How To Clear The TikTok Cache

Older readers, and those who’ve spent much time working on a desktop or laptop, are probably familiar with “clearing the cache.”

Computers save, or “cache,” lots of temporary files like images and scripts. They do it, among other reasons, so the files don’t have to be reloaded every time a user revisits a website or refreshes a page. In the short term, that speeds up work.

In the long term, though, the space allocated for the computer’s cache becomes so loaded with temporary files that the machine’s performance can be impacted.

Website logins may not work, sites may not display correctly, or browsers may freeze. The cache must be cleared of temporary files to fix those common problems; that happens fairly on computers often, so most users eventually learn how to do it. (Browser caches are the most common culprit.)

TikTok stores temporary files, too, and when the cache gets too full, the app’s performance may slow way down or even crash.

Whenever you run into those types of issues, or if seems like TikTok isn’t working the way it used to, it’s a good idea to clear the app’s cache. It takes less than a minute and it will provide you with the TikTok experience you expect. (Bonus for security-conscious TikTok users: it will also delete the data TikTok uses for tracking and analytics.)

Clearing Your TikTok Cache

Don’t believe that this will take 60 seconds or less? Try timing it.

1. Visit your TikTok profile by tapping the “Profile” icon at the bottom right of your home screen.
2. Click the menu icon (three horizontal lines) at the top right of your profile.
3. Tap on “Settings and privacy,” scroll down the list of options and hit “Free up space,” click the “Clear” button next to “Cache,” and confirm by tapping “Clear” when a pop-up appears.

That’s all there is to it. If that doesn’t take care of your issues you might also want to clear your device’s cache, since a full phone cache can cause performance problems for all of your apps. It’s also smart to clear your TikTok cache every once in a while, whether you’re experiencing issues or not, to keep the app running at maximum efficiency.