Quick answer
To clear cache on a Firestick, go to Settings > Applications > Manage Installed Applications, choose the app and select Clear cache. It's safe and keeps your accounts and settings. Use Clear data only when an app still misbehaves, because it resets the app and you'll need to sign in again.
A Fire TV Stick that was quick out of the box can feel sluggish a year later. Menus lag, apps take longer to open, and streams that used to start instantly now sit on a spinning wheel. Before you blame your internet or your streaming service, look at the device itself. Fire TV Sticks have limited storage and memory, and both fill up quietly over time.
Clearing cache is the quickest maintenance task you can do, and it's safe: you won't lose your accounts or settings. Here's what cache is, how to clear it on Fire TV, when clearing data works better, and how to free up storage so the slowdown doesn't come straight back.
What is cache, and why does it build up?
Cache is temporary data that apps keep so they don't have to fetch the same things again. A streaming app might cache channel logos, artwork, parts of menus and recently used settings. The idea, explained well in this overview of how caches work in computing, is speed: reading something stored locally is faster than downloading it again.
The trouble is that apps don't always tidy up after themselves. Cached files pile up, some become outdated after an app update, and occasionally a damaged cache file causes errors or crashes. On a phone with plenty of space, that doesn't matter much. On a Fire TV Stick, where storage is small and shared between the system and every app, it adds up.
Signs your cache needs attention:
- An app that used to open quickly now takes much longer.
- Artwork or menus look wrong or out of date.
- An app crashes at the same point every time.
- Fire TV warns that storage is low.
- A problem started right after an app update.
Clear cache vs clear data: know the difference
Fire TV offers two buttons for every app, and they do very different things.
| Clear cache | Clear data | |
|---|---|---|
| What it removes | Temporary files only | Everything the app has stored |
| Signs you out? | No | Yes |
| Resets settings? | No | Yes, back to fresh-install state |
| Removes downloads? | No | Yes, if the app stores any |
| When to use it | First step for slowness or glitches | When clearing cache didn't fix it |
Amazon describes both options in its help article on clearing app data and cache on Fire TV. The rule of thumb: always try Clear cache first. Only use Clear data when you're prepared to sign back in.
How to clear cache on a Firestick, step by step
These steps work on Fire TV Sticks running Fire OS. Menu names can vary slightly between models.
- Go to Settings. Press the Home button, then move right to the gear icon and select it.
- Open Applications. Scroll down and choose Applications.
- Choose Manage Installed Applications. You'll see a list of every installed app.
- Select an app. Pick the app that's misbehaving, or one you use often.
- Select Clear cache. It works instantly. The cache figure on the screen drops to zero or close to it.
- Repeat for other heavy apps. Streaming apps and web browsers tend to hold the most cache.
Some recent Fire OS versions add an option under Settings > Applications to clear the cache of all apps at once. If you see it, it saves time; if not, clear apps individually.
Clearing cache for the Apollo TV app
If the Apollo TV app is slow to load channels or shows outdated artwork, clear its cache the same way: Settings > Applications > Manage Installed Applications > Apollo TV > Clear cache. Then open the app again. The first load may take a few seconds longer while it rebuilds the cache, and after that it should be quicker than before.
If the app still misbehaves after clearing cache, check that it's up to date. Our guide to updating the Apollo TV app on a Firestick shows how, including what to do if an update won't install.
When to clear data instead
Clearing data is a reset button for one app. Use it when:
- The app keeps crashing even after clearing cache and restarting.
- You see login errors that don't go away with the correct details.
- Settings inside the app seem stuck or broken.
- Support has asked you to.
After clearing data, open the app and sign in again. For Apollo TV, your player login details are always available in My Account, so keep that page open on your phone before you start.
Free up storage on Fire TV
Clearing cache helps briefly, but if your Fire TV is nearly full, the cache refills and the slowdown returns. Freeing proper storage space is the lasting fix.
Check how much space you have
Go to Settings > My Fire TV > About > Storage. You'll see how much internal storage is used and available. As a rough guide, keep at least 500 MB to 1 GB free; Fire TV needs room for system updates and apps need space to work.
Delete leftover installer files
If you've installed apps with Downloader, the installer files may still be sitting on your device. Open Downloader, go to its Files section, and delete any installers you no longer need. These are often among the largest files on a Fire TV Stick.
Uninstall apps you don't use
Every installed app takes space, and some run in the background. Go to Settings > Applications > Manage Installed Applications, select an app you don't use, and choose Uninstall. Free trials you tried once and forgot about are good candidates.
Watch out for "cleaner" apps
Some apps promise to speed up your Fire TV automatically. Most add little that you can't do yourself in the steps above, and some run constantly in the background, using the very memory they claim to free. Stick with Fire TV's built-in options.
Turn off features you don't use
Fire TV includes background features that use memory, storage or bandwidth. If your stick is short on resources, switching off the ones you don't need gives your apps more room. Menu names vary a little between Fire OS versions, but you'll usually find these under Settings > Preferences:
- Featured Content. The home screen can autoplay video and audio previews in its banner. Turning off video and audio autoplay makes the home screen lighter and quieter.
- Privacy settings. Options such as device usage data and app usage data collection send information in the background. You can turn them off if you prefer.
- Data monitoring. If you don't need Fire TV's data usage alerts, you can switch this off too.
None of these affect how your streaming apps work. They simply reduce what Fire TV does in the background.
Restart to clear memory
Storage and memory (RAM) are different things. Storage holds apps and files permanently; memory holds what's running right now. A Fire TV Stick has little memory, and apps left running can slow everything down.
A restart clears memory completely. Either:
- Hold Select and Play/Pause together on the remote for about five seconds until the device restarts, or
- Go to Settings > My Fire TV > Restart.
Restarting once a week is a cheap habit that prevents a lot of slowness.
Factory reset: the last resort
If a Fire TV Stick is still slow after clearing cache, freeing storage and restarting, a factory reset returns it to the state it left the factory in. It's effective, but it's also the most disruptive option, so treat it as a last step.
What a factory reset does
- Removes every app you installed, including sideloaded ones like the Apollo TV app.
- Deletes all app data, sign-ins and settings.
- Signs the device out of your Amazon account.
- Keeps the latest Fire OS version that was installed.
Before you reset
- Note which apps you use, so you can reinstall them.
- Have your Amazon account password and Wi-Fi password ready.
- Keep your Apollo Group TV login details from My Account to hand.
How to reset
Go to Settings > My Fire TV > Reset to Factory Defaults and confirm. The device restarts and takes several minutes to wipe itself. Leave it plugged in throughout. When it finishes, you'll go through the same setup screens as a new device: language, Wi-Fi, Amazon sign-in.
Afterwards, reinstall only the apps you actually use. A lean Fire TV with a handful of apps stays fast for much longer than one carrying everything you've ever tried. Reinstall the Apollo TV app with the official code from the Fire TV setup guide.
When it's time for a new device
Older and entry-level Fire TV Sticks have less memory and slower processors, and apps get heavier with every update. If your device is several years old, struggles even after a reset, and can't keep up with menus, an upgrade will do more than any amount of maintenance. Compare current models in our guide to the best Fire TV Stick for IPTV, including the newer models that can't install apps from outside the Appstore.
A maintenance routine that keeps a Firestick fast
You don't need to do this daily. Once a month is plenty for most households:
- Restart the Fire TV.
- Clear the cache of your three or four most-used apps.
- Delete leftover installer files in Downloader.
- Uninstall any app you haven't opened in a month.
- Check Settings > My Fire TV > About for a system update.
If your Fire TV is still slow after all of this, the problem may be elsewhere. Wi-Fi is the next suspect: our comparison of Ethernet and Wi-Fi on a Firestick explains how to tell. And if the device is several years old, it may simply be underpowered for current apps; see which Fire TV Stick suits IPTV best.
Example: a slow Firestick, fixed in ten minutes
Consider a common situation. A household's Fire TV Stick Lite takes 20 seconds to open any app, and live channels buffer at the start. The storage screen shows 280 MB free.
Here's what made the difference:
- Downloader held three old installer files totalling about 500 MB. Deleting them more than doubled free space.
- Two unused streaming apps were uninstalled, freeing another few hundred megabytes.
- The cache of the most-used apps was cleared.
- The device was restarted.
Afterwards, apps opened in a few seconds. The buffering at the start of streams also eased, because apps had room to work again. The internet connection hadn't changed at all.
Frequently asked questions
Does clearing cache delete my apps or accounts?
No. Clearing cache removes only temporary files. Your apps, accounts, sign-ins and settings stay as they are. Clearing data is the option that signs you out.
How often should I clear cache on my Firestick?
Once a month is enough for most people, or whenever an app starts behaving oddly. Clearing more often doesn't help, because apps rebuild some cache each time you use them.
Why does my Firestick keep running out of storage?
Fire TV Sticks have limited storage, and leftover installer files, large app caches and unused apps fill it quickly. Delete installers in Downloader and uninstall apps you don't use.
Will clearing cache fix buffering?
Sometimes. If buffering is caused by a full, struggling device, freeing space and memory helps. If it's caused by a weak connection, it won't. Check your connection against our guide to the internet speed you need for IPTV.
Is there a way to clear all app caches at once?
Some newer Fire OS versions include an option for this under Settings > Applications. On other devices, you clear each app individually.
What if an app still crashes after clearing data?
Uninstall and reinstall it. For the Apollo TV app, follow the Fire TV setup guide to reinstall it with the official code, then sign in with the details in My Account. If it still fails, contact support with your device model.
Conclusion
Clearing cache on a Firestick takes less than a minute per app and is completely safe. It's the right first step whenever an app slows down or glitches. For a lasting improvement, pair it with freeing storage, removing old installers and the occasional restart. Those habits keep even an entry-level Fire TV Stick responsive enough for smooth streaming.
If you run into anything these steps don't fix, our troubleshooting guide covers sign-in and playback problems in more detail.