How-To

How to Clear YouTube Cache on Android

By Brian Burgess

Updated January 24, 2024

If you’re experiencing lag, sluggishness, or other problems with YouTube, you can clear YouTube cache to resolve the issue.

If you clear the YouTube app’s cache on Android, the app will be more responsive and have a more improved video playback experience. Having a better YouTube response on your Android device is something every user wants. Note that you can’t clear the cache iPhone simply because the platform doesn’t allow it.

Don’t worry about personal data; clearing the YouTube cache on Android doesn’t remove personal info. Instead, it removes temp files that can potentially improve your YouTube experience but often causes more issues than it’s worth.

Continue reading to learn how to clear YouTube cache on Android.

Clear YouTube Cache on Android

Note: Each version and Android device varies. The steps for this are done on a Samsung Galaxy, but your device may vary.

When you feel that YouTube is too sluggish, clearing its app’s cache can help.

To clear the YouTube cache on Android, do the following:

1. Launch the Settings app on your Android phone or tablet.
2. When Settings opens, scroll down and tap Apps or Apps & Notifications on other handsets.
3. Scroll down near the bottom and tap YouTube – or if your phone is chock full of apps, search for it and select YouTube for easier access.
4. Now select Storage or Storage & Cache, depending on your settings.
5. Finally, tap the Clear Cache option, and the button will be grayed out.
6. On the option next to YouTube, you’ll see the Cache total on the page drops to zero.

Clear YouTube Cache on Desktop

You can also clear the YouTube cache on your desktop browser, but you must remove all cache in one-fell-swoop. Desktop browsers allow clearing site-specific cookies but not cache.

Note: Clearing cache varies between browsers varies, but it’s straightforward, and after showing how to do it in Google Chrome, we’ll provide a couple of links to other popular browsers.

To clear cache in Google Chrome, do the following:

1. Click the three-dot button in the upper-right corner and click Settings from the menu.
2. Click Privacy and security in the left column.
3. Under the Privacy and Security section, click the Clear browsing data option.
4. Choose all three options under the Basic tab – namely, Cached images and files.
5. For best results, set the Time range option to All time and click the Clear data.
6. After completing the cache removal process, restart your browser and open YouTube. The responsiveness and overall performance of YouTube should improve.

It’s also worth noting that if you want to clear other browser data with additional options, you can access it under the Advanced tab.

Clearing Cache and Browser Data

For more on clearing cache, read how to clear cache in Firefox. For example, if you’re using Microsoft’s default browser on Windows, learn how to clear the cache on Microsoft Edge.

You can also clear it on your phone or tablet; for example, check out clearing Safari cache on your iPhone.

And speaking of YouTube, you might be interested in blocking YouTube on Roku or fixing a YouTube audio renderer error. And if your YouTube suggestions are getting stale, you can reset YouTube recommendations. Also, if you’re concerned about privacy, read about managing YouTube privacy settings.