Why clear your cache?

Every browser keeps a local copy of images, scripts, and style files from sites you visit. That cache speeds up repeat visits because your device loads files from disk instead of downloading them again. Over time, though, those stored files get stale. A website updates its design, fixes a bug, or changes prices — but your browser keeps serving the old version it saved weeks ago.

Clearing the cache forces the browser to fetch a fresh copy of everything. It fixes garbled page layouts, login loops, and those situations where a change you made to your own website refuses to show up. It takes less than a minute and carries no real downside — your browser simply rebuilds the cache from scratch on your next few visits.

Step 1: Clear cache in Google Chrome (desktop)

Chrome works the same on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

  1. Open Chrome and press Ctrl+Shift+Delete on Windows or Cmd+Shift+Delete on Mac. This opens the “Clear browsing data” panel directly.
  2. Alternatively, click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner, select Settings, then go to Privacy and security > Delete browsing data.
  3. Click the Basic tab for a quick clean, or Advanced if you want more control.
  4. Set the Time range dropdown. “All time” clears everything. “Last hour” works if you only need to fix a site that broke recently.
  5. Make sure Cached images and files is ticked. Untick Cookies and other site data and Browsing history if you want to keep those.
  6. Click Clear data. Chrome finishes in a few seconds.

You can also do a one-page hard reload without touching the full cache: press Ctrl+Shift+R (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+R (Mac). For more browser tips, see our how-to guides.

Step 2: Clear cache in Safari (Mac)

Safari hides the cache-clearing option behind a developer menu that most people never see. You need to enable it once.

  1. Open Safari and click Safari in the menu bar, then choose Settings (or Preferences on older macOS).
  2. Click the Advanced tab.
  3. At the bottom, tick Show features for web developers (called “Show Develop menu in menu bar” on older versions). Close Settings.
  4. Now click Develop in the menu bar and select Empty Caches. That’s it — no confirmation dialog.

If you also want to clear cookies and history, go to History > Clear History and pick a time range. Note that this removes history and cookies together.

Step 3: Clear cache in Mozilla Firefox

  1. Press Ctrl+Shift+Delete (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+Delete (Mac) to open the “Clear Recent History” window.
  2. Or click the hamburger menu, select Settings > Privacy & Security, scroll to Cookies and Site Data, and click Clear Data.
  3. Set the Time range to clear dropdown — “Everything” is safest for fixing a broken site.
  4. Tick Cache, untick everything else if you only want the cache gone, then click Clear Now.

Firefox also has a per-site option under Settings > Privacy & Security > Manage Data.

Step 4: Clear cache in Microsoft Edge

Edge is built on the same Chromium base as Chrome, so the process is nearly identical.

  1. Press Ctrl+Shift+Delete to open the “Clear browsing data” panel.
  2. Or go to Settings > Privacy, search, and services, and under “Clear browsing data” click Choose what to clear.
  3. Set the Time range and tick Cached images and files.
  4. Click Clear now.

Step 5: Clear cache on mobile (Chrome and Safari on phone)

Chrome on Android or iPhone

  1. Open Chrome and tap the three-dot menu.
  2. Tap Settings > Privacy and security > Clear browsing data.
  3. Select a time range, tick Cached images and files, and tap Clear data.

Safari on iPhone or iPad

  1. Open the Settings app — not Safari itself.
  2. Tap Apps, then tap Safari.
  3. Scroll to Privacy & Security and tap Clear History and Website Data.
  4. Confirm. This clears history, cookies, and cached data together.

Looking for other device how-tos? Browse our full how-to guide archive.

Troubleshooting

Cleared the cache but the problem persists? Try these in order:

  • Hard reload the specific page. Press Ctrl+F5 (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+R (Mac) to reload while skipping the cache for that one page.
  • Check cookies separately. Some login issues are caused by a corrupt cookie, not cache. Clear cookies too.
  • Try a private/incognito window. If the site works in private mode, an extension may be interfering. Disable extensions one by one.
  • Flush your DNS cache. On Windows, run ipconfig /flushdns. On Mac, run sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder.
  • Check the site on a different network. Switching to mobile data confirms whether the problem is on your end or the server’s.
  • Wait a few minutes. Content delivery networks can take time to propagate updates globally.

If none of the above helps, the issue is likely on the website’s server rather than your browser.