To clear cookies and cache on an iPad, open Safari, open the sidebar and tap History, then tap More > Clear, pick a time range, and tap Clear History. That removes your history, cache, and cookies together. To delete cookies and cache but keep your history, go to Settings > Apps > Safari > Advanced > Website Data and tap Remove All Website Data.
This guide follows Apple’s iPad User Guide pages on clearing your cache and cookies and enabling cookies, plus Apple’s Safari history, cache, and cookies article, which is written for iPhone but describes the same Safari settings. The steps are written for current iPadOS, where Safari’s settings sit under Settings > Apps. On iPadOS 17 and earlier, Safari is listed in the main Settings menu instead, and some button names differ.
What Cookies and Cache Are
Both are data that websites and browsers save on your iPad, but they do different jobs.
- Cookies are small pieces of data a site places on your device to remember you. Apple notes that sites use them to keep track of things like your settings and sign-in.
- Cache is a store of page parts, such as images, that the browser keeps so a site loads faster on your next visit.
- History is the list of pages you visited and your recent searches.
Clearing cookies and cache is a common fix when a page shows old content, will not load correctly, or keeps a sign-in that no longer works. It is also a privacy step on a shared iPad. It will not delete your bookmarks, photos, apps, or files.
Before You Clear Anything
Clearing cookies cannot be undone, so check these points first.
- You will be signed out of websites. Apple says website data includes the information sites use to save your login. Make sure you know your passwords, and have your phone nearby if a site sends sign-in codes.
- Site permissions reset. Clearing history in Safari also removes permissions you gave websites to use your location or send notifications. Sites will ask again.
- Unsaved work in a web page can be lost. Finish or save anything open in a tab, such as a half-filled form or a shopping cart. If pages go missing afterward, see how to restore tabs on an iPad.
- Other browsers are separate. Clearing Safari does nothing to Chrome, Firefox, or Edge. Each one has its own steps below.
How to Clear History, Cache, and Cookies in Safari
This is the method in Apple’s iPad User Guide. It clears everything for the time range you choose.
- Open the Safari app.
- Open the sidebar and tap History. If you don’t see History, Apple says to tap the button at the top of the sidebar.
- Tap More, then tap Clear. A panel with time ranges appears.
- Under Clear Timeframe, choose how far back to clear. A short range can be enough if a site only started acting up recently. If you use Safari profiles (separate browsing setups, such as Work and Personal), pick one profile or All Profiles.
- Tap Clear History.
Result: Apple says this removes the websites you visited, recent searches, and cookies, plus permissions you gave websites to use your location or send notifications. It doesn’t clear history kept by the websites themselves or by other apps.
Apple’s iPhone article lists a second route to the same action: Settings > Apps > Safari > Clear History and Website Data. If you see that button in Safari’s settings on your iPad, it opens the same time range panel. If you only want to remove history entries, see how to delete history on iPad.
How to Delete Cookies and Cache but Keep Your History
Use this when you want a clean slate for website data but still want your list of visited pages.
- Open Settings, tap Apps, then tap Safari. On older versions of iPadOS, Safari may be in the main Settings list.
- Scroll to the bottom and tap Advanced, then tap Website Data. Safari shows the sites that have stored data.
- Tap Remove All Website Data.
- Tap Remove Now to confirm.
Result: Apple says this clears data used for tracking and by websites to save login information, so you may need to sign in to sites again. Your browsing history stays. There is no time range choice here. It removes website data for every site.
If only one site is misbehaving, you may not need to remove everything. The Website Data screen lists sites one by one, and our guide on how to delete cookies for a specific website on iPad covers that narrower cleanup.
How to Confirm It Worked
- After Clear History: open the Safari sidebar and tap History. The list should be empty for the range you cleared.
- After Remove All Website Data: go back to Settings > Apps > Safari > Advanced > Website Data. The list of sites should be empty or much shorter.
- In either case: visit a site you were signed in to. It should ask you to sign in again.
There is no undo. Safari rebuilds its cache and sites set new cookies as you browse, so the Website Data list fills up again over time. That is normal.
How to Block Cookies Going Forward
Read the warning before you turn this on. Apple says that with cookies blocked, you likely won’t be able to sign in to some sites even with the right username and password, you may see messages that cookies are required, and some site features might not work.
- Open Settings > Apps > Safari, then tap Advanced.
- Turn on Block All Cookies.
- Tap Block All to confirm. Apple’s iPhone article says this removes all existing cookies and website data, and that Safari quits and reloads your tabs.
To turn cookies back on, Apple’s iPad guide says to go to the same screen and turn off Block All Cookies. The iPhone version of those steps is in how to always allow cookies in the Safari iPhone browser.
A lighter option is Private Browsing. Apple’s guide to browsing privately in Safari on iPad says Private Browsing tabs don’t appear in History on the iPad or in the tab list on your other devices. To use it, open the Safari sidebar and tap Private.
How to Clear Cookies and Cache in Chrome on iPad
Chrome keeps its own cookies and cache inside the Chrome app. These steps come from Google’s Delete browsing data in Chrome help page for iPhone and iPad.
- Open Chrome.
- Tap More (the three dots), then tap Delete Browsing Data.
- Next to Time Range, choose a duration. Google says the default is 15 minutes, so change it if you want to clear more.
- Tap Browsing Data, select the types to delete, such as cookies and site data and cached images and files, then tap Confirm.
- Tap Delete Browsing Data.
Google notes that if a type of data is saved to your Google Account, deleting it on the iPad also removes it from the account and from your other signed-in devices. For history only, see how to delete your history in the Chrome iPad app.
How to Clear Cookies and Cache in Firefox on iPad
Mozilla’s Firefox for iOS help page gives this route. The menu wording may differ slightly in newer versions of the app.
- Open Firefox and tap the menu button. Mozilla says it is at the top right on an iPad.
- Tap Settings.
- Under Privacy, tap Data Management.
- Check which data types are turned on, such as Cache and Cookies, then tap Clear Private Data at the bottom of the list.
Mozilla warns that this action cannot be undone. Other browsers, such as Microsoft Edge, also keep their clearing controls inside their own app settings, not in the iPad Settings app.
Troubleshooting
The clear button is gray
Apple gives two reasons a gray Clear History and Website Data or Remove All Website Data button: there is no data to clear, or web content restrictions are set in Screen Time. Screen Time is the iPad’s parental controls and usage limits feature. Check Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions and look at the web content setting. If someone else manages the iPad, such as a parent, school, or employer, you may need them to change it.
I can’t find Safari in Settings
On current iPadOS, tap Apps at the bottom of the main Settings list, then find Safari. On older versions there is no Apps section, and Safari appears in the main list.
I don’t see History in Safari
Open the sidebar first. If History still isn’t listed, Apple says to tap the button at the top of the sidebar to show the other sidebar options.
The website still looks wrong
Close the tab and open the site in a new one so Safari loads a fresh copy. To start with a clean slate, you can also close every open Safari tab on your iPad. If you cleared a short time range, repeat the steps with a longer one. If the problem is in Chrome or Firefox, clear that browser instead, since Safari’s data is separate.
The iPad is still low on storage
Browser cookies and cache are often a small part of what fills an iPad. For other apps, see how to clear app cache on iPad and compare app controls, offloading, and deletion before removing local work. Our guide on how to clear iPad storage without losing important files covers the bigger items.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will clearing cookies sign me out of websites?
Usually, yes. Apple says website data includes information sites use to save your login, so you’ll likely need to sign in again on each site after you clear cookies on your iPad.
Does clearing Safari history clear my AutoFill info?
No. Apple’s Safari article says clearing history and website data doesn’t change your AutoFill information, such as saved contact details.
Can I clear cookies on iPad without deleting my history?
Yes. Go to Settings > Apps > Safari > Advanced > Website Data, tap Remove All Website Data, then tap Remove Now. Apple describes this as clearing cookies and cache while keeping your history.
Does clearing Safari also clear Chrome or Firefox?
No. Each browser on an iPad stores its own cookies and cache. Apple notes that clearing Safari doesn’t clear browsing history in other apps, so you have to clear each browser from inside that browser.
How often should I clear cookies and cache on an iPad?
Apple doesn’t give a schedule. A practical approach is to clear them when you have a reason: a site is misbehaving, you are handing the iPad to someone else, or you want to remove tracking data. Clearing them often mostly means signing in to sites more often.
Does blocking all cookies delete the ones I already have?
Apple’s iPhone article says that confirming Block All removes all existing cookies and website data. Expect the same sign-outs you would get from clearing website data.
Related Guides
Start with the Safari sidebar method if you want everything gone, or the Website Data screen if you want to keep your history. For leftover storage that isn’t browser data, see how to clear System Data on iPad. Using Chrome on a computer or Android phone? See how to enable cookies in Chrome.
If you use an iPhone as well, Safari there has another privacy switch worth knowing: you can stop websites from checking for Apple Pay on the iPhone.
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.