Your browser cache is a bit like a storage closet. It quietly stores copies of website files such as images, stylesheets, scripts, and fonts on your device. Thanks to the cache, websites load faster on repeat visits because your browser reuses files it already has instead of downloading them again.
This not only results in faster page loads, but also saves data, uses less battery, and provides an overall better user experience. That said, like any storage closet, if you are not careful about cleaning it, the cache gets cluttered over time, and that’s when the trouble begins.
A bloated cache can slow down your browser, serve you outdated versions of web pages, and even cause some sites to break or behave strangely. Clearing it is one of the easiest fixes for these annoying issues.
The good news is that it takes only a few seconds to clear browser cache, and I will show you how to do it in Chrome, Edge, and Firefox.
What You Need
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A PC or Mac
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A web browser (such as Google Chrome, Opera, Safari, Firefox, or Microsoft Edge)
Quick answer: How to clear your browser cache
If you’re in a hurry, here’s the short version. To clear your browser cache, open your browser’s settings, head to Privacy & Security, select Clear Browsing Data, check Cached Images and Files, and click Clear Data. The exact steps vary slightly depending on the browser you’re using, but the gist remains the same.
Here’s how to do it step by step:
- Open your browser settings.
- Go to Privacy & Security.
- Click on Delete browsing data.
- Choose a time range.
- Check Cached Images and Files.
- Click the “Clear Data” or “Delete from this device” option.
Keyboard shortcuts to clear browser cache
Most Chromium browsers, including Google Chrome, Edge, and more, also allow you to directly open the cache-clearing page using a keyboard shortcut.
- macOS: ⌘⇧Delete (Command+Shift+Delete)
- Windows: ⌃⇧Delete (Control+Shift+Delete)
Using this keyboard shortcut will open the Delete browsing data page.
Why should you clear your cache?
Clearing your browser’s cache can prove fruitful for several reasons. First off, purging the stored data in your cache forces your browser to seek and retrieve the most recent webpage elements instead of recycling the same old components, whether they’re up to date with the developer’s standards or not.
Furthermore, resetting your cache will potentially help in the event of 404, 502, and other errors that may result from a corrupt cache. You can also clear any private data you have stored in the form of login IDs, passwords, and additional sensitive info you’d prefer not to save on your machine.
It’s also a simple trick you can employ to shed any unnecessary data, which could slow down your browser.
What clearing your browser cache does and doesn’t do
Before we get to the guide, let’s first look at what clearing your browser cache does and doesn’t do.
Clearing cache can:
- Release storage space on your computer.
- Fix broken websites.
- Solve 404 or 502 types of website loading errors.
- Refresh outdated data on websites.
Clearing cache does not:
- Uninstall browser extensions.
- Remove your saved passwords (unless you specifically choose to do so).
- Remove your saved logins (unless you specifically choose to do so).
- Delete your browsing history.
How to clear cache in Google Chrome
Google Chrome is the most popular browser, and the steps to clear its cache are very simple. These steps will also work with other Chromium-based browsers, including Vivaldi, Brave, etc.
Launch the Google Chrome app on your computer, click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner, and then open settings.
Now open the “Privacy & Security” settings in the sidebar and click on the “Delete browsing data” option.
Here, you can select the timeframe for which you want to delete the browser cache. Note that by default, Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, and Download history options are also selected. Uncheck them if you don’t want to delete them.
Finally, click the “Delete from this device” button to clear the browser cache from Chrome.
Pro tip: You can use the keyboard shortcut ⌘⇧Delete (Mac) or ⌃⇧Delete (Windows) to directly open the clear cache settings.
How to clear cache in Firefox
Open Firefox, select the button with three bars in the upper-right corner of the browser window, and select Settings from the resulting drop-down menu.
Select the Privacy and security tab located on the left side of the screen and head to the Cookies and site data section.
Select Clear data. You’ll want to make sure that the option for Cached web content is checked, and then select Clear.
You can also check the box next to “Clear cookies and site data every time you close Firefox” to do so automatically when you close the browser.
How to clear cache in Safari on Mac
To clear the cache in Safari on Mac, use the Safari menu item to open its settings. Alternatively, hit the keyboard shortcut ⌘,(Command+comma).
Open the Advanced settings tab and enable the checkbox for the “Show features for web developers” option.
It will add a new “Develop” option in Safari’s menu bar. Open it and click the Empty Caches button to clear the cache in Safari.
Alternatively, you can hit the keyboard shortcut ⌘⌥E (Command+Option+E) to do the same.
How to clear cache in Opera
Launch Opera, and then click the Menu button in the upper-right corner of the browser window. Now, click on “Go to full browser settings” to open its settings.
Open the Privacy & security settings from the sidebar and click the “Delete browsing data” option.
Now, check the box next to “Cached images and files,” along with any other browser data you wish to clear. Select the timeframe and click the “Delete data” button to clear the cache.
You can also use the “Clear data on exit” button to choose the browsing data, including history, cache, and cookies, that you want the browser to delete automatically when you quit the app.
Pro tip: You can use the keyboard shortcut ⌘⇧Delete (Mac) or ⌃⇧Delete (Windows) to directly open the clear cache settings.
How to clear cache in Microsoft Edge
Since Microsoft Edge is also based on Chromium, you can use the ⌘⇧Delete on Mac or ⌃⇧Delete on Windows to open the clear cache settings. If you have trouble remembering keyboard shortcuts, follow the steps below:
Click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner of the browser and open browser settings.
Open the “Privacy, search, and services” section from the sidebar and then click the Clear browsing data button.
Click the “Choose what to clear” option, select Cookies and other site data, set the time frame, and finally, click the “Clear now” button to clear the cache in Microsoft Edge.
What’s the difference between a cache and cookies?
Another popular term that comes up when researching cache-clearing is “cookies.” While both your PC’s cache and its cookies are similar, they’re also a little different.
Cookies are bite-sized pieces of info that your browser stores to save things like passwords and page settings. A web cache is information that is stored about the sites you visit. This could be things like HTML coding and page images.
What happens after I clear my cache?
Clearing your cache is one of the best things you can do for the overall performance of your computer. If you’ve noticed that your PC has been running slow, there’s a good chance that clearing your cache will improve your speed.
When you clear your cache, you may even notice websites you regularly visit start to load faster. Certain formatting problems you were having on sites may also be gone.
When you clear your cache, you may also wipe saved login info on certain websites. So before you go ahead and clear things, make sure you’ve written down any important usernames or passwords you may need.
