How to clear your browser cache

Submitted by Brockdin Barr on 25 Aug 2010

Your web browser stores recently visited pages, images and flash animations to speed up websites when you go back to them. Often when a change is made to your website, the change may not appear when you refresh the page, because the browser is showing you a cached version of that web page.

To solve this problem, you need to clear your browser's cache and refresh the page. 

Microsoft Internet Explorer
Use the following keyboard shortcuts to clear the browser's cache.
Hold down Ctrl and press F5

Firefox
Use the following keyboard shortcuts to clear the browser's cache.
Windows: Hold down Ctrl + Shift and press R
MacOS: Hold down Cmd + Shift and press R

Safari
Use the following keyboard shortcut to clear the browser's cache.
Hold down Alt + Cmd and press E

Still not working?

Sometimes we need even more aggresive cache clearing. Here's how to do that.

Internet Explorer 8

  • From the Safety menu in the upper right, click Delete Browsing History...
  • Deselect Preserve Favorites website data, and select Temporary Internet files, Cookies, and History.
  • Click Delete.

Internet Explorer version 7 (Has a blue 'e' icon, with a yellow swoosh through it)

1. On the Internet Explorer Tools menu, click Internet Options.

The Internet Options box should open to the General tab.

2. On the General tab, in the Browsing history section, click the Delete... button. This will bring up the Delete Browsing History Box.

Select the Delete files... button to delete Temporary Internet Files
Select the Delete cookies... button to delete Cookies
Select the Delete history... button to delete your browsing history

After you select delete a box will appear asking you to confirm you would like to delete the files. Select Yes for each one.

Confirm Internet Explorer Cache Delete

Confirm Internet Explorer Cookies Delete

Confirm Internet Explorer History Delete

3. Click Yes, and then click Close and OK again.

 
 

Internet Explorer version 6 (Has a blue 'e' icon, with no yellow swoosh through it)

  1. On the Internet Explorer 6 Tools menu, click Internet Options. The Internet Options box should open to the General tab.
  2. On the General tab, in the Temporary Internet Files section, click the Delete Files button. This will delete all the files that are currently stored in your cache.

  3. Click OK, and then click OK again.

Tip: You can adjust your Internet Explorer 6 settings to automatically clear the cache whenever you close Internet Explorer 6. Go to the Tools menu, and click Internet Options. Click the Advanced tab. In the "Settings" box, scroll down to the section labeled "Security," and click to check the box next to the "Empty Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed" option. Click OK to finish. This option does not delete cookies, but it will clear your cache of other files when you close your browser.