Manage and clear various types of cache across your MacFleet devices using command-line tools. This tutorial covers system cache, browser cache, application cache, and enterprise-wide cache management policies for optimal performance and storage management.

Understanding macOS Cache System

macOS maintains several types of cache to improve system and application performance:

Cache Types

• System Cache - Logs, diagnostic reports, temporary system files
• User Cache - Application-specific temporary files and data
• Browser Cache - Web browsing data, cookies, session storage
• Application Cache - App-specific cached data and preferences
• Font Cache - System and user font cache files

Cache Locations

• System: /var/log/, /Library/Caches/, /System/Library/Caches/
• User: ~/Library/Caches/, ~/Library/Application Support/
• Browser: Browser-specific directories within user library
• Downloads: ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.LaunchServices.QuarantineEventsV*

System Cache Management

Clear System Cache

#!/bin/bash

# Clear system-wide cache files
echo "🧹 Clearing system cache..."

# Clear system logs (with size limit for safety)
echo "Clearing system logs..."
sudo find /var/log -name "*.log" -type f -size +100M -delete 2>/dev/null
sudo find /var/log -name "*.out" -type f -size +50M -delete 2>/dev/null

# Clear system caches
echo "Clearing system caches..."
sudo rm -rf /Library/Caches/* 2>/dev/null
sudo rm -rf /System/Library/Caches/* 2>/dev/null

# Clear temporary files
echo "Clearing temporary files..."
sudo rm -rf /tmp/* 2>/dev/null
sudo rm -rf /var/tmp/* 2>/dev/null

echo "✅ System cache cleared successfully"

Clear User Cache

#!/bin/bash

# Clear current user's cache files
USER=$(whoami)
echo "🗂️ Clearing user cache for: $USER"

# Clear user caches
echo "Clearing user caches..."
rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/* 2>/dev/null

# Clear user logs
echo "Clearing user logs..."
rm -rf ~/Library/Logs/* 2>/dev/null

# Clear QuickLook thumbnails
echo "Clearing QuickLook thumbnails..."
rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.QuickLook.thumbnailcache/* 2>/dev/null

# Clear Spotlight cache
echo "Clearing Spotlight cache..."
sudo mdutil -E / 2>/dev/null

echo "✅ User cache cleared successfully"

Browser Cache Management

Clear Safari Cache

#!/bin/bash

# Clear Safari browser cache
echo "🌐 Clearing Safari cache..."

# Check if Safari is running
if pgrep -x "Safari" > /dev/null; then
    echo "⚠️ Safari is running. Please close Safari first."
    read -p "Press Enter to continue after closing Safari..."
fi

# Clear Safari cache files
rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari/* 2>/dev/null
rm -rf ~/Library/Safari/LocalStorage/* 2>/dev/null
rm -rf ~/Library/Safari/Databases/* 2>/dev/null
rm -rf ~/Library/Safari/WebpageIcons.db 2>/dev/null

# Clear Safari downloads history
sqlite3 ~/Library/Safari/Downloads.plist "DELETE FROM Downloads;" 2>/dev/null

echo "✅ Safari cache cleared successfully"

Clear Chrome Cache

#!/bin/bash

# Clear Google Chrome browser cache
echo "🔍 Clearing Google Chrome cache..."

# Check if Chrome is installed
if [[ ! -d ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/Chrome ]]; then
    echo "ℹ️ Google Chrome not found on this system"
    exit 0
fi

# Check if Chrome is running
if pgrep -x "Google Chrome" > /dev/null; then
    echo "⚠️ Chrome is running. Please close Chrome first."
    read -p "Press Enter to continue after closing Chrome..."
fi

# Clear Chrome cache files
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/Chrome/*/Cache/* 2>/dev/null
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/Chrome/*/GPUCache/* 2>/dev/null
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/Chrome/*/*.ldb 2>/dev/null
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/Chrome/*/*.log 2>/dev/null
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/Chrome/*/Extension\ State/* 2>/dev/null
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/Chrome/*/Session\ Storage/* 2>/dev/null
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/Chrome/*/Current\ Session 2>/dev/null
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/Chrome/*/Storage/ext/* 2>/dev/null

echo "✅ Chrome cache cleared successfully"

Clear Firefox Cache

#!/bin/bash

# Clear Mozilla Firefox browser cache
echo "🦊 Clearing Firefox cache..."

# Check if Firefox is installed
if [[ ! -d ~/Library/Application\ Support/Firefox ]]; then
    echo "ℹ️ Firefox not found on this system"
    exit 0
fi

# Check if Firefox is running
if pgrep -x "firefox" > /dev/null; then
    echo "⚠️ Firefox is running. Please close Firefox first."
    read -p "Press Enter to continue after closing Firefox..."
fi

# Find Firefox profile directories
for profile in ~/Library/Application\ Support/Firefox/Profiles/*; do
    if [[ -d "$profile" ]]; then
        echo "Clearing Firefox profile: $(basename "$profile")"
        rm -rf "$profile/cache2"/* 2>/dev/null
        rm -rf "$profile/thumbnails"/* 2>/dev/null
        rm -rf "$profile/cookies.sqlite-wal" 2>/dev/null
        rm -rf "$profile/webappsstore.sqlite" 2>/dev/null
    fi
done

echo "✅ Firefox cache cleared successfully"

Clear Opera Cache

#!/bin/bash

# Clear Opera browser cache
echo "🎭 Clearing Opera cache..."

# Check if Opera is installed
if [[ ! -d ~/Library/Application\ Support/com.operasoftware.Opera ]]; then
    echo "ℹ️ Opera not found on this system"
    exit 0
fi

# Check if Opera is running
if pgrep -x "Opera" > /dev/null; then
    echo "⚠️ Opera is running. Please close Opera first."
    read -p "Press Enter to continue after closing Opera..."
fi

# Clear Opera cache files
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/com.operasoftware.Opera/Cache/* 2>/dev/null
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/com.operasoftware.Opera/GPUCache/* 2>/dev/null
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/com.operasoftware.Opera/Session\ Storage/* 2>/dev/null

echo "✅ Opera cache cleared successfully"

Application Cache Management

Clear Application Caches

#!/bin/bash

# Clear application-specific caches
echo "📱 Clearing application caches..."

# Clear application caches in Containers
echo "Clearing containerized application caches..."
for container in ~/Library/Containers/*; do
    if [[ -d "$container/Data/Library/Caches" ]]; then
        app_name=$(basename "$container")
        echo "Clearing cache for: $app_name"
        rm -rf "$container/Data/Library/Caches"/* 2>/dev/null
    fi
done

# Clear Adobe cache
if [[ -d ~/Library/Caches/Adobe ]]; then
    echo "Clearing Adobe cache..."
    rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/Adobe/* 2>/dev/null
fi

# Clear Microsoft Office cache
if [[ -d ~/Library/Caches/Microsoft ]]; then
    echo "Clearing Microsoft Office cache..."
    rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/Microsoft/* 2>/dev/null
fi

# Clear Xcode cache
if [[ -d ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData ]]; then
    echo "Clearing Xcode derived data..."
    rm -rf ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/* 2>/dev/null
fi

echo "✅ Application caches cleared successfully"

Clear Download History

#!/bin/bash

# Clear download history and quarantine database
echo "📥 Clearing download history..."

# Clear quarantine events (download history)
sqlite3 ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.LaunchServices.QuarantineEventsV* \
    'DELETE FROM LSQuarantineEvent' 2>/dev/null

# Clear recent items
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/com.apple.sharedfilelist/com.apple.LSSharedFileList.RecentDocuments.sfl* 2>/dev/null
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/com.apple.sharedfilelist/com.apple.LSSharedFileList.RecentApplications.sfl* 2>/dev/null

echo "✅ Download history cleared successfully"

Clear Terminal History

#!/bin/bash

# Clear terminal command history
echo "💻 Clearing terminal history..."

# Clear bash history
rm -rf ~/.bash_sessions/* 2>/dev/null
rm -rf ~/.bash_history 2>/dev/null

# Clear zsh history
rm -rf ~/.zsh_sessions/* 2>/dev/null
rm -rf ~/.zsh_history 2>/dev/null

# Clear other shell histories
rm -rf ~/.history 2>/dev/null
rm -rf ~/.sh_history 2>/dev/null

echo "✅ Terminal history cleared successfully"

Enterprise Cache Management Script

#!/bin/bash

# MacFleet Cache Management Tool
# Comprehensive cache management for enterprise environments

# Configuration
LOG_FILE="/var/log/macfleet_cache.log"
BACKUP_DIR="/var/backups/macfleet/cache"
REPORT_DIR="/var/reports/macfleet/cache"
CONFIG_FILE="/etc/macfleet/cache_policy.conf"

# Cache policy settings
ENABLE_SYSTEM_CACHE_CLEAR=true
ENABLE_BROWSER_CACHE_CLEAR=true
ENABLE_APP_CACHE_CLEAR=true
ENABLE_DOWNLOAD_HISTORY_CLEAR=false
ENABLE_TERMINAL_HISTORY_CLEAR=false
CACHE_SIZE_THRESHOLD_MB=1000
CACHE_AGE_DAYS=30

# Logging function
log_action() {
    echo "$(date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S') - $1" | tee -a "$LOG_FILE"
}

# Setup directories
setup_directories() {
    for dir in "$BACKUP_DIR" "$REPORT_DIR" "$(dirname "$CONFIG_FILE")"; do
        if [[ ! -d "$dir" ]]; then
            sudo mkdir -p "$dir"
            log_action "Created directory: $dir"
        fi
    done
}

# Calculate cache size
calculate_cache_size() {
    local path="$1"
    if [[ -d "$path" ]]; then
        du -sm "$path" 2>/dev/null | awk '{print $1}'
    else
        echo "0"
    fi
}

# Generate cache report
generate_cache_report() {
    local report_file="$REPORT_DIR/cache_report_$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S).txt"
    
    echo "📊 Generating cache analysis report..."
    
    {
        echo "MacFleet Cache Analysis Report"
        echo "Generated: $(date)"
        echo "Hostname: $(hostname)"
        echo "User: $(whoami)"
        echo "================================="
        echo ""
        
        echo "=== System Cache Analysis ==="
        echo "System logs size: $(calculate_cache_size /var/log) MB"
        echo "System cache size: $(calculate_cache_size /Library/Caches) MB"
        echo "Temporary files size: $(calculate_cache_size /tmp) MB"
        echo ""
        
        echo "=== User Cache Analysis ==="
        echo "User cache size: $(calculate_cache_size ~/Library/Caches) MB"
        echo "User logs size: $(calculate_cache_size ~/Library/Logs) MB"
        echo "QuickLook cache size: $(calculate_cache_size ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.QuickLook.thumbnailcache) MB"
        echo ""
        
        echo "=== Browser Cache Analysis ==="
        if [[ -d ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari ]]; then
            echo "Safari cache size: $(calculate_cache_size ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari) MB"
        fi
        if [[ -d ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/Chrome ]]; then
            echo "Chrome cache size: $(calculate_cache_size ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/Chrome) MB"
        fi
        if [[ -d ~/Library/Application\ Support/Firefox ]]; then
            echo "Firefox cache size: $(calculate_cache_size ~/Library/Application\ Support/Firefox) MB"
        fi
        if [[ -d ~/Library/Application\ Support/com.operasoftware.Opera ]]; then
            echo "Opera cache size: $(calculate_cache_size ~/Library/Application\ Support/com.operasoftware.Opera) MB"
        fi
        echo ""
        
        echo "=== Application Cache Analysis ==="
        local total_app_cache=0
        for container in ~/Library/Containers/*; do
            if [[ -d "$container/Data/Library/Caches" ]]; then
                local size=$(calculate_cache_size "$container/Data/Library/Caches")
                if [[ $size -gt 10 ]]; then  # Only report if > 10MB
                    echo "$(basename "$container"): ${size} MB"
                    total_app_cache=$((total_app_cache + size))
                fi
            fi
        done
        echo "Total application cache: ${total_app_cache} MB"
        echo ""
        
        echo "=== Disk Usage Summary ==="
        echo "Available disk space: $(df -h / | awk 'NR==2{print $4}')"
        echo "Total cache estimate: $(($(calculate_cache_size ~/Library/Caches) + total_app_cache)) MB"
        
    } > "$report_file"
    
    echo "📊 Report saved to: $report_file"
    log_action "Cache report generated: $report_file"
}

# Selective cache clearing based on policy
clear_cache_selective() {
    echo "🧹 Starting selective cache clearing based on enterprise policy..."
    log_action "Starting selective cache clearing"
    
    local total_cleared=0
    
    # System cache clearing
    if [[ "$ENABLE_SYSTEM_CACHE_CLEAR" == "true" ]]; then
        echo "Clearing system cache..."
        local before_size=$(calculate_cache_size /Library/Caches)
        
        # Clear only old cache files
        find /Library/Caches -type f -mtime +$CACHE_AGE_DAYS -delete 2>/dev/null
        sudo find /var/log -name "*.log" -type f -mtime +$CACHE_AGE_DAYS -size +100M -delete 2>/dev/null
        
        local after_size=$(calculate_cache_size /Library/Caches)
        local cleared=$((before_size - after_size))
        total_cleared=$((total_cleared + cleared))
        
        log_action "System cache cleared: ${cleared} MB"
    fi
    
    # User cache clearing
    echo "Clearing user cache..."
    local before_size=$(calculate_cache_size ~/Library/Caches)
    
    # Clear old cache files only
    find ~/Library/Caches -type f -mtime +$CACHE_AGE_DAYS -delete 2>/dev/null
    find ~/Library/Logs -type f -mtime +$CACHE_AGE_DAYS -delete 2>/dev/null
    
    local after_size=$(calculate_cache_size ~/Library/Caches)
    local cleared=$((before_size - after_size))
    total_cleared=$((total_cleared + cleared))
    
    log_action "User cache cleared: ${cleared} MB"
    
    # Browser cache clearing
    if [[ "$ENABLE_BROWSER_CACHE_CLEAR" == "true" ]]; then
        echo "Clearing browser caches..."
        clear_browser_caches
        log_action "Browser caches cleared"
    fi
    
    # Application cache clearing
    if [[ "$ENABLE_APP_CACHE_CLEAR" == "true" ]]; then
        echo "Clearing application caches..."
        clear_application_caches
        log_action "Application caches cleared"
    fi
    
    # Download history clearing
    if [[ "$ENABLE_DOWNLOAD_HISTORY_CLEAR" == "true" ]]; then
        echo "Clearing download history..."
        sqlite3 ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.LaunchServices.QuarantineEventsV* \
            'DELETE FROM LSQuarantineEvent WHERE LSQuarantineTimeStamp < datetime("now", "-30 days")' 2>/dev/null
        log_action "Download history cleared"
    fi
    
    # Terminal history clearing
    if [[ "$ENABLE_TERMINAL_HISTORY_CLEAR" == "true" ]]; then
        echo "Clearing terminal history..."
        rm -rf ~/.bash_sessions/* 2>/dev/null
        rm -rf ~/.zsh_sessions/* 2>/dev/null
        log_action "Terminal history cleared"
    fi
    
    echo "✅ Cache clearing completed. Total cleared: ${total_cleared} MB"
    log_action "Cache clearing completed: ${total_cleared} MB cleared"
}

# Clear browser caches function
clear_browser_caches() {
    # Safari
    if [[ -d ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari ]]; then
        rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari/* 2>/dev/null
    fi
    
    # Chrome
    if [[ -d ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/Chrome ]]; then
        find ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/Chrome -name "Cache" -type d -exec rm -rf {}/* \; 2>/dev/null
        find ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/Chrome -name "GPUCache" -type d -exec rm -rf {}/* \; 2>/dev/null
    fi
    
    # Firefox
    for profile in ~/Library/Application\ Support/Firefox/Profiles/*; do
        if [[ -d "$profile/cache2" ]]; then
            rm -rf "$profile/cache2"/* 2>/dev/null
        fi
    done
    
    # Opera
    if [[ -d ~/Library/Application\ Support/com.operasoftware.Opera ]]; then
        rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/com.operasoftware.Opera/Cache/* 2>/dev/null
    fi
}

# Clear application caches function
clear_application_caches() {
    for container in ~/Library/Containers/*; do
        if [[ -d "$container/Data/Library/Caches" ]]; then
            # Only clear if cache size is above threshold
            local cache_size=$(calculate_cache_size "$container/Data/Library/Caches")
            if [[ $cache_size -gt $CACHE_SIZE_THRESHOLD_MB ]]; then
                rm -rf "$container/Data/Library/Caches"/* 2>/dev/null
                log_action "Cleared cache for $(basename "$container"): ${cache_size} MB"
            fi
        fi
    done
}

# Emergency cache clearing
emergency_cache_clear() {
    echo "🚨 Emergency cache clearing - freeing maximum space..."
    log_action "Emergency cache clearing initiated"
    
    # Clear all user caches aggressively
    rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/* 2>/dev/null
    rm -rf ~/Library/Logs/* 2>/dev/null
    
    # Clear all browser data
    rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/Chrome/*/Cache/* 2>/dev/null
    rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/Chrome/*/GPUCache/* 2>/dev/null
    rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari/* 2>/dev/null
    rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Firefox/Profiles/*/cache2/* 2>/dev/null
    
    # Clear all application caches
    for container in ~/Library/Containers/*; do
        rm -rf "$container/Data/Library/Caches"/* 2>/dev/null
    done
    
    # Clear system caches (with sudo)
    sudo rm -rf /Library/Caches/* 2>/dev/null
    sudo rm -rf /tmp/* 2>/dev/null
    
    # Clear font caches
    sudo atsutil databases -remove 2>/dev/null
    
    echo "✅ Emergency cache clearing completed"
    log_action "Emergency cache clearing completed"
}

# Schedule automatic cache clearing
schedule_cache_clearing() {
    local schedule_type="$1"
    
    echo "📅 Setting up automatic cache clearing schedule..."
    
    local plist_file="$HOME/Library/LaunchAgents/com.macfleet.cache-cleaner.plist"
    
    case "$schedule_type" in
        "daily")
            local interval=86400  # 24 hours
            ;;
        "weekly")
            local interval=604800  # 7 days
            ;;
        "monthly")
            local interval=2592000  # 30 days
            ;;
        *)
            echo "❌ Invalid schedule type. Use: daily, weekly, monthly"
            return 1
            ;;
    esac
    
    cat > "$plist_file" << EOF
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>Label</key>
    <string>com.macfleet.cache-cleaner</string>
    <key>ProgramArguments</key>
    <array>
        <string>/bin/bash</string>
        <string>$(realpath "$0")</string>
        <string>clear</string>
    </array>
    <key>StartInterval</key>
    <integer>$interval</integer>
    <key>RunAtLoad</key>
    <false/>
</dict>
</plist>
EOF
    
    launchctl load "$plist_file" 2>/dev/null
    
    echo "✅ Automatic cache clearing scheduled ($schedule_type)"
    log_action "Cache clearing scheduled: $schedule_type"
}

# Main execution function
main() {
    local action="${1:-help}"
    local target="${2:-}"
    
    log_action "=== MacFleet Cache Management Started ==="
    
    setup_directories
    
    case "$action" in
        "analyze"|"report")
            generate_cache_report
            ;;
        "clear")
            clear_cache_selective
            ;;
        "emergency")
            emergency_cache_clear
            ;;
        "schedule")
            if [[ -n "$target" ]]; then
                schedule_cache_clearing "$target"
            else
                echo "❌ Please specify schedule type"
                echo "Usage: $0 schedule [daily|weekly|monthly]"
            fi
            ;;
        "system")
            echo "🧹 Clearing system cache only..."
            sudo rm -rf /Library/Caches/* 2>/dev/null
            sudo find /var/log -name "*.log" -type f -size +100M -delete 2>/dev/null
            ;;
        "user")
            echo "🗂️ Clearing user cache only..."
            rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/* 2>/dev/null
            rm -rf ~/Library/Logs/* 2>/dev/null
            ;;
        "browser")
            echo "🌐 Clearing browser cache only..."
            clear_browser_caches
            ;;
        "apps")
            echo "📱 Clearing application cache only..."
            clear_application_caches
            ;;
        "help"|*)
            echo "MacFleet Cache Management Tool"
            echo "Usage: $0 [action] [options]"
            echo ""
            echo "Actions:"
            echo "  analyze           - Generate cache analysis report"
            echo "  clear             - Clear cache based on enterprise policy"
            echo "  emergency         - Emergency cache clearing (maximum space)"
            echo "  schedule [type]   - Schedule automatic cache clearing"
            echo "  system            - Clear system cache only"
            echo "  user              - Clear user cache only"
            echo "  browser           - Clear browser cache only"
            echo "  apps              - Clear application cache only"
            echo "  help              - Show this help message"
            echo ""
            echo "Schedule Types:"
            echo "  daily             - Clear cache daily"
            echo "  weekly            - Clear cache weekly"
            echo "  monthly           - Clear cache monthly"
            ;;
    esac
    
    log_action "=== MacFleet Cache Management Completed ==="
}

# Execute main function
main "$@"

Cache Management Best Practices

Safe Cache Clearing Guidelines

Performance Impact Assessment

# Measure cache clearing impact
echo "=== Before Cache Clearing ==="
echo "Available space: $(df -h / | awk 'NR==2{print $4}')"
echo "Cache size: $(du -sh ~/Library/Caches | awk '{print $1}')"

# Perform cache clearing
# ... cache clearing commands ...

echo "=== After Cache Clearing ==="
echo "Available space: $(df -h / | awk 'NR==2{print $4}')"
echo "Space recovered: [calculated difference]"

Security Considerations

• Data Loss Prevention - Always backup important data before clearing caches
• Application Impact - Some applications may need to rebuild caches after clearing
• Performance Impact - Initial performance may be slower until caches rebuild
• Privacy Implications - Clearing browser cache removes saved passwords and settings
• System Stability - Avoid clearing critical system caches without proper testing

Troubleshooting

Cache Clearing Failures

# Check for locked files
lsof | grep "Library/Caches"

# Force quit applications using cache
sudo pkill -f "application_name"

# Check permissions
ls -la ~/Library/Caches/

Disk Space Not Freed

# Force filesystem update
sync

# Check for hidden files
ls -la ~/Library/Caches/

# Verify actual deletion
du -sh ~/Library/Caches/

Important Notes

• Backup Important Data before running cache clearing scripts
• Close Applications before clearing their specific caches
• Test Scripts on individual devices before fleet deployment
• Monitor Performance after cache clearing for any issues
• Schedule Regular Cleaning to maintain optimal performance
• Document Policies for compliance and auditing purposes