Web Browsers
Help yourself to quick guides on how to make the most of your web browser of choice.
Clearing the Cache on your Web Browser
How to Clear Cache in Every Major Browser
Clear Cache in Chrome, Firefox, Edge, IE, & Safari
Overview
- In most web browsers, you can clear the cache from the Privacy or History area in the Settings or Options menu, depending on the browser, of course. Ctrl+Shift+Del works with most browsers as well.
- While that hotkey combo works in most non-mobile browsers, the exact steps involved in clearing your browser's cache depend entirely on what web browser you're using.
- Below you'll find some browser and device specific instructions.
What Exactly Is Cache?
Your browser's cache, pronounced like cash, is a collection of web pages, including the text, images, and most other media contained on them, that is stored on your hard drive or phone storage.
Having a local copy of a web page makes for very quick loading on your next visit because your computer or device doesn't have to download from the internet all of that same information again.
Cached data in the browser sounds great, so why do you ever have to clear it?
Why Do You Have to Clear Cache?
You certainly don't have to, not as a regular part of computer or smartphone maintenance, anyway. However, a few good reasons to clear cache come to mind.
- Clearing your cache forces your browser to retrieve the newest copy available from the website, something that should happen automatically but sometimes does not.
- You might also want to clear the cache if you're experiencing issues like “404 errors” or “502 errors” (among others), sometimes indications that your browser's cache is corrupted.
- Another reason to delete cache files is to recover disk space. The cache on some browsers can take up lots of space, even in the gigabyte range.
- This is especially helpful on mobile devices since they don't have as much storage as computers.
- Regardless of why you might want to do it, clearing your cache is really easy to do in all the popular browsers in use today.
Chrome: Clear Browsing Data
- In Google Chrome, clearing the cache is done via the Clear browsing data area in Settings. From there, check Cached images and files (as well as anything else you want to remove) and then tap or click the CLEAR BROWSING DATA
- Assuming you're using a keyboard, the quickest way to Clear browsing data is via the Ctrl+Shift+Del keyboard shortcut.
- Without a keyboard, tap or click the Menu button (the icon with three stacked dots) followed by More tools and finally Clear browsing data....
- Tip: Choose the beginning of time from the Clear the following items from option at the top of the Clear browsing data window to make sure you get everything.
Chrome for iOS (mobile browser): 1. Touch Chrome menu > Settings; 2. Touch Privacy; 3. Choose the data type you want to clear; 4. Touch Clear; 5. Exit/quit all browser windows and re-open the browser.
Internet Explorer: Delete Browsing History
- In Microsoft Internet Explorer, the browser that comes pre-installed on most Windows computers, clearing the cache is done from the Delete Browsing History
- From here, check Temporary Internet files and website files and then click or tap Delete.
- Like with other popular browsers, the fastest way to the Delete Browsing History settings is via the Ctrl+Shift+Del keyboard shortcut.
- Another option is via the Tools button (the gear icon), followed by Safety and then Delete browsing history....
Tip: Internet Explorer often refers to the cache as temporary internet files but they're one in the same.
Edge: Clear Browsing Data
- In Microsoft's Edge browser, included in their newer versions of Windows, clearing the cache is done via the Clear browsing data
- Once open, check Cached data and files and then tap or click Clear.
- The fastest way to the Clear browsing data menu is via the Ctrl+Shift+Del keyboard shortcut.
- Another option is via the More button (that little icon with three horizontal dots), followed by Settings and then the Choose what to clear button under the Clear browsing data
Tip: Tap or click Show more while in the Clear browsing data menu for additional items you can erase while clearing cached files and images.
Firefox: Clear All History
- In Mozilla's Firefox browser, you clear the cache from the Clear All History area in the browser's Options. Once there, check Cache and then tap or click Clear Now.
- The Ctrl+Shift+Del keyboard shortcut is probably the fastest way to open this tool. It's also available from Firefox's Menu button (the three-lined "hamburger" button) via Options, then Privacy, and finally the clear your recent history
Tip: Don't forget to choose Everything from the Time range to clear set of options, assuming that's the time frame you want to clear the cache over.
Safari: Empty Caches
- In Apple's Safari browser, clearing the cache is done via the Develop Just tap or click Develop and then Empty Caches.
- With a keyboard, clearing the cache in Safari is super easy with the Option-Command-E
Tip: If you don't see Develop on your Safari menu bar, enable it via Preferences, then Advanced, followed by selecting the Show Develop menu in menu bar option. Windows users can delete all of Safari's stored data through the menu button and then Preferences... > Privacy > Remove All Website Data....
Safari Apple iOS (Mobile Browser) (applies to newest version of Mobile Safari for IOS): 1. Open your Settings app; 2. Tap Safari; 3. Tap Clear History and Website Data and confirm; 4. Exit/quit all browser windows and re-open the browser.
More About Clearing Caches in Web Browsers
- Most browsers have at least basic cache management settings where, at a minimum, you can choose how much space you'd like the browser to use for cached website data.
- Some browsers even let you choose to automatically clear cache, as well as other data that might contain private information, every single time you close the browser window.
https://www.umassmed.edu/globalassets/human-resources/documents/how-to-clear-cache-in-every-major-browser.pdf