How to Clear Gmail Cache (Chrome, Android, iPhone)

Quick answer:

Chrome on a computer: Settings > Privacy and security > Third-party cookies > See all site data and permissions. Search for mail.google.com, delete it, then reopen Gmail.
Android: Settings > Apps > Gmail > Storage (or Storage & cache) > Clear cache. Don't tap Clear storage unless you want to reset the app.
iPhone: iOS has no cache button for Gmail. Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Gmail > Offload App, then reinstall it.

Your emails are stored in your Google Account, not in the cache. Clearing the cache removes temporary files on your device. Clearing cookies or site data may sign you out of Gmail.

When clearing the Gmail cache helps

Cached files help Gmail load faster. If they are out of date or damaged, Gmail may load slowly, show a blank page, or behave oddly after an update. Google's Gmail won't load checklist includes clearing the browser cache and cookies. Before you clear anything, try the faster checks:

Check the Google Workspace Status Dashboard for a Gmail outage.
Open Gmail in an incognito or private window. If Gmail works there, an extension or saved site data is the likely cause.
Turn off extensions one at a time and reload Gmail after each change.
Update your browser, or try a different browser.

If none of that helps, clear the cache using the steps below.

Clear Gmail cache in Chrome on a computer

Start with Gmail's own site data. This leaves other websites alone.

Open Chrome and select More (three dots) > Settings.
Select Privacy and security > Third-party cookies.
Select See all site data and permissions.
In the search box, type mail.google.com.
Select Delete (trash icon) next to the entry, then confirm with Delete.
Close Chrome, open it again, and sign in to Gmail.

Google documents this path in Delete, allow and manage cookies in Chrome.

Clear the whole browser cache

If Gmail still misbehaves, clear Chrome's cache:

Select More > Delete browsing data.
Choose a time range. Use All time to clear everything.
Select Cached images and files. Add Cookies and other site data only if clearing the cache alone doesn't fix the problem.
Select Delete data.

Clearing cookies signs you out of sites and can remove saved site settings. If you're signed in to Chrome with sync turned on, Google says the deleted data is also removed from your other synced devices. Saved passwords and extensions aren't deleted. See Clear cache and cookies in Chrome.

In other browsers, use the browser's clear-browsing-data setting and start with cached files only.

If you use Gmail offline

Gmail offline stores mail on your computer. To remove that copy, Google's Use Gmail offline help says to:

In Chrome, go to Settings > Privacy and security > Third-party cookies > See all site data and permissions > Delete all data, and confirm.
In Gmail's offline settings, clear Enable offline mail.

The first step deletes data for every site, not only Gmail.

Clear the Gmail app cache on Android

Open your phone's Settings app.
Tap Apps, then Gmail. On some phones you first tap See all apps.
Tap Storage or Storage & cache.
Tap Clear cache.
Open Gmail again.

Menu names vary between phone makers. Google's Fix an installed Android app help says you can usually clear an app's cache and data in the Settings app, and that cached data builds up again over time.

Clear cache removes temporary files. Clear storage (or Clear data) resets the app. Your mail stays in your Google Account, but the app has to set up again and download your messages.

Reset the Gmail app on iPhone or iPad

iOS has no "clear cache" button for Gmail. The closest option is to offload the app and reinstall it:

Open Settings > General > iPhone Storage.
Tap Gmail.
Tap Offload App and confirm.
Download Gmail again from the App Store and sign in.

Apple says offloading frees the storage used by the app but keeps its documents and data. Choose Delete App for a full reset. See Apple's iPhone and iPad storage guide.

Before you reset the app, restart the phone and update Gmail from the App Store. These steps often fix the same problems.

If Gmail is still slow after clearing the cache

Extension conflict: If Gmail works in an incognito window but not in a normal one, turn extensions back on one at a time to find the cause.
Network: Restart your router or try another network. Google's checklist suggests both.
Another device: If Gmail loads on another device, the problem is on the first device rather than in your account.
Messages not sending: That is a different problem. See why emails get queued in Gmail.

Gmail extensions and cleared site data

Some Gmail extensions keep sign-in or settings in your browser's site data. After you delete Gmail's site data or cookies, an extension may ask you to sign in again. Wait for any unsaved changes in an extension to finish saving before you clear data.

If you use Kanban Tasks for Gmail, your boards and tasks are stored in your Tooling Studio account, not in Gmail's cache. Sign in again after clearing cookies and your boards will load as before.

Frequently asked questions

Will clearing the Gmail cache delete my emails?

No. Your messages are stored in your Google Account. Clearing the cache only removes temporary files from your browser or phone.

Will I be signed out?

Deleting only Cached images and files usually keeps you signed in. Deleting cookies or Gmail's site data signs you out.

How often should I clear the Gmail cache?

Only when you have a problem. Cached files help Gmail load faster, and the cache refills over time anyway.