If you are looking to clean cache, cookies and other web browser data on your Android smartphone, follow the guide.

You most certainly use your Android smartphone on a daily basis to browse the web. Result of the operation, the device ends up being filled with data accumulated during your surfing sessions. This data has several functions, the main ones being able to be classified as cache and cookies. This helps improve the speed at which the browser loads pages by storing various things about sites you visit often as well as some of your preferences, such as keeping you logged in on sites.

That being said, cookies can also be used by sites to track you, most often to serve you personalized advertisements. Also, the larger your browser's cache, the more likely it is to become corrupted, along with data from sites you no longer visit and certain tracking cookies.

In fact, it does not hurt to erase this data from time to time to keep your browser clean, running optimally and, ideally, storing as few tracker cookies as possible.

On Android, the procedure for clearing cache and cookies may vary depending on the phone and browser you are using. Below are the procedures for Google Chrome, Samsung Internet and Mozilla Firefox.

Google Chrome

You can clear cookies and cache from Google Chrome by tapping the More button in the upper right corner of the browser, with the three small dots icon in the vertical position, then tapping History and Clear browsing data. You can also access it from the Chrome Settings menu, “Privacy and Security” then “Clear browsing data”.

Chrome also offers Basic and Advanced settings to clean up your browsing history, cookies and site data, and cached images and files. You can set a date period to select what you want to erase, the last 24 hours or up to the last 4 weeks. By tapping Advanced, you can also delete Saved Passwords, Autofill Data, and Site Settings. After selecting what you want to delete, tap on the “Clear data” button and everything will be erased without confirmation. So be careful.

Samsung Internet

Unlike Google Chrome, to delete cache and cookies on Samsung Internet, you have to go to the phone settings and not to the browser directly.

Once the settings open, tap on Apps then go to Samsung Internet, tap on this line and then on Storage.

At the bottom of Storage, you have options to Clean Cache and Clean Data. Tapping Clean Cache will immediately clear cache, but Clean Data will pop up a warning window, all app data will be permanently erased, including files, settings, accounts, and databases. This violent alternative will at least have the merit of getting you back to the very beginning with Samsung Internet.

Mozilla Firefox

As with Google Chrome, you can clean cookies and cache from the Firefox app directly. To do this, tap the Plus button to the right of the address bar, again symbolized by the icon with the three small dots vertically. Then tap on Settings and scroll down to Delete browsing data.

Of the three browsers featured here, Firefox gives you the most options in the Delete Browsing Data menu, allowing you to delete Existing Tabs, Browsing History and Site Data, Site Permissions and even your Downloads folder as well as Cookies and Cached Images and Files.

Although it is not possible to choose a date range like on Chrome, it is possible to be more specific about the type of data you want to delete, unlike Samsung which only allows you to delete everything.

And Firefox offers an additional option for those who do not want to keep their data once the application. In the Settings, there is the option “Delete browsing data on exit”, which tells Firefox to erase all data each time you exit the application. This is handy if you want to keep your browser clean and, for example, prevent your browsing history from falling into the wrong hands.