Wipe Cache Partition: How to Clear Android Cache Partition

Wipe Cache Partition: This article is in response to a question: What exactly is “wipe cache partition” in the recovery menu of an Android phone and what does it do? Can somebody explain wiping the cache partition and how does it benefit if I wipe it?  Note that this is NOT the same as Wipe Dalvik Cache: How to Clear Android Dalvik Cache. To begin, the cache partition on Android is:

What is the Cache Partition on Android?

/cache partition is mostly for saving the downloads from Google Play Store, found in /cache/downloads. It also can hold the recovery log found in /cache/recovery called last_log as well (this holds any errors and/or diagnostics from the recovery binary a la CWM or stock, which will get logged in the file to aid debugging and development of the recovery binary).

There is also another directory in there called lost+found which holds any recovered files (if any) as a result of file-system corruption, such as incorrectly removing the SDcard without un-mounting it.

So really, there is no loss of data from clearing it. In fact, upon Android boot-up, the script will clear out the /cache/downloads to make way for any new downloads/updates from Google Play Store. Source

Benefits of “Wipe Cache Partition”

If your Android device acts up, in that, you notice problems with memory (RAM), Android battery drainage, overheating or other firmware issues, wiping the cache partition of the Android device might help improve performance. Wiping the cache will NOT delete your apps or your data or your configuration.  It will simply delete the temporary files.

This can resolve problems:

• Black Screen of Death (BSoD)
• Slow performance of apps
• Lag in the User Interface
• Random errors and failure

How to Wipe Cache Partition on Android?

Deleting the cache partition on an Android device may vary depending on the type of device, i.e, the manufacturer and the version of Android that the device is on. For the most part, these steps will help you clear the cache partition on your Android smartphone.

1. press the VOLUME UP + HOME  + POWER buttons all the same time and HOLD THEM DOWN
2. release only the POWER button when the device vibrates
3. release the other buttons when the ANDROID SYSTEM RECOVERY screen appears
4. using the VOLUME DOWN / UP buttons to navigate, select WIPE CACHE PARTITION
5. press the POWER button, which will act the ENTER key on your keyboard
6. you will likely see some progress notes (at the bottom of the screen in small print) and after about 20 seconds it will show DONE
7. you can then reboot the device and use your smartphone

Alternate method to perform cache wipe on Android

On some Android devices, you can clear the cache partition by using the system interface without rebooting into recovery mode. Do this by searching for the following:

1. SETTINGS
2. APP MANAGER
3. LAUNCHER
4. CLEAR DATA, CLEAR CACHE

Video: How to Get Android Phone into Recovery Mode & Wipe Cache Data

That’s all there is to it. You can reboot your Android device and use it as you normally would. You might experience a slight delay in booting. Thanks for reading: Wipe Cache Partition: How to wipe Cache Partition? or Wipe Cache Partition: How to Clear Android Cache Partition?