Most web browsers allow you to clear their cache memory from the Settings menu. There are also combination keys (Ctrl + Shift + Delete) allowing to clear cache some web browsers instantly. While this hotkey works on most browsers, the exact steps that you need to take in Settings menu to clear browser cache is different in various web browser. Below, you will see a full guide on how to clear cache on different browsers.
What is cache?
Your browser cache is a series of web pages, which contains multimedia files such as images and videos as well as texts which are stored on your hard drive.
So why these files are stored? When your computer has a local copy of these web pages, it will be extremely faster to load those pages as your browser will not need to download the content every time it tries to load the page. In other words, cache is designed to help you have a better experience while using the web. So, if cache is this much helpful, why would we need to clear it?
Why do you have to clear browser cache?
There is no must when it comes to clearing browser cache and this is not something you need to do regularly. However, there are some benefits to that which may convince you to clear your phone cache or web browser cache every now and then.
The rule is that your browser must get the new data from the website automatically. But sometimes this does not happen and instead, your browser view a cached version of the website containing old content. In this case, clearing browser cache would be helpful to retrieve new content.
In addition, experiencing 404 or 502 errors might be resolved once you clear browser cache. This is because sometimes your browser cache files are corrupted and clearing them would fix the issue.
Another reason why clearing the cache files on your web browser would be helpful is that it will free up space on your hard drive. Over time, cache files can reach a very large space and clearing them would save up space on your device.
Regardless of why you might want to clear cache your browser, I have lined up the steps to do it on different browsers.
Clear Chrome cache
Clearing cache on Google Chrome is done via the Settings menu.
- Click on the three dots icon on top right corner of the screen and select Settings.
- Scroll down and go to the Advanced menu and under Privacy and security select Clear browsing data. (You can also search ‘clear browsing data’ in the search box on top of the window)
- Select Cached images and files (or any other option you would want) and then click CLEAR DATA.
You can also use the CTRL + SHIFT + DELETE hotkeys to clear cache chrome through accessing the menu instantly.
Clear IE cache
Internet Explorer is Microsoft browsers that comes pre-installed on Windows computers. Here’s how to clear browser cache for Internet Explorer.
- Access Settings menu on your web browser.
- Select Delete Browsing History.
- From the next window, select Temporary Internet files and website files.
- Click Delete.
Like chrome, the fastest way to access the ‘Delete browsing history’ menu is through using CTRL + SHIFT + DELETE hotkey combo.
Clear Firefox cache
Mozilla’s Firefox browser has also dedicated a part of its Options menu to clearing cache files.
- Open browsers’s Options menu.
- Select Clear Recent History option.
- Check the box for Cache.
- Click Clear Now.
Like other popular browsers, the fastest way to access the ‘Clear recent history’ menu is through using CTRL + SHIFT + DELETE hotkey combo.
Clear Safari cache
Safari is Apple’s web browser and like other browsers, there are steps you can take to clear browser cache.
- Launch your browser and open the Develop menu.
- From the Develop menu, click Empty Caches.
In addition, you can use the Option-Command-E shortcut to clear cache Safari fast and easy.
If you don’t see Develop option on your Safari menu bar, enable it via Safari > Preferences, then Advanced, followed by selecting the Show Develop menu in menu bar option.
Clear Opera cache
Like other browsers, you need to access the Settings menu to clear browser cache on Opera.
- Open the Settings menu on your Opera browser.
- Go to Clear browsing data section in the Settings menu.
- check Cached images and files box on the new window.
- Click Clear Browsing Data.
Like other popular browsers, the fastest way to access the ‘Clear browsing data’ menu is through using CTRL + SHIFT + DELETE hotkey combo.
