Clear History and Website Data
Settings → Apps → Safari → Clear History and Website Data. On current iOS this asks which profile and what time range to clear. It removes browsing history, cookies and cached files in one action.
The cost is that it signs you out of every site you were logged into and clears saved preferences on those sites. Autofill passwords are not affected — those live in Passwords, not in Safari's cache — so you can sign back in easily, but you will have to.
Clearing one site instead of all of them
Settings → Apps → Safari → Advanced → Website Data lists every site holding data on your device, ordered by size, with a search box. Swiping left on a single entry removes just that site.
This is the better tool when one site is misbehaving — a page that will not load correctly, a login loop, a stale layout. You fix the problem without being signed out of everything else.
How much space this actually frees
Less than most guides imply. Safari's cache is usually in the hundreds of megabytes rather than gigabytes, and iOS purges it automatically when space is needed anyway.
If you are clearing it to make room for an update, it is not the lever to pull. Offloading a couple of large apps returns far more, far faster — our offloading guide covers it.
When clearing the cache is the right fix
A page that renders wrongly, a site stuck showing an old version, a login that loops back to the sign-in screen, or a checkout that will not proceed. All of these are cache and cookie problems, and clearing that site's data resolves them.
Also worth knowing: Private Browsing tabs never write to the cache in the first place, so opening a problem site in a private tab is a fast way to confirm the cache is to blame before you clear anything.
What it does not do
It does not delete downloads — those live in Files. It does not remove bookmarks or your reading list. It does not clear saved passwords. And it does not affect other browsers: Chrome, Firefox and Edge on iOS each keep their own data and are cleared from their own settings.
It also does not make Safari faster in any lasting way. A cache exists to speed things up; clearing it makes the next visit to every site slower until it rebuilds.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I clear Safari cache on iPhone?
Settings → Apps → Safari → Clear History and Website Data. To clear a single site instead, use Safari → Advanced → Website Data and swipe left on that site.
Does clearing Safari data delete my passwords?
No. Saved passwords live in Passwords, not in Safari's cache. You will be signed out of sites but can sign back in.
Does clearing the cache free much space?
Usually only hundreds of megabytes. Offloading large apps frees far more if space is your goal.
Will clearing the cache make Safari faster?
No. The cache exists to make browsing faster, so clearing it makes the next visit to each site slower until it rebuilds.