A full cache often creates a problematic app or device. Your Amazon Fire TV Stick isn’t exempt as it has a cache system. It stores temporary data, like your viewing history, thumbnails, searches, and other app data. They usually help your device load faster. However, Amazon’s streaming devices come with small storage, most of which is for the system software.
With less room to work efficiently, it struggles to process information. It also takes longer to search through the saved data. Hence, the reason you may experience buffering, app crashes, repeated restarts, and other common issues. Here’s how to clear the cache files and restore your Fire Stick to normal.
How to clear app caches on Amazon Fire Stick
Amazon Fire Sticks have a built-in system that automatically manages the storage space. But it doesn’t clear an app’s cache until after 30 days of not using it. The devices provide a way for you to clear it individually. If Netflix or another streaming app doesn’t work, you can clean its cache right away and leave the rest. Here’s how to do it:
This tutorial uses an
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max
. The steps are generally the same for Fire Sticks. You shouldn’t have issues following them on your device.
- Turn on your Fire Stick and go to Settings > Applications.
- Open Manage Installed Applications.
- Scroll down to the app with issues and press the rewind button on the Fire Stick remote to clear the cache.
- Alternatively, select the app. Then, scroll down to Clear cache and select the option.
- Select Clear data to erase any data on the app.
- Confirm your selection.
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How to uninstall Fire Stick apps to clear caches
Besides clearing your Fire Stick’s app caches or data individually, there’s no option to do it instantly. But uninstalling and reinstalling apps is another solution. Deleting the app means wiping everything clean, including any bad data. Then, you’ll download it again and get a fresh version without bugs. Here’s how to uninstall Fire Stick apps:
- From your Fire Stick’s home screen, go to the Settings menu.
- Navigate to Applications > Manage Installed Applications.
- Scroll through the list of installed apps. Then, select the app you want to remove.
- Select Uninstall and confirm the action.
How to wipe FireStick cache with factory reset
If you used all the options to clear your Fire Stick’s cache and issues continue, consider a factory reset. It’s an extreme troubleshooting procedure that wipes out all downloaded apps and their data, settings, and accounts. Your accounts still exist, but you’ll log in again to access them. Also, the procedure restores your device to its original state. Everything appears as it did before you bought it. Here’s how to factory reset your Fire Stick:
- Go to Settings > My Fire TV.
- Select Reset to Factory Defaults. Then, confirm the action.
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Practice moderate cache clearing on your Fire Stick
Clearing your Amazon Fire Stick’s cache is something you may be used to. It isn’t different from wiping the cache on your Android phone. In both cases, you’re removing temporary files that apps store data for quicker loading. That said, you don’t need to do it often. Constantly clearing it can make things worse. Apps may take longer to load, and rebuilding the cache can strain the Fire Stick’s processor.
