- If your Samsung Galaxy phone is running slowly or low on storage space, knowing how to clear the cache on your Galaxy can clear up the device to help it run more efficiently.
- Your Samsung Galaxy uses a cache to store temporary files for the apps on your phone. This cache can become bloated, and take up excess space or even slow down the phone.
- If an app is crashing or behaving badly, you might also try clearing its cache to see if that solves the problem.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
When your Samsung Galaxy runs low on memory or starts behaving strangely, you should clear the phone's cache.
The cache is filled with temporary data that's used by apps. This cache can help apps run faster and keep track of information they need to perform tasks.
But the cache can, over time, get quite large, robbing you of storage space. And if an app behaves strangely, corrupted data in the cache might be to blame.
You have two choices: You can clear the entire cache on your Galaxy with a single tap (which is convenient if your goal is to reclaim storage space) or you can clear specific apps' caches (best if you are troubleshooting a buggy app).
Either way, clearing the cache does not delete important data; it only discards temporary working files.
Check out the products mentioned in this article:
Samsung Galaxy phones (From $349 at Best Buy)
How to clear the entire cache on a Samsung Galaxy
1. Start the Settings app.
2. Tap "Device care."
3. On the Device care page, tap "Storage."
4. Tap "Clean Now." The button will also indicate how much storage space you will reclaim after the cache is cleared.
How to clear the cache of a specific app on a Samsung Galaxy
1. Start the Settings app.
2. Tap "Device care."
3. On the Device care page, tap "Storage."
4. On the Storage page, tap "Apps."
5. Find the app you want to clear and tap it.
6. On the App info page, tap "Storage."
7. Note that you can see the size of the cache in the Space used list at the bottom of the screen. To clear the cache, tap "Clear cache."
Be careful not to tap "Clear data," or you will erase the app's data. This will essentially return it to the way it was when you first installed it, meaning that you may lose personal data in the process.
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How to take a screenshot on a Samsung Galaxy S10 in 5 different ways
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How to stop robocalls and other spam calls from reaching your Android phone
Dave Johnson Freelance Writer Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider. Read more Read lessInsider Inc. receives a commission when you buy through our links.
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