YouTube is one of the most popular and widely used video streaming platforms in the world. Whether you want to watch music videos, tutorials, documentaries, or funny clips, YouTube has something for everyone. However, sometimes YouTube may not work as smoothly as you expect. You may experience slow loading, buffering, glitches, or errors while using YouTube on your computer or smartphone.
In this article, we will show you how to clear YouTube cache and improve performance on different devices and browsers. We will also show you how to delete YouTube history to reset recommendations. Follow the steps below to learn how to clear YouTube cache and improve performance.
Table of Contents
How to Clear YouTube Cache on Android
If you are using the YouTube app on an Android device, you can clear YouTube cache easily from your phone’s settings menu. This method clears the app’s cache data, resetting the YouTube app. This can fix common issues with the app, but it will not reset your recommendations, since that information is stored on your YouTube account. Here are the steps to clear YouTube cache on Android:
- Open the Settings app on your phone.
- Tap Apps or Applications. This will open the list of apps on your phone.
- Tap YouTube. This will open the app options for YouTube.

- Tap Storage or Storage & cache. This will open the storage settings for the YouTube app.

- Tap Clear cache. This will clear the YouTube app’s cache data, which can fix minor issues with the app.

Alternatively, you can also try uninstalling and reinstalling the YouTube app, which will also clear the app’s cache and data. To uninstall the YouTube app, tap and hold the app icon on your home screen or app drawer, and then drag it to the Uninstall option. To reinstall the YouTube app, go to the Google Play Store and search for YouTube, and then tap Install.
How to clear YouTube cache on iPhone
If you are using the YouTube app on an iPhone, you cannot clear YouTube cache directly from the app or the settings menu. Instead, you need to delete the YouTube app from your device and then reinstall it from the App Store.
- Locate the YouTube app on your home screen or app library.

- Tap and hold the YouTube app icon until an options menu appears.

- Tap Remove App or Delete App. This will open a prompt asking how you want to remove the app.
- Tap Delete App. This will delete the YouTube app and its cache data from your device.

- Go to the App Store and search for YouTube, and then tap the cloud icon or the Get button to reinstall the app.
How to clear YouTube cache in a web browser
The steps to clear your browser’s cache may vary depending on the browser you are using. Here are the steps to clear your browser’s cache for some of the most popular browsers:
Chrome
- Open Chrome and click the three-dot icon at the top right corner of the browser window.

- Click More tools and then click Clear browsing data. This will open a new tab with the clear browsing data options.
- Select a time range from the drop-down menu. To delete everything, select All time.
- Check the boxes next to Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files. You can also check other boxes if you want to delete other types of data, such as browsing history or passwords.

- Click Clear data. This will clear your browser’s cache, including YouTube cache.
Firefox
- Open Firefox and click the three-bar icon at the top right corner of the browser window.

- Click Options and then click Privacy & Security from the left sidebar.
- Scroll down to the Cookies and Site Data section and click Clear Data. This will open a pop-up window with the clear data options.
- Check the boxes next to Cookies and Site Data and Cached Web Content. You can also check the box next to Offline Website Data if you want to delete data from websites that you have visited offline.
- Click Clear. This will clear your browser’s cache, including YouTube cache.

Microsoft Edge
- Open Microsoft Edge and click the three-dot icon at the top right corner of the browser window.

- Click Settings and then click Privacy, search, and services from the left sidebar.

- Under the Clear browsing data section, click Choose what to clear. This will open a pop-up window with the clear browsing data options.
- Select a time range from the drop-down menu. To delete everything, select All time.
- Check the boxes next to Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files. You can also check other boxes if you want to delete other types of data, such as browsing history or passwords.

- Click Clear now. This will clear your browser’s cache, including YouTube cache.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will Clearing YouTube Cache Affect My YouTube Premium Subscription?
No, clearing YouTube cache will not affect your YouTube Premium subscription. Your YouTube Premium subscription is linked to your YouTube account, not your device or browser. Therefore, clearing YouTube cache will not cancel or change your YouTube Premium subscription.
Will Deleting YouTube History Affect my YouTube Music Preferences?
Yes, deleting YouTube history will affect your YouTube Music preferences. YouTube Music uses your YouTube history to personalize your music recommendations and playlists. Therefore, deleting YouTube history will reset your YouTube Music preferences, which may make YouTube Music less accurate and relevant for you.
Conclusion
YouTube is a great platform to watch and enjoy videos of various genres and topics. However, sometimes YouTube may not work as well as you want, due to the accumulation of cache data or the influence of your history. Cache data is a type of temporary data that YouTube stores on your device to improve its speed and efficiency, but it can also cause problems with YouTube’s performance.
To improve YouTube’s performance and reset your recommendations, you can clear YouTube cache and delete YouTube history. Clearing YouTube cache can help you fix minor issues with YouTube, such as slow loading, buffering, glitches, or errors. Deleting YouTube history can help you reset your recommendations, which may make YouTube more interesting and diverse for you.