What Is Cached Data?
An exchange of information takes place usually when you visit a new online site or open a new app that you have recently installed on your Android device or Windows PC. So, whatever the information that comes from visiting the website or opening the app is stored on your PC or smartphone. This process is automatic and happens without your involvement or knowledge. By the end of this topic, you will come to know How to Clear Cached Data on Windows PC in a simple and easy way.
The whole idea of this “Cache” is to save time on loading the content when you visit the website or open an app again in the future. So, basically, the pages will load faster if your device has stored cache data of a website. Here is a simple and short example to explain how cached data works on your device.
Example: – Let’s say you have visited a fancy looking website using a web browser for the first time, your device will save the data about the site’s layout and design in the form cache. So, whenever you visit the same website again, your computer or device won’t need to load the site all over again from the Internet. It’ll simply use the data stored in the cache files to load the website quickly.
Should You Keep Cache Data or Not?
One of the drawbacks of the Cached data is that it can sometimes take a huge portion of your storage space. If you don’t clear the cached data from time to time, then the size of cache data will keep on increasing over time, and eventually, you will run out of storage space(How to remove unwanted storage space) on your device to store anything else. Therefore, it’s advised to remove cached data every now and then from your device to free up the storage space.
There’s no harm in keeping cached data on your device, however, if you’re running out of storage space, then it’s best to wipe out the cached data. Furthermore, it’s only useful if you visit a site every day on your computer. However, it’s just a complete waste of storage space if you visit the site only once.
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Clear Cached Data On PC
Clearing cache data can free up a good amount of space on your computer or laptop. The option to remove cached memory will be located in the web browser you use regularly. In order to clear the cached data on the PC, you will have to follow the below-mentioned steps.
- Launch the Web browser that you use regularly to surf the web on your PC. (Google Chrome for instance)
- Click on the three vertical dots in the top right corner of the screen to open up the list of options.
setting page on google chrome image - Open up the Settings Menu option from the list and wait for a few seconds for the page to load.
- Select the Privacy and Security option located in the top left corner of the screen to proceed.
- Now click on the “Clear Browsing Data” option and select the “Cache” option on the next screen.
- Confirm the action and click on the “Clear Data” option to remove the cached data from your computer.
It may take a few seconds for the browser to clear if there’s a lot of cached data stored on your PC. Make sure not to interrupt the process, else the cleaning of cached data might fail.
How is Cache Data Stored on PC
Whenever you visit a new website on your PC or Android using a web browser for the first time, the site usually takes a second or two to load up properly. For the most part, this small delay for the website to load its content often goes unnoticed. The same goes for Android phones as well, when you download and open an app for the first time on your device. This entire process happens when your device doesn’t have cached data of the website you’re visiting or the app you’re opening for the first time.
If you’re a powerhouse who regularly installs plenty of apps or visit hundreds of new websites, chances are, you must have noticed your storage space filling up way faster than it should. It’s mainly because of the cached data that is being created and stored on your device when you visit a new website or open an app for the first time.
So, today in this article, we’re going to discuss Cached data and how you can easily remove it from your device. By the end of this article, all your doubts related to Cached data and whether you should keep it or remove it will be cleared. Make sure to stick with the article until the end.
How To Clear Cached Data On Android
The concept of Cached data isn’t limited to PCs only, it is stored on your Android device as well whenever you open an app. Most smartphone users fail to realize that it’s cached data that is consuming the storage space of their device. If you wish to free up space on your Android device, then go ahead and follow these steps properly.
- Launch the Settings App on your Android device to proceed.
- Open up the “Apps” or “App Management” option from Settings.
- Wait for the list of installed apps to load up on your screen.
- Now select the app that you want to clear the cache of, from the list.
- Tap on the “Clear cache” option on the next screen and wait for a few seconds.
Likewise, you can clear the cache of all the apps that are installed on your Android device, including the preinstalled apps that are available by default on your device.
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Final Words
The process of clearing cached data isn’t really as complicated as it may sound if you follow the correct steps. The steps shared in the guide will help you with the process of clearing cached data both on PC and Android devices. In case if you have further doubts in respect to cached data or regarding the information shared in the article, then let us know in the comment section below.