How to Clear Your Instagram Cache

Any app on your phone stores temporary files in your device storage space, done in the background, to improve user experience. You might not directly notice how this works but whenever you open the app next time, it already has pre-loaded data hence won’t be taking a lot of your space or internet usage.

Instagram is no different when it comes to this, and the guide below will tell you what happens when you clear the app’s cache.

Instagram, as mentioned, is like other apps that data hog by taking up memory in your device in forms such as personal information they want from you or cache data. The latter, as highlighted, comes from how long you use the app and how much content you consume. On average, it would take around 300 – 500 MB of cache that the app can store.

A right enough amount of cache data is actually beneficial for your user experience because it loads anything faster the next time you use a mobile app. For Instagram, cache helps its users by generally responding fast to input (news feed scroll is smoother, posts load up faster, no lagging, etc.).

However, the irony of this happens when a built-up amount of cache is. Does Instagram cache slow device performance when storing data as cache memory become too much? Very much. So treat cache like a double-edged sword. It will eventually then take up too much phone memory and make your device slower affecting how Instagram works.

But before anything else, an owner of an Instagram account must not confuse an app cache with app data and potentially mistake what they really intended to clear off. In most devices, you would notice these two. Clearing the cache would mean getting rid of the temporary files that are easily available anytime while clearing data resets the app at default, deleting all the personal information you shared with them. You will need to enter your login details again.

If that’s all clear then it should be known by now that it is alright to delete the Instagram cache from time to time and below are methods on how to do it.

On iPhone

iPhone devices are a bit tricky and due to their limited settings, the only way to clear Instagram cache using this device is by deleting them.

1. Step 1

   Go ahead to your iPhone home screen and locate the Instagram app icon.

2. Step 2

   Press the app, select the “Delete app” option, or click the tiny “minus sign.” Wait for a few seconds to uninstall the app completely.

3. Step 3

   Afterward, head to the App Store and look for Instagram from the app library or search for it.

4. Step 4

   Install Instagram and wait for it to finish doing so.

Another way is through your iPhone settings app.

1. Step 1

   Go to your device settings and scroll down to “General.”

2. Step 2

   Tap next “iPhone storage.”

3. Step 3

   Wait for the apps to load and scroll down to locate “Instagram.” Then select it.

4. Step 4

   You’ll also see on your screen the Instagram app information. Choose “Delete app.”

Note: If you wanna keep the data that you shared on Instagram because it would also get deleted once you delete the app, you could choose the “Offload app.” This way, it frees up some space, and you can install the app again from the app store and not worry about missing personal information. It will stay just where you left it.

On Android

On the other hand, follow the steps below to clear the Instagram cache on your android device.

1. Step 1

   

   Go to the settings app on your device.

2. Step 2

   

   Go to the app section and locate Instagram.

3. Step 3

   

   Tap “Storage.”

4. Step 4

   

   Here you can “Clear Cache”. Some devices put it as “Delete cache”. You can also see from here the option to “Clear data” which should be acted with caution.

Instagram on a desktop is available in two ways: using a web browser or installing Instagram directly into your PC (works only through Microsoft Store for Windows and not on a Mac device). Both have the same interface just with little differences in how to access them. The latter might look like your desktop can act like a mobile phone, but as far as the app data folder is concerned, Windows Instagram does not store cache in your device.

Instead, the cache is counted to Microsoft Edge (a web browser of Windows), which is actually the one that runs the app. The purpose is to simply save you the time from opening a browser tab just to open Instagram. On the other hand, Instagram’s website is always available whatever web browser you use.

If you notice your Instagram gets laggy at some point while using a desktop, technically, you have to clear the cache of your browser program. This accumulated cache comes from not only Instagram but also all other websites you’ve visited. This just means that Instagram has no designated or specific location for its cache on the desktop.

Clear the Search History Through the Search Page

Your searches on Instagram are another form of cache generated by Instagram. And below is how to clear search history on desktop and mobile.

Desktop

1. Step 1

   Access the Instagram website on your desktop browser or mobile phone.

2. Step 2

   

   Click the search tab located at the top center of your screen.

3. Step 3

   

   Click “Clear All” located on top of your searches. Then “Clear all” again when prompted by Instagram.

Mobile device

1. Step 1

   

   Tap the search icon at the bottom of your Instagram app.

2. Step 2

   

   Click the search tab at the top.

3. Step 3

   

   Proceed to choose “Select all”

4. Step 4

   

   Tap “Clear All” and “Clear all” again.

Other Device Cleaning Option

For mobile and desktop alike, your device may have a pre-installed cleaning app or program that will filter out cache files if you run a scan of it. Sometimes, even antivirus apps work like this. There are also third-party apps that you could install to clear the cache for you as well (ex. CCleaner, Avast AVG, and more).

You could also resort to using the lite version of Instagram on your mobile device. This is more of a straightforward version of that social media platform that is easy to navigate but has slightly missing features. Still, it gets the job done, and using Instagram is still enjoyable without taking up too much space on your device.

A cache is locally stored data or junk files. Instagram cache, in particular, is helpful in a way that it loads the app quickly every time you open it. There might be times when you’re not connected to the internet, but the app has saved some media files that you can look back at again. That’s just some of the instances that it is important to keep it.

Clearing Instagram cache is necessary to give your device somewhat of a breather in processing heavy-data apps. Especially if your phone has low memory or has a lot of apps competing for space, freeing some space would make it perform better. So for more emphasis, yes, cached files are very safe to delete.

Note: To clear Instagram cache should not be done daily. Only after you check that the app has already stored a large amount of cache that you proceed to clear it.

What Happens When I Delete My Instagram Cache?

Nothing will happen that could endanger your information on the app if you delete your Instagram cache. In fact, you would barely notice any difference. The process is simply deleting temporary data that slow down your device’s performance because it takes up much space.

If you delete the Instagram cache, data relating to downloaded images or other data media saved on your device’s gallery from the app will not be deleted. You could make use of iCloud backup (iPhone devices) for this if you wanted to make sure.

Likewise, all your drafts, archives, posts, DMs, and reels won’t be deleted and will stay available when you log back in. Unless you delete your account, which is another thing, you set yourself to delete every Instagram data that the app acquired from you, and it won’t be retrievable anymore.

When you clear the Instagram cache, it will take a few seconds to load every content again but once past that, everything will run smoothly again. For whatever reason, this may or may not be an inconvenience for you. But this, in exchange for a generally laggy Instagram, is much better to run into.