Quickly Clear Your Samsung TV Cache For Best Performance

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If your Samsung TV is slowing down or becoming unresponsive, then clearing the cache can get its performance back up to where you expect.

You can clean the system cache from the Support settings menu, and clean an individual app cache like Disney Plus from the Manage Storage sub-menu.

Details on how to do this for the Samsung TV series 5, 6, 7, 8 and more are below, along with info on how to clear the cache for screen mirroring.

Quick Methods to Clear Cache on Samsung TVs

You can use these methods to clear the cache on Samsung TVs from 2015 and up, including the 2016, 2017 and 2018 models.

Method	Steps to Take
Clear Individual App Cache	You can clear the Youtube, Hulu, Disney Plus cache and more from the Manage Storage option within the Support -> Self Diagnosis menu.
Clear Entire TV Cache	Clear your entire TV’s cache from the cleaning options within Device Care or Self Diagnosis.
Soft Reset	Power cycling your Samsung TV clears the flash memory and anything held in this cache.
Factory Reset	This clears all of your personal settings and empties every cache, but is a more extreme step.

How to Clear Cache on Samsung TVs

1. Clear Individual App Caches

If you have one particular app running slowly, like Disney Plus, then it’s best to only clear the cache for that specific app.

The method varies depending on how old your TV is, but all models will be covered by one of the below sets of instructions.

To clear app caches on older Samsung TVs (pre-2020):

Open Settings.
Go to Support.
Then Self Diagnosis.

Open TV Device Manager.

And select Show App List.

You can then select the app you are interested in and click View Details.

Then use the Clear Cache button to clear the cache for this app only. You can see how much data is stored in the cache for this app on the appropriate line. Clear Data will clear all of your personalizations and logins, so doing this is not recommended.

To clear app caches on more recent Samsung TVs (2021 – present):

Open Settings.
Go to Support.
Then Device Care.

Select Manage Storage.

Choose an app and click View Details.

Then use the Clear Cache button to clear the cache for this app only. You can see how much data is stored in the cache for this app on the appropriate line. Clear Data will clear all of your personalizations and logins, so doing this is not recommended.

2. Clear Entire TV Cache

If you’re getting out of memory errors or your entire TV is slowing down, then clearing the TV’s entire cache is a sensible solution.

To clear the entire cache for older Samsung TVs (2018, 2019 and earlier):

Open Settings.
Go to Support.
Then Self Diagnosis.
Open TV Device Manager.
And select Clean Now under both Memory Boost and Clean Running Apps.

To clear the entire cache for newer Samsung TVs (2020 onwards):

Open Settings.
Go to Support.
Then Device Care.
And select Start Device Care.

You’re TV will then run through a series of processes which includes cleaning the cache.

3. Cold Boot Your Samsung TV

Power cycling or cold booting your TV will clear out any issues with non-permanent memory and reset your TV’s cache without losing your personal settings.

This is quick and painless and won’t cause you to lose any of your saved settings.

To cold boot your Samsung TV:

Plug your TV in and switch it on.
Pull the plug out of the wall socket.
Wait a full 10 seconds.
Plug your TV back in and try switching it on. You should see a red light if you have been successful.

You can also power cycle your Samsung TV if this hasn’t been successful:

Switch off and unplug your TV.
Hold down the physical power button on the TV for at least 15 seconds.
Wait for at least 30 minutes for any residual power to drain from the TV’s capacitors (which are capable of storing charge for several minutes).
Plug your TV back in and try switching it on.

samsung tv power button — Samsung TV’s have their power button underneath the Samsung logo

Make sure you do wait for the full 30 minutes before plugging your TV back in – you would be surprised how long the components within your TV can hold a charge, and you want to make sure it has fully reset.

4. Hard Reset Your Samsung TV

Returning your TV back to its factory settings is a more extreme step, as it will delete any personalization features, downloaded apps or connected devices, but it will definitely totally clear your TV’s cache.

To factory reset a Samsung Smart TV:

Press the Menu or Home button on your remote and go to Settings.
Then General & Privacy.
And Reset.
Enter your PIN, which by default is 0000 (four zeroes) for Samsung.
Then select one final Reset in the popup.

Samsung have provided a video of these steps in the video below.

If you don’t have your remote, then you can get to the same menu items by using the physical Menu button that is most likely underneath your Samsung TV’s logo, next to the Power button.

Press this and use the Volume + and – or Channel + and – depending on the model to follow the steps above.

No Clear Cache Option on Samsung TV?

If your Self-Diagnosis or other options are greyed out, preventing you from clearing the cache, then you need to exit any open apps and go back to the Home screen. Your clear cache options will then be available.

Samsung TV Support and Warranty

You can check your current warranty status at Samsung’s warranty site.

Unfortunately, warranties typically only last a year unless you have already paid to extend it.

Because TV problems can occur at any time, if your TV is under one year old, return your TV under warranty and get it fixed.

You can also try to contact Samsung support directly to see if they can offer any help.

You can use the Samsung support site to help diagnose your problem, but if you are at this stage, then you are better off calling them direct on:

1-800-SAMSUNG (726-7864)

They are in office 7am – 12am EST, 7 days a week, but their automated chatbot is available on their site 24/7.

Even if Samsung won’t fix your TV, they might still offer you a discount off a future model if you pester them hard enough! Always worth a try!

Conclusion

Clear the individual app caches from the TV Device Manager for 2018 Samsung TVs, and from Device Care for newer models.
You can also clear your entire TV’s cache from the same sub-menu.
Power cycle your TV to clear the flash memory and any temporary files.
A factory reset will totally wipe your TV’s cache, although with all your personalization settings.

I’m confident that these steps will fix your Samsung TV, but if you are still struggling, then leave a comment and I’ll see what I can do to help, or try contacting Samsung support directly.

If you’re struggling to fix your TV, then you might find it easier to upgrade instead and get one of the most highly rated new TVs.