Now and then, our devices can start glitching or simply working slower, and this is a normal situation we experience. There are many reasons this happens, and we usually leave the device be and think that it's getting old.
However, there's a very simple way to fix the device and get it working as it did before. It's usually something with cache memory. That's why we're going to discuss what cache memory is, why you should clean it, and how to do it.
What Is Cache Memory?
Cache is an essential component of most hardware and software that keeps bits of data for future use. It's called cached data, and it's something that can make our device load web pages and other software components faster.
For example, when we browse the internet for a recipe, we enter a web page that has images, text, and other types of content. All these have to load on our browser and parts of that content get stored in our cache memory.
So, the next time we want to look at the same recipe, the page loads faster because we already have these bits of data stored on our computer or device.
Some user interfaces that were developed by companies such as Grid Dynamics don't take up a lot of cache memory. However, most times, the case is the opposite when it comes to caching data.
Why Should I Clean It?
Like every type of memory we have in our device, the cache memory can get quite full. This means that it can impact the performance of our device. So, we should clean it regularly, and the benefits of cleaning your cache memory regularly are:
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Better performance: Even though the purpose of cache memory is to reuse the same data to improve loading speed, if it gets clogged up it slows down the performance. So, cleaning it improves the overall performance of our device.
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Avoiding privacy threats: Cache also saves your credentials, phone number, probably some card information, etc. So, cleaning it means you're getting rid of possible privacy threats.
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Up-to-date web pages: The point of cached data is faster fetching of the data and faster webpage loading. However, some of those cached bits might be outdated, and by cleaning the data, we get the updated version of the webpage when we visit it.
How to Clean Cache Memory?
Now that we know the benefits of cleaning the cache memory, we can discuss how to clean it on Android, iOS, and Windows 10 devices. After you've done this, you can enjoy the benefits of better performance and security.
Cache memory Android
To clean the cache memory on Android, we need to go to Settings and locate the Storage button. Once there, we need to tap Internal Storage > Cached data. There's going to be a prompt saying "Clear caches," we need to hit OK. It's done, the data is cleared.
Cache memory iOS
The process is quite similar but slower, and we still need to go to Settings. Once there, we need to locate the apps we want to clean the cache data of. Once we locate the app we want to clean the cache for, we need to tap on Reset cache on next launch. It is slow, but the benefits are still there.
Cache memory Windows 10
Go to Settings, click on System, click on Storage, and then we need to click on Free up space now. We need to tick the boxes of the files we want to remove, and we need to click on Remove files.
Conclusion
There you have it. Now you know what cache memory is and why you should clean it. There are three important benefits to it, and it's quite simple to reap those benefits by following the mentioned steps.
* This is a contributed article and this content does not necessarily represent the views of sciencetimes.com
