Over the past few years, smart TV operating systems have come a long way, whether it's Samsung's Tizen, LG's WebOS, or in my case, my Hisense U8H's Google TV-powered OS, most mid-range-to-high-end modern televisions feature silky smooth user interfaces and more than enough power to run any modern streaming app easily.

Sure, a dedicated streaming set-top box often offers a more reliable, snappier experience, but for most people, smart TV operating systems have hit the point where they're more than good enough for almost everything.

In my ongoing journey to replace my beleaguered Apple TV 4K (at least until the long-overdue next-generation Apple TV 4K drops), I've tested various streaming devices, including the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, Roku Ultra, and, just to make sure I check the box, my Hisense U8H's Google TV smart TV OS.

To my surprise, Google TV seemed even slower than tvOS on my Apple TV 4K, which initially perplexed me. Then I remembered that, like with a lot of tech devices, clearing your TV's cache can speed up its operating system considerably, so I dove in.

What's a TV's cache for anyway?

It's a home for all the temporary information your TV stores

A cache is where your TV keeps all of its data for quick access, including apps, websites, and system processes in an effort to make streaming apps load faster and navigate more smoothly as soon as you turn your television on.

For example, an app like Netflix will store your login details, recently watched shows, and in some cases, even TV show and movie thumbnails, all in your television's cache. Basically, your TV's cache is a collection of temporary files that aim to speed it up and get you where you want to go more quickly.

Occasionally clearing your TV's cache can boost its performance significantly

The process is different, but still similar for every TV brand

Given I've never really used my Hisense U8H TV's operating system, I'm not entirely sure why its cache needed to be cleared, but as soon as I went through the process, issues like slow navigation, apps taking forever to launch, and content getting stuck buffering, all disappeared across every app I launched, whether it was Netflix, Disney+, or lesser-known streaming apps like Hayu.

While every internet-connected smart TV features a cache, the process for clearing it can be slightly different depending on what brand it is. That said, most TVs feature an option like Clear Cache or Clear Data under the Settings menu.

Clearing your cache removes temporary files, while wiping data deletes all data from apps you've signed in to, including information like your Netflix or Prime login, forcing you to log back in again to every app on your TV. Both options will get the job done, but just to make things easier, I recommend clearing your cache first to see if that speeds up your smart TV before trying the more intensive Clear Data option.

If you don't see a Clear Cache under your TV's Settings, search for your specific TV model to find its manual. Some more niche television brands make it far more difficult to find the cache clearing setting than they likely should.

Hisense TVs

On my Hisense U8H, the process was pretty straightforward and as follows:

  1. Tap the Settings button on the remote.
  2. Scroll down to Advanced Settings.
  3. Select Clear Cache.

Below are general steps that should work on most modern Samsung and LG TVs:

Samsung TVs

  1. Navigate to Settings > Support > Device Care
  2. Select Manage Storage.
  3. Pick the app you want to clear the cache for and navigate to View Details.
  4. Select Clear Cache.

LG TVs

  1. Tap the Home Button on your remote.
  2. Go to Settings > General > Storage.
  3. Select Clear Cache.

This is all it took to speed up my smart TV

If your smart TV is lagging, it's worth giving clearing its cache a shot

As soon as I cleared my TV's cache, that was all it took to get my Hisense U8H running smoothly again. Apps load more quickly, the UI is a breeze to navigate, and in general, the experience of using my smart TV is a overall way better than I expected it to be, which makes sense given that, despite being a mid-range mini-LED TV, Hisense's U8H only released a few years ago.

Clearing your smart TV's cache is a straightforward fix anyone can do, but it's often overlooked, especially when you're eager to sit down and watch that episode of The Sopranos you've been waiting to finish all day. So if your TV is running into issues, give it a shot -- hopefully it fixes all of your smart TV's performance issues like it did for me.