Chrome's cache is taking up space on your Mac: yes, you can delete it

Yes, it's safe to deleteDiskmack safety tier: Safe to clean

~/Library/Caches/Google

Yes, Chrome's cache is safe to delete. It lives at ~/Library/Caches/Google, and Chrome rebuilds it automatically as you browse, so the worst case is slightly slower page loads for a day or two. Quit Chrome first, trash the folder, empty the Trash, done. Your bookmarks, passwords, history, and logins are stored elsewhere and are not touched.

What it is

~/Library/Caches/Google is the shared cache folder for Google apps on your Mac, and Chrome is almost always the biggest occupant. Inside it, Chrome keeps copies of things it has already downloaded: images, scripts, fonts, and other page assets. When you revisit a site, Chrome pulls those files from disk instead of fetching them over the network again, which is why familiar pages load fast. Every site you visit adds files, so the folder grows steadily with normal use. A few hundred megabytes is typical, and on a Mac that gets daily heavy browsing it can reach several gigabytes, especially with multiple Chrome profiles, since each profile keeps its own cache.

The key thing to understand is what this folder is not. Your actual Chrome profile, meaning bookmarks, saved passwords, cookies, history, and extensions, lives in a different location: ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome. The Caches folder holds only disposable copies of data Chrome can re-download at any time. macOS itself treats everything under ~/Library/Caches as expendable, and Chrome manages this cache on the assumption that it can vanish. Other Google software can keep its own cache subfolder here too (on developer Macs, Android Studio is the usual second occupant), and those rebuild the same way.

Is it safe to delete?

Yes. Nothing permanent is stored here. After you delete the folder, the first visit to each site is a little slower while Chrome re-downloads images and scripts, and then the cache refills on its own. You stay signed in to websites, because logins live in cookies, and cookies are part of your profile in Application Support, not in this folder. Bookmarks, passwords, history, and extensions are equally untouched.

The one thing worth doing right: quit Chrome before you delete the folder. Chrome keeps cache files open while it runs, so deleting it mid-session can leave open tabs behaving oddly and Chrome will partially rewrite the folder underneath you anyway. Close Chrome, trash the folder, relaunch. Diskmack identifies this folder automatically and clears it the safe way, with Chrome closed.

How to check its size

In Finder: In Finder, choose Go > Go to Folder (or press Shift-Command-G), paste ~/Library/Caches, and press Return. Select the Google folder in the list, then press Command-I to see its size on disk.

In Terminal:

du -sh ~/Library/Caches/Google

The ~ expands to your home folder automatically. Add a trailing /Chrome to measure just Chrome's share.

How to clean it

Quit Chrome completely: choose Chrome > Quit Google Chrome, or press Command-Q. Make sure the dot under its Dock icon is gone.
In Finder, choose Go > Go to Folder (Shift-Command-G) and enter ~/Library/Caches/Google.
Drag the Chrome folder inside it to the Trash. Trashing the whole Google folder is also fine; the other Google apps rebuild their caches too.
Empty the Trash to actually reclaim the space.
Reopen Chrome. It recreates the folder on launch and refills it as you browse.

You can also clear the same data from inside Chrome: Settings > Privacy and security > Delete browsing data, then check only "Cached images and files" and leave cookies unchecked so you stay signed in everywhere.

Will it come back?

Yes, and quickly, because that is the whole point of a cache. Chrome starts writing new files the moment you resume browsing, and the folder creeps back toward its old size over days or weeks depending on how much you browse. Chrome sizes the cache based on available disk space, so it will not grow without limit, but clearing it is maintenance, not a permanent fix. Treat it as a quick way to free a few gigabytes when the disk is tight, and expect to repeat it now and then.

Common questions

Will deleting Chrome's cache log me out of websites?

No. Logins are stored in cookies, and cookies live with your profile in ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome, not in ~/Library/Caches/Google. Deleting the cache folder leaves cookies, passwords, bookmarks, and history alone. The only way to log yourself out is to clear cookies through Chrome's own Delete browsing data screen, so leave that box unchecked.

Why is the folder called Google instead of Chrome?

Google apps on macOS share one cache location. Chrome sits in a Chrome subfolder, and some other Google software caches alongside it; Android Studio is the one you'll most often see there. Chrome is nearly always the space hog, but the whole Google folder is safe to trash.

Chrome feels slower after clearing the cache. Did I break something?

No. The first load of each site has to re-download images, scripts, and fonts that used to be on disk. After a day or so of normal browsing the cache has refilled for the sites you actually visit and speeds are back to normal.

How big should Chrome's cache be?

There is no fixed number. Chrome sets the cache ceiling based on how much free space your disk has, so a few hundred megabytes to a few gigabytes is common. If you use several Chrome profiles, each one keeps a separate cache, which multiplies the total.