

Just from a quick peek on my system I know that banshee stores album art in the cache folder (don't know why exactly), chrome has data in the cache folder, a lot of programs keep logs in the. I am not sure if these files are all just there temporarily for speed increase purposes (like browser cache) or if this "cache" contains files for some other purpose (as the speed increase of browser cache is to counteract excessive use of bandwidth by re-accessing files on a server, whereas there should be no discernible difference in r/w times for a different file location on the hard disk).
SMBUP MAVERICKS SERIES
I hope someone knows more about this than I do and can give you a better response.Welcome to a series of Mac-specific optimization articles. These tips are meant to help you to better repair, optimize and maintain your Mac.
SMBUP MAVERICKS MAC
Clearing your Cacheĭeleting a cache on your Mac can save you gigabytes of space or help you better keep track of your memory, depending on the type of cache, but there are benefits and drawbacks to doing so. User CachesĮach application in OS X stores a lot of cached data, meaning it stores useful information for running that application faster and more smoothly. If you haven’t used an application in awhile, or if you’ve uninstalled that application, it’s a good idea to delete the cache for that specific app. Delete the entire folder by clicking it and pressing Command + Delete.Sometimes the app name will be preceded by “com.” Press Command + Shift + G to open up the Terminal.To remove the user cache for a specific application: Those files aren’t necessary anymore and take up a lot of space.

Type this into the terminal to go to the Caches folder.Ĭlearing the system cache can have minor benefits, such as allowing you to see exactly how much RAM your applications are truly using. Click Clear History (Mountain Lion or later.However, it will not really speed up your Mac.Ĭlearing the cache in Safari can gain you back significant space, and can also help guard against security or identity theft issues. You delete a cache for an app, then want to use that app again.Though clearing a cache can save space and make it more useful to calculate memory usage, it can also have significant drawbacks. File Quarantine may run for that application again.This will cause significant performance drawbacks for that application until it rebuilds your cache. OS X versions from Tiger onward include features to protect users from malware, such as File Quarantine. Once you approve an app, that approval is stored in the cache. Restarting after a System Cache will take a long timeĪfter running a purge of you System Cache, it will take a long time to restart your Mac the next time, as it has to rebuild the cache.If you delete the cache, OS X might think the file is malware again.
