Do you find your Instagram app slowing down and sputtering more lately? Maybe it‘s freezing up and crashing on a regular basis? Or perhaps your phone keeps displaying storage limit warnings? If so, it‘s likely time to clear out the Instagram app cache that‘s built up on your device. Don‘t worry – I‘ll walk you through the entire process step-by-step.
Clearing the Instagram cache can work wonders for improving performance and freeing up much-needed storage capacity. As a top social media platform used by over 2 billion people, Instagram requires substantial file space for all those photos, videos, messages and more. Over time, caches get overloaded. Fortunately, wiping that temporary content is quite simple on both iPhones and Androids.
In this guide, we’ll cover:
- What is the Instagram Cache?
- Why You Should Clear the Cache
- Step-by-Step Instructions for iPhone
- Step-by-Step Instructions for Android
- Additional Tips for Managing Your Cache
So grab your phone and let‘s get started!
What Exactly is the Instagram Cache?
Simply put, the Instagram cache is a storage folder on your device containing temporary data from the Instagram app. This allows frequently accessed content to load faster by keeping a handy local copy. For instance, thumbnails of posts in your feed, profile pictures of accounts you regularly check, images from recent Stories, snippets of advertisements – this content gets temporarily "cached".
The cache makes the Instagram experience much snappier. But over time, it piles up and can get huge! Just how much space are we talking? Well the average Instagram app consumes:
- iPhone – 150+MB
- Android – 80+MB
For comparison, that‘s over 5x more than the Facebook cache and 2x the Twitter cache on those devices.
As you can see in the graph below, the Instagram cache size escalates quicklu over time, especially if you use Instagram heavily each day.
Managing and clearing this cache helps avoid common problems like lag, crashes, and those frustrating "Storage Full" warnings.
Why Should You Clear Your Instagram Cache?
Here are three compelling reasons to clear your Instagram cache every so often:
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Frees Up Significant Storage – Emptying your cache can increase available space for photos, videos, apps and more. Given how large the Instagram cache grows over time, this can amount to hundreds of megabytes!
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Fixes Performance Issues – An overloaded, cluttered cache leads to sluggishness, freezing and crashes. Clearing it out allows Instagram to run faster and smoother overall.
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Improves Privacy & Security – Your Instagram cache contains snippets of private conversations, search history, clicks and other personal data. Wiping this intermittently enhances privacy.
Generally speaking I‘d recommend clearing your Instagram cache about once every 3 weeks. If storage space is highly limited or you‘re an ultra-active daily user, bump that up to weekly.
Now that you know why it‘s smart to clear that old Instagram cache, let me teach you exactly how to do it…
Step-by-Step Guide: Clear Cache on iPhone
Due to Apple‘s constraints, Instagram does not have a built-in "Clear Cache" button for iPhones. But don‘t worry – you can still give that cluttered cache the boot in just a few steps:
Step 1 – Open Settings App
Tap your Settings icon to access where all your storage data lies:
Step 2 – Go to General > iPhone Storage
Next navigate to the General settings, scroll down and select the iPhone Storage option:
Step 3 – Locate & Select the Instagram App
This screen lists all apps using storage space. Find and choose the Instagram app:
Step 4 – Offload or Delete App
With Instagram selected, tap the Delete App button to fully wipe the cache:
Step 5 – Reinstall Instagram
Lastly visit the App Store to download a fresh, cache-free version of Instagram. Log in and enjoy the performance boost!
And we‘re done! While not as convenient as Android‘s one-tap cache cleaner, this forces Instagram to build a nice clean cache. I‘d recommend revisiting these iPhone steps every few weeks.
Step-by-Step Guide: Clear Cache on Android
Lucky for Android folks, getting rid of that clogged Instagram cache takes no time at all. Just follow these rapid steps:
Step 1 – Open Device Settings
Tap over to your Settings menu from the home screen:
Step 2 – Tap Storage > Cached Data
Scroll down to the Storage tab, select it then choose Cached Data:
Step 3 – Clear Out Instagram Cache
A list appears showing cached data by app. Tap Ok to wipe Instagram‘s cache clean!
Couldn‘t be easier! Use these same Android steps whenever Instagram misbehaves or you need extra device space.
Additional Tips for Managing Your Instagram Cache
Clearing your Instagram cache regularly is a great habit for optimal performance. Here are handy tips as you manage your cache:
- Set calendar reminders so you remember to clear the cache every 2-3 weeks
- Deleting old photos/videos also frees up storage space
- After heavy Instagram use, watch for storage capacity warnings
- Try clearing cache before troubleshooting other issues
- Clearing cache doesn‘t affect your saved Instagram content
Let‘s Recap:
That covers the full details on clearing your Instagram cache! Here are the key takeways:
- The Instagram cache stores temporary usage data and grows huge over time
- It‘s smart to clear your Instagram cache every ~3 weeks
- iPhones require you to delete then reinstall Instagram to wipe cache
- Android has a simple menu option for tapping Cache Data > Clear
I hope this guide gives you confidence to keep your Instagram running lighter and faster for years on end! Let me know if you have any other questions. Happy cache cleaning!
