How to Clear YouTube Cache on Chrome, Android, iPhone and TV

If you want to know how to clear YouTube cache, something is probably off: videos stuck on the spinner, a page that will not load, comments that never appear, or settings that keep resetting. Clearing YouTube's stored data fixes many of these, but the steps differ on every device, and in Chrome the usual advice signs you out of all of Google.

Here is the right way on Chrome, Android, iPhone and smart TVs, plus the problems clearing cache will not fix.

The short answer#

• Chrome: delete the youtube.com entry in the site's data, not all browsing data.
• Android app: Settings, then Apps, then YouTube, then Storage, then Clear cache.
• iPhone app: delete and reinstall the app. There is no clear-cache button.
• Smart TV: the app's settings in the TV menu, usually under Apps.

Does clearing cache help YouTube?#

Sometimes. It helps when the problem is stored data on your device:

• The YouTube page loads half-broken or shows an old layout.
• Videos stall at the start on one device, but play fine elsewhere.
• Settings or the player behave strangely after an update.

It does not help with a slow network, an outage, videos blocked in your region, or an ad blocker that YouTube has detected. Test in an Incognito window first: if YouTube works there, your stored data or an extension is the cause.

Clear YouTube cache in Chrome without signing out of Google#

The common advice, "clear browsing data", wipes every site and signs you out of Gmail, Drive and everything else. You only need YouTube's own data:

1. Open youtube.com.
2. Click the View site information icon to the left of the address.
3. Click Cookies and site data, then Manage on-device site data.
4. Delete the youtube.com entry. To stay signed in to Google, leave google.com and accounts.google.com in place.
5. Click Done and reload.

YouTube may ask you to accept its cookie notice again and will forget a few device settings, such as playback quality. Your history, subscriptions and playlists live in your Google Account and are not affected.

With Cleaner, our free Chrome extension, open it on YouTube and choose Fix broken page. It clears YouTube's cache and service workers, keeps its cookies so you stay signed in, and reloads the page. Our guide to clearing cache for one site in Chrome shows the other ways.

Also try in Chrome:

• Turn off extensions at chrome://extensions, especially ad blockers and video downloaders.
• Graphics acceleration: if video stutters or shows a black screen, toggle Use graphics acceleration when available under Settings, then System, and relaunch.

Clear YouTube cache on Android#

1. Open the phone's Settings.
2. Tap Apps (on some phones, Apps & notifications), then YouTube.
3. Tap Storage or Storage & cache.
4. Tap Clear cache.

Clear cache removes temporary files only; you stay signed in. Clear storage (or Clear data) resets the app completely, signs you out of the app and removes downloaded videos. Use it only if clearing the cache was not enough. Menu names vary by phone maker.

Clear YouTube cache on iPhone and iPad#

The YouTube app on iOS has no clear-cache option, and iOS does not offer one per app.

• Reinstall: press and hold the YouTube icon, choose Remove App, then Delete App. Reinstall it from the App Store and sign in. This clears everything the app stored, including downloads.
• Offload App (in Settings, then General, then iPhone Storage, then YouTube) removes the app but, as Apple's support page explains, keeps its documents and data. It is good for freeing space, but may not clear the stored data.
• YouTube in Chrome or Safari on iPhone: clear that browser's data for a short time range from its settings.

Clear YouTube cache on a smart TV#

Every TV maker names it differently, but the path is usually:

• Android TV and Google TV: Settings, then Apps, then YouTube, then Clear cache.
• Other smart TVs: look under Settings, then Apps or Support, for YouTube's storage options. If there is none, uninstall and reinstall the app, or restart the TV fully by unplugging it for a minute.

Clear YouTube's watch history instead?#

People sometimes say "cache" when they mean the recommendations or the search suggestions. Those are not stored in your browser's cache at all; they come from your Google Account:

• Watch history and search history are managed from YouTube's History page or from your Google Account's activity controls. Deleting them changes your recommendations on every device.
• Pausing history stops new videos from shaping recommendations.
• Clearing the cache does neither. After clearing it, your home page will look the same, because it is built from your account, not from files on your device.

So if the goal is "YouTube keeps recommending the wrong things", manage history in your account. If the goal is "YouTube will not load or play properly on this device", clear the device's cache as above.

When it is not the cache#

If YouTube still will not play after clearing:

• Check another device on the same network. If it fails there too, the problem is the network or YouTube itself.
• Restart the router, and try mobile data on your phone to compare.
• Update the app or browser. Old versions can stop working with YouTube's player.
• In Chrome, follow Google's loading checklist: reload, check the connection, update and restart Chrome, try Incognito, disable extensions, then clear browsing data. Our Chrome not loading pages guide walks through it.

Bottom line#

Clear YouTube's data, not your whole browser's. In Chrome that means deleting youtube.com only, and on phones and TVs it means the app's own cache. You keep your Google sign-in, your history and your subscriptions, and YouTube gets a clean start.