When this data builds up too much, it can develop problems such as hindering your PC’s speed, making applications crash, and making errors pop up more often. You can fix this using the Disk Cleanup utility, clearing temporary files through Storage inside your Windows Settings, using third-party apps such as CCleaner, flushing your DNS Cache, or clearing your Location and Microsoft Store cache.

If this helped, also read our guides on how to:

• Clear Browser cache
• Clear PS5 cache
• Clear Xbox 1 cache