A website that keeps showing an old page or behaving strangely may have a problem with stored site data. Clearing it gives Safari a fresh start with that site, but it is not a general fix for every slow phone. Decide what you want to preserve before you tap a removal button.
Open Settings → Apps → Safari → Advanced → Website Data. Remove website data there if you want to keep your history.
Go straight to the stepsBefore you begin
Clearing cookies may sign you out of websites. This affects Safari, not every app’s cache. Older iOS versions show Safari directly in Settings.
What you’ll need
- An iPhone
- Login details for sites you use
Let’s do this
Step by step
- 01
Find Safari’s settings
Open Settings, select Apps, then Safari.
- 02
Choose what to remove
To keep your history, open Advanced, then Website Data. Select Remove All Website Data and confirm with Remove Now.
- 03
Use the history option only if wanted
To also erase browsing history, return to Safari’s settings and choose Clear History and Website Data. Select the timeframe and confirm.
- 04
Try the website again
Reopen Safari and visit the affected site. Sign in again if prompted.
Cache, cookies, and history are different things
Think of the cache as reusable website files, cookies as small pieces of site information, and history as a record of pages visited. A website-data reset can affect convenience features such as staying signed in. This is why it helps to know your login details before you begin.
Choose the route that matches the problem. If your aim is to refresh a misbehaving website while retaining your list of visited pages, use the website-data route in the steps above. If you also want to remove browsing history, use the separate history option and check its timeframe carefully.
Use one page to check whether it helped
Before clearing anything, note the exact page and the action that fails. Afterward, open that same address and try the same action once. For example, if a cart would not update, check whether changing a quantity now works. This is more informative than opening a different page and assuming the whole issue is resolved.
If the problem remains, do not keep deleting data in a loop. Write down any error message and whether other websites load normally. That gives the site’s support team something concrete to investigate. Clearing Safari data does not repair a service outage, restore a disabled account, or clear storage inside unrelated apps.
A quick final check
- You know which data-removal option you selected.
- You can sign back into important websites.
- You have retested the original problem once.
Common questions & sticking points
Why is the clear button unavailable?
There may be nothing to remove, or Screen Time content restrictions may prevent clearing it.
Does clearing Safari data erase saved AutoFill information?
Apple says clearing Safari history and website data does not change AutoFill information.
Sources & further reading Optional
References used to check this guide. Follow your product’s own safety instructions where its design differs.
Last source check: September 21, 2026