Your Android phone’s web browser contains junk files that you can now remove

Your Android phoneYour web browser picks up a lot of files, images, and data from the websites you visit, much of which doesn’t need to be on your phone. Whether you’re using Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Samsung Internet, this data stored in your cookies and cache can be useful in some cases. It lets you quickly load websites you visit often and keeps you signed in to accounts you have. That’s nice, but there’s a lot of information in your browser’s cookies and cache that isn’t necessary and can even pose a privacy risk.

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Why You Should Clear Your Cookies and Cache Regularly

Much of what ends up in your cookies and cache is just plain junk. Some of it may come from websites you visited only once. Others seem to be keeping track of your browsing history on an active basis, help serve ads based on what you buy or stream on the internet. For example, I constantly receive ads for buy glasses online after looking at a few stores or ads on Amazon that happen to show what was last in my cart.

That’s why it’s a good idea to clear your cache every now and then. This can help you remove data you don’t need from your phone, especially if there’s an unknown data tracker lurking in your phone’s cookies. Clearing your cache is a minor inconvenience—you’ll have to log back into some of your favorite websites—but it’s a small price to pay to ensure your phone isn’t storing unnecessary data.

The steps will differ slightly depending on the type of phone and the web browser app you’re using. Below, we’ll explain how to clear this data for Google’s Chrome browser (the default browser for many Android phones, such as the Google Pixel line), Samsung’s internet browser (often the default on the Galaxy phone series) and Mozilla’s Firefox browser. You can also check out our separate guide on how to Clear iPhone Web Browser Cachein case you also have a few Apple devices that you want to clean up.

Google Chrome

You can clear your cookies and cache from the Android version of Google Chrome by first tapping the button. More button in the upper right corner of the browser, indicated by a column of three dots, and then tap HistoryThan Delete browsing data. You can also access this via Chrome Institutions menu, tap Privacy and security and then Delete browsing data.

Chrome also offers Base And Advanced settings for deleting your Browsing history, Cookies and site data And Cached images and files. You can Time frame drop-down menu to select whether you want to delete the entire history or a selection of anywhere from the past 24 hours to the past four weeks. Tap Advanced also gives you access to delete Saved passwords, Automatically fill in form data And Site settings. After you have selected what you want to delete, tap the blue clear data button. You may receive an additional prompt in the event that Chrome deems certain websites as “important” to you, and if so, you will be given a chance to confirm before clearing. Otherwise, if you do not receive that prompt, Chrome will immediately proceed with clearing as you instructed.

Read more: Ditch Google Chrome and use this privacy-focused browser instead

Samsung Internet

There are two different ways to clear the cache and cookie data from your Samsung internet browser. You can clear it from within the browser itself or through your phone’s Settings app.

To erase while in the Samsung Internet Browser app, first tap Options button shown in the lower right corner by three horizontal lines, then Institutions; scroll down and tap Personal browsing data then tap on Delete browsing data to get a menu with options to delete. You can choose your Browsing history, Form and search history, Cookies and site data, Cached images and files, Passwords And Automatically fill in forms in any combination. After tapping Delete datathen you will receive a notification asking you to confirm your choices before deleting them.

Using the browser app itself gives you the most customization options for what you want to delete. If you want to access similar options through your phone’s settings menu, open the Institutions app and tap Applicationsthen scroll down and tap Samsung Internet and then Storage and cache.

On the Storage screen you will be given separate options to Clear cache And Empty storage space. To tap Clear cache will immediately clear the cache, but Empty storage space brings up a prompt warning you that all of the application’s data will be permanently deleted, including files, settings, accounts, and databases. While no cookies are specified, this “nuclear” approach should remove any remaining data, allowing you to restart the Samsung Internet Browser as if it were brand new.

Read more: Change these Android settings to get the most out of your phone

Mozilla Firefox

Just like with Google Chrome, you can clear the cache from within the Mozilla Firefox Android app. To access this feature, tap More knob to the right of the address bar, again symbolized by three vertically aligned dots. Then tap Institutions and scroll down to Delete browsing data.

Of the three browsers we’ll discuss here, Firefox gives you the most options among the Delete browsing data menu, which also allows you to delete existing items Open tabsyour Browsing history, Site permissions and even yours To download map. These options come together with Cookies and additional data And Cached images and files.

While you can’t select a time period like you can in Chrome, you can be more specific about what data you want to delete.

Read more: Browser Privacy Settings You Should Change ASAP in Firefox, Chrome, and Safari

And Firefox has an additional option for those who never want to keep their browsing data after they stop using the app. Within Institutions is a Delete browsing data on exit option, which tells Firefox to clear any combination of these settings whenever you quit the application. It’s a handy feature if you want to keep your browser tidy and, for example, avoid accidentally giving your browsing history to someone who stole your phone or otherwise gained access to it.