How to Clear Cache in Firefox

September 25, 2024 By Janne Smith No Comments 6 minutes

Mozilla Firefox is one of the leading web browsers and one that offers a privacy-focused approach to the user experience. It also serves as the foundation for the Tor browser, which you can learn about here.  If you use Firefox as your daily driver and feel that the web browser has been acting weird lately, you may want to clear Firefox cache. The process is very easy and takes a short time.

Note: Clearing up the Firefox cache deletes your saved user data from the browser. And, this resolves issues, like a slow site-loading speed. While the cookies save you the hassle of filling repetitive forms, they can be equally dangerous. 

Since, they save your data, if the black hats intercept the network and access the saved data, you become the potential victim because your sensitive data is in their hands. However, you can connect to FastestVPN and flip the cards. This way, you browse the web anonymously and cookies are a tale of past.

What Does Clearing the Cache Do?

Remember those constant “accept cookies” notifications? That’s the site requiring your permission to store data, such as your preferences, personal information, and sometimes, your card details as well. And accepting it will enable the site collects and store your data. 

While this information saves the hassle of entering your details, for example, when ordering online, it’s important to see the other side of the picture as well. That said, there are various risks of accepting cookies and cache, such as:

• Access to user information and risks of malicious use.
• Quicker data storage.
• Potential browser errors. 
• Slower browsing speed.
• Inaccessible old forms

Moreover, this applies to almost all browsers that save your browsing history, like Mozilla Firefox. That said, a Firefox clear cache and cookies mitigates the above-mentioned risks, especially an improved user experience and evaded cyber threats. 

How to Clear Firefox Cache

According to Backlinko, 178 million people globally use Mozilla Firefox. And, once you clear Firefox cache, you can leverage a seamless browsing experience. Here’s how to clear cache Firefox on different devices:

Clear Cache Firefox Windows

Here are brief steps for Firefox clear cache and cookies on Windows:

• Go to Mozilla Firefox. Click on your user profile, denoted by a profile picture at the top-right corner. 

• Go to Settings > Privacy & Security.

• Scroll down and go to Cookies and Site Data.

• Click on Clear Data under Cookies and Site Data.

• Select the data you want to delete. Click on Clear.

Clear Cache Firefox Mac

Here are the steps to clear your cache and cookies in Firefox on Mac.

• Go to your profile settings > Privacy & Security.
• Find the “Cookies and Site Data” section. 
• Click “Clear Data,” choose what you want to delete, and then click “Clear.”

Clear Cache Firefox iOS

To clear the Firefox cache on iPhone, here’s what to do:

• Open the Firefox browser.

• Find the 3 horizontal stripes at the bottom-right corner of the screen.

• Select Settings > Data Management.

• Choose the type of data that you want to delete. 
• Select Clear Private Data and confirm.

Clear Cache Firefox Android

Here’s how to clear the Firefox cache on your Android device:

• Go to Firefox. 
• Navigate and tap on the 3 dots in the bottom-right corner.
• Choose Settings > Delete browsing data. 
• Choose the data you want to delete and confirm by selecting “Delete browsing data.”

How to Clear Firefox Cache on Linux?

Here are the steps for Firefox clear cache and cookies:

• Go to Firefox. 
• Click on your profile from the top-right corner of the screen. 
• Go to Preferences and Settings > Cookies and Site Data. 
• Select Clear Data.

How to Clear Firefox Cache and Cookies on Ubuntu

The steps for Firefox clear cache and cookies are similar to other operating systems and devices. Here are quick ways to clear cache Firefox:

• Open Firefox.
• Navigate the 3 stripes from the top-right corner of the screen. 
• Choose Settings/Preferences.
• Select Privacy & Security.
• Find Cookies and Site Data. 
• Choose Clear Data.
• Select the data you want to delete and confirm by clicking on Clear.
• You can also click on “Delete cookies and site data when Firefox is closed”. This will automatically delete when you close the browser.

How to Clear Firefox Cache From Command Line

Deleting cookies and cache via Comman Line is a breeze. We’ll cover 2 sets of command lines for different operating systems. Here are 2 commands for clearing the browser history and cache on Ref Hat, Fedora and CentOS:

• Clear Browsing History: $ rm ~/.mozilla/firefox/*default/*.sqlite
• Clear Cache Files: $ rm -rf ~/.cache/mozilla/firefox/*

Here are the commands for clearing browsing history and cache for Manjao, Ubuntu, Debian and Arch Linux:

• Clear browsing history: $ rm ~/.mozilla/firefox/*release/*.sqlite
• Clear cache files: $ rm -rf ~/.cache/mozilla/firefox/*

Automatically Delete Cookies in Firefox

Enabling automatic deletion for Firefox cookies clears the cache every time you close the browser. Here’s how to enable this setting:

• Go to your profile > Settings > Privacy & Security.
• Choose History.
• Select “Use custom settings for history.” 
• Choose Settings beside “Clear History when Firefox closes.”
• Tick the Cache box in Clear History Window Settings.
• Choose Ok to confirm the action.

How to Clear Firefox Cache for One Site?

Here’s how you can clear the Firefox cache for one site:

• Open the Firefox browser app > click on the 3 stripes at the bottom right corner.
• Go to Settings/Preferences.
• Choose Manage Data from the Cookies and Site Data section.
• Choose your preferred site. Tap on Remove Selected > Save Changes.
• Select Yes. All cached data for the site will be removed.

What Does Deleting Firefox Cache Do?

Here are 4 common results to expect once you clear the FireFox cache:

1. Resolves Browser Errors

Clearing the cache easily resolved common browser errors like formatting problems.

2. Speeds up Browsing

You’ll notice improved browning speed if you have faced site lags.

3. Resolves Connection Issues

Once the cache is cleared, you’ll notice fixed connection issues related to library databases.  

4. Troubleshoots the Errors

You can also determine if the previous issues were due to the cache or the browser.

How Long Does a Browser Cache Last?

Generally, you should clear the browser cache from 1-90 days. But, we recommend changing the settings to automatic cache deletion from the browser. You can also manually clear the Firefox cache if you notice a slower site performance or other site glitches.

FAQs – Clear Cache Firefox

Wrapping Up

A Firefox clear cache and cookies helps resolve the common issues, such as a slow site loading speed and other site glitches. Moreover, a Firefox clear cache and cookies helps you analyze if it’s the cookies or a browser-related problem. 

While these site cookies and cache are helpful, at other times, if this data falls in the hands of a black hat, that’s where all you become the next victim of a data theft. For this, we recommend connecting to FastestVPN. This will conceal your original IP address, and you will get to leverage your digital anonymity. 

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