Clearing Your Web Browser Cache (2024)

FAQs

Clearing Your Web Browser Cache? ›

The cache and cookies should be cleared regularly for several reasons. Depending on your settings, the cache can grow quite big, use a lot of disk space on your computer and cause slow web browsing.

The cache and cookies should be cleared regularly for several reasons. Depending on your settings, the cache can grow quite big, use a lot of disk space on your computer and cause slow web browsing.

Clearing your browser's cache and cookies means that website settings (like usernames and passwords) will be deleted and some sites might appear to be a little slower because all of the images have to be loaded again.

Keyboard Shortcut for Most Browsers

If you are using Internet Explorer, Edge, Google Chrome, or Mozilla Firefox you can quickly clear cache with a keyboard shortcut. While in your browser, press Ctrl + Shift + Delete simultaneously on the keyboard to open the appropriate window.

For these reasons, it can be a good idea to clear a cache periodically – however, it is not recommended to do so on a daily basis. Frequent clearing of the cache will rob you of the benefits of quick data access. Most caches are set up to delete files automatically after a certain period of time.

Websites may load slower. The first time that you visit a website after clearing your cache, the website will need to download all of the necessary files from the server again. This can cause the website to load slower than usual. You may lose saved preferences.

Clearing cache and cookies can be beneficial in certain situations. Cookies store information about your browsing habits and preferences, while the cache stores temporary data to improve website loading speed. Clearing them can help resolve issues like website errors or slow loading.

How often do I need to clear my cache? Most people only need to clear their caches once every month or two. That's generally the point when your browser will build up a cache large enough to start slowing things down. If you frequent a large number of sites, you should err on the side of clearing your cache more often.

Clearing your browser cache and cookies can improve performance and security, but it can also delete some useful or convenient information, such as passwords, autofill forms, or shopping carts.

What is the difference between cache and cookies? ›

Cookies are files created by sites you visit. They make your online experience easier by saving browsing data. The cache remembers parts of pages, like images, to help them open faster during your next visit.

Here's how to clear the browser cache for just one web page: Open the webpage you want to clear the cache for, and go into Chrome Developer Tools. That's CMD+Option+I on a Mac, and CTRL+Shift+I or F12 on Windows, Linux, and Chromebooks. Click Empty Cache and Hard Reload in the list of options, and you're done.

However, for a typical internet user, our suggestion is to empty your cache approximately once or twice every month.

It's best to delete your search history at least twice a month to reduce the chances of getting hacked.

Cache refers to a temporary storage area on your device that stores recently visited web pages, so technically if you only clear the cached images and files, there are no passwords to worry about.

Browsing history: Clearing your browsing history deletes the following: Web addresses you've visited are removed from the History page. Shortcuts to those pages are removed from the New Tab page. Address bar predictions for those websites are no longer shown.