Is it safe to clear cache on a Mac?

For app caches, generally yes: apps rebuild them. Some hold sign-ins or offline data, which is why those are marked Check First. Everything goes to the Trash, so you can put it back.

Will clearing caches speed up my Mac?

Rarely. It frees space, which helps when the disk is nearly full, but apps can be slower until their caches rebuild.

Why are some caches missing from the scan?

Without Full Disk Access, macOS keeps some folders private and the scan says so. Caches of running apps and developer tools are left out on purpose.

Can it clear caches automatically?

Yes, if you turn it on. Clean Safe Items can run as a Routine or daily, and clears only rows marked Safe.

Peekaboo · App Caches

Clear your Mac’s app caches, knowing what each one is

~/Library/Caches is a wall of folder names like com.something.helper. Peekaboo’s App Caches names the app behind each, says what clearing it means, and keeps the ones with side effects apart.

Download free trial14 days free · macOS 14+ · Added in 0.1.0 · Updated November 7, 2026

What it does

Safe or Check First: Caches and logs apps rebuild on their own are marked Safe. The ones with consequences you’d notice, like sign-ins, sync or the Spotlight index, are marked Check First. Filter by either.
Sizes you can sort: Sort by size, date modified or name, and see every folder behind a row. Exclude anything you want kept from future scans.
Never what’s in use: Folders a running app is using aren’t offered, nor are developer caches, which have their own page, or files left by a macOS update that hasn’t installed yet.
To the Trash, with a way back: Review what’s ticked, move it to the Trash, and Cleanup History puts it back. Clean Safe Items clears only the Safe rows in one step.

How to use it

1Open App Caches and scan.⇧⌘E
2Filter to Safe, or read the Check First rows one by one.
3Move what you picked to the Trash. Put it back if an app misses it.⌥⌘Z

When another app fits better

Clearing caches frees space; it rarely makes a Mac faster, and they grow back as you use your apps. If you want free maintenance scripts and system cache cleaning, [OnyX](/alternatives/onyx/) does that. For Xcode, npm and other developer caches, see the [developer cleanup](/xcode-cleaner-mac/).

Questions

Is it safe to clear cache on a Mac?: For app caches, generally yes: apps rebuild them. Some hold sign-ins or offline data, which is why those are marked Check First. Everything goes to the Trash, so you can put it back.
Will clearing caches speed up my Mac?: Rarely. It frees space, which helps when the disk is nearly full, but apps can be slower until their caches rebuild.
Why are some caches missing from the scan?: Without Full Disk Access, macOS keeps some folders private and the scan says so. Caches of running apps and developer tools are left out on purpose.
Can it clear caches automatically?: Yes, if you turn it on. Clean Safe Items can run as a Routine or daily, and clears only rows marked Safe.