To clear Safari's stored website data, open Safari, go to History, tap More, then choose Clear History. Pick a time range and confirm. This can remove cached pages and cookies along with browsing history. It does not clear the data of every app on the iPhone. If you mean the Instagram app, see how to reset Instagram app data on iPhone, including the draft-loss warning before reinstalling.
Clear Safari history and website data
- Open Safari.
- Open History from the bookmarks or sidebar controls.
- Tap More, then Clear History.
- Choose the time period you want to remove. If Safari profiles are enabled, choose the applicable profile or all profiles.
- Tap Clear History to finish.
The control may appear in a slightly different place with a different tab layout or iOS version. Check the selected time range before confirming. Clearing a short period is more limited than clearing all history.
What this changes
Safari clears the browsing history and related website data for the chosen range. Cookies may be removed, so some sites can ask you to sign in again or repeat a permission choice. The action can help when a website keeps loading outdated content, but it is not a cure for every slow page. It does not erase browsing history stored independently by a website or remove data from Chrome or other apps.
Decide how much data to clear
Safari asks for a Clear Timeframe. A short range can be enough when a page started misbehaving recently; clearing all history is a wider reset. If you have Safari profiles, choose the affected profile when the problem is limited to that profile, or All Profiles when you intend to clear across them. The chosen scope matters because this action also removes cookies and some website permission choices, so a larger reset can require more sign-ins and prompts afterward.
Before clearing, save the address of a page you will need again. A bookmark or a copied URL is more reliable than assuming the page will remain in History. If you are trying to sign out of one website, use that site's own sign-out control first; clearing Safari data is broader than signing out of a single account.
If you want to reset website sign-ins and stored page data but keep Safari's History list, Apple provides a separate route. Open Settings > Apps > Safari > Advanced > Website Data, tap Remove All Website Data, then confirm Remove Now. This is still a broad removal of website data, so expect some sites to ask you to sign in again. It does not remove the History list in the same way as Clear History. If the button is gray, Apple says there may be no website data to remove or a Screen Time web-content restriction may apply.
If your goal is only to remove a specific site from History, open Safari History, tap More > Select Websites, select the site, and tap the trash button. Removing a history entry and clearing that site's cookies are different actions. Use the control matching the problem instead of assuming one does both.
What clearing does not do
Clearing Safari data does not remove downloaded files from the Files app, erase bookmarks, clear Chrome's cache, or delete the information held in your account on a website. It also does not guarantee that a slow website becomes fast; poor network connectivity, a server problem, or a broken extension can cause similar symptoms. If the site still looks stale, close and reopen its tab (or close all open tabs), check your connection, and try the site in a private tab to compare behavior before clearing more data.
If Safari browsing history is synchronized through iCloud, changes to history can appear on your other Apple devices. Check which devices share your Apple Account before clearing a large range. Do not clear history as a substitute for handling an account security concern; change the affected account password at the service if you think someone else has access.
Frequently asked questions
Will clearing Safari cache delete my photos or messages? No. Safari website data is separate from Photos and Messages. The main inconvenience is losing website sessions, recent history, and site-specific permissions.
Why does a site ask me to sign in again? A website can use cookies to remember your session. Clearing those cookies makes the site treat your next visit like a new session.
Why do I still see the same problem? The issue might be on the website, in another browser, or on your network. Test the same page in a private tab or on another connection before repeatedly clearing all Safari data.
If you only need to close open tabs, use Safari's tab controls instead. If you want to keep browsing without adding normal history going forward, use Private Browsing. Before clearing all history, consider whether there is a page you will need to find again; bookmark it in Safari. For a more comfortable reading view after the reset, see Safari Reader mode. If a page still loads incorrectly, a content blocker may be the cause; see how to disable a Safari extension on iPhone.
Apple's cache and cookies instructions give the current Safari route and describe what gets removed. Apple's Safari data support page distinguishes clearing history, removing all website data, and deleting one site from History.
Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read hundreds of millions of times.
After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.
His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.