{"id":5481833,"date":"2023-04-17T12:45:04","date_gmt":"2023-04-17T10:45:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-rocket.me\/?post_type=caching_hub&p=5481833"},"modified":"2023-05-23T11:05:52","modified_gmt":"2023-05-23T09:05:52","slug":"clear-browser-cache","status":"publish","type":"caching_hub","link":"https:\/\/wp-rocket.me\/wordpress-cache\/clear-browser-cache\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Clear Cache and Cookies on Major Browsers (and Mobile)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do you want to know how to clear your browser cache and why it\u2019s important? Hint: If you have encountered an issue with your WordPress site, one of the easy solutions may be to clear your cache! In this guide, you\u2019ll learn more about browser caching and how to clear each browser’s cache (and cookies). <\/p>

Let\u2019s dive in!<\/p>

What\u2019s Browser Cache?<\/h2>

A browser cache stores files and resources downloaded directly from a website, such as media assets, text, and coding files (HTML, CSS, and JavaScript). Built into your web browser, the cache is a database that \u201cmemorizes\u201d web content. <\/p>

\"Browser
Browser caching explained – Source: WP Rocket <\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>

Why Browser Cache Is Important<\/h3>

Browser cache allows content to be served faster to users that have already visited your website. It saves users time and reduces page loading time and web server bandwidth.<\/p>

This is crucial for performance and the user experience because cached content loads faster than regular content: your browser doesn\u2019t have to load everything from scratch.<\/p>

For example, the server could tell the browser to store the payment method images and not download them when a user returns: <\/p>

\"Payment
Payment method images that could be cached – Source: Unicart<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>

Those images are unlikely to change daily so you could cache them for at least a week.  <\/p>

\ud83d\udca1 Browser cache is only a part of caching. You can learn more about the different types of caching<\/a> by reading our in-depth guide.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>

Using WP Rocket to Enable Browser Cache<\/h3>

To enable browser caching, you can use WP Rocket<\/a> – one of the best caching plugins for WordPress. The plugin requests the browser to save the frequently used (but rarely updated) files in its local cache memory, resulting in a faster experience for visitors. <\/p>

All you need to do is to install and activate the plugin. WP Rocket will do the heavy lifting and smartly set expiration lengths on the less updated files. <\/p>

\ud83d\udcd6 You can read more on WordPress page caching<\/a> by reading our easy-to-follow guide.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>

You\u2019ve learned the meaning of browser caching and how to implement it, let\u2019s explain why it\u2019s important to clear your browser cache as a user. <\/p>

Why You Should Clear Your Browser Cache<\/h2>

It\u2019s important to clear your browser cache to avoid seeing outdated content and to solve most of the common problems on the internet \u2013 for instance, \u201cissue 403\u201d, nonce issues, and any development made in a local environment (if you don\u2019t clear your cache, you may not see the updated content when you push it from the development environment to production).<\/p>

We can take the example of a new banner you added but can\u2019t see this change on the front end yet. That\u2019s because your browser is still showing the cached version of the page with the old banner. By clearing your cache, you\u2019ll finally see it when refreshing the page. <\/p>

Remember that a browser stores the cached content for a limited time or until it\u2019s full. After that, the cache is cleared, and the browser will serve the updated content on the next visit.<\/p>

\ud83d\udca1Clearing the browser cache won\u2019t always fix the issue, but it\u2019s a good starting point for debugging.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>

You can also clear your cookies on a computer to protect your privacy and avoid third-party tracking.<\/p>

The next section shows you how to delete cookies and clear your cache from the major browsers.<\/p>

How to Clear Cache and Cookies on Your Browser<\/h2>

You can clear your browser cache and cookies manually on every major browser. To help you with this process, we have put together some easy tutorials for the most popular ones.<\/p>

How to Clear Cache on Google Chrome<\/h3>

To clear the cache on Google Chrome, click the three dots<\/strong> icon in the top right corner of the browser window, then open the More Tools<\/strong> option and select Clear Browsing Data<\/strong> from the submenu.  <\/p>

\"Clearing
Clearing cookies and cache on Google Chrome – Step 1 – Source: Chrome Settings<\/figcaption><\/figure>

You can choose to clear the basic tab with the browsing history, cookies, cached images, and files by clicking on the Clear data<\/strong> button.<\/p>

\"Clearing
Clearing cookies and cache on Google Chrome – Basic Tab – Step 2 – Source: Chrome Settings<\/figcaption><\/figure>

If you want to go further, you can open the Advanced <\/strong>tab and check the boxes of your choice. Note that if you decide to clear the cache of the Passwords and other sign-in data<\/strong> categories, then you will lose all your saved password for each website you have an account for. That may hurt your user experience for future purchases and connections.<\/p>

\"Clearing
Clearing cookies and cache on Google Chrome – Advanced Tab – Step 3 – Source: Chrome Settings<\/figcaption><\/figure>

When clearing your cache, you can also decide if you want to clear what happened in the last hour, 24 hours, 7 days, 4 weeks, and All time. If you want to clear everything since the beginning of your browsing history, click on \u201cAll time\u201d. <\/p>

\"Time
Time range for clearing on Google Chrome -Source: Chrome Settings<\/figcaption><\/figure>

To clear cookies and other site data, you can go to Google Chrome Settings<\/strong> > Privacy and Security <\/strong>> Cookies and other site data:<\/p>

\"Clearing
Clearing third-party cookies on Google Chrome – Step 1 – Source: Chrome Settings<\/figcaption><\/figure>

In this section, you can define your preferred settings for cookies. You can decide to allow them on some websites only. It\u2019s a customizable experience. <\/p>

\"Clearing
Clearing third-party cookies on Google Chrome – Step 2 – Source: Chrome Settings<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Pro Tip: I use the Chrome extension called \u201cClear Cache<\/a>\u201d which allows you to conveniently clear your cache in one click. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>
\"Clear
Clear Cache extension for Google Chrome – Source: Google Chrome<\/figcaption><\/figure>

How to Clear Cache on Safari<\/h3>

To clear the browser cache (including cookies and web data) on Safari is pretty straightforward. Simply go to Safari<\/strong> > Clear History<\/strong>.<\/p>

\"Clearing
Clearing the cache and cookies on Safari – Source: Safari<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Then you can decide for which amount of time you want to clear your history, by selecting your preferred option from the drop-down menu. When you have chosen the duration, click on the Clear History<\/strong> button.<\/p>

\"Clearing
Clearing the cache in Safari – Source: Safari<\/figcaption><\/figure>

If you follow those steps, you\u2019ll delete all<\/strong> the history and cookies from your browser. If you need more customizations with your settings, navigate to <\/p>

Safari<\/strong> > Preferences<\/strong><\/p>

From the General<\/strong> tab, you can choose the time length of your history items:<\/p>

\"History
History items will be removed after the period of your choice – Source: Safari<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Then go to the Privacy<\/strong> tab and select how you want to manage the cookies and website data: <\/p>

\"Managing
Managing website data – Source: Safari
<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Pro Tip: to easily empty the caches, go to Develop<\/strong> > Empty Caches<\/strong>.<\/p>

\"Emptying
Emptying caches on Safari – Source: Safari<\/figcaption><\/figure>

How to Clear Cache on Firefox<\/h3>

To clear the browser cache on Mozilla Firefox, click on the Hamburger icon in the top right corner of the window, and select History<\/strong> > Clear recent history.<\/strong><\/p>

\"Clearing
Clearing cache and cookies with Firefox – Step 1 –  Source: Firefox<\/figcaption><\/figure>

You can select the elements you want to clear and indicate your preferred time range:<\/p>

\"Clearing
Clearing cache and cookies with Firefox – Step 2 – Source: Firefox<\/figcaption><\/figure>

You also have a dedicated Privacy & Security<\/strong> tab accessible from the following address in the search bar:<\/p>

 about:preferences#privacy<\/em><\/p>

In that section, you can decide which cookies and data you want to clear. <\/p>

\"Privacy
Privacy & Security section – Source: Firefox<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Pro Tip: I use the Clear Cache Firefox extension<\/a> to clear the browser cache in a few seconds. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>

To download an add-on for browser caching, go to the add-ons window and search for the extension of your choice:<\/p>

\"\"
Clear Cache add-ons – Source: Firefox<\/figcaption><\/figure>

How to Clear Cache on Opera<\/h3>

To clear the browser cache on Opera, click on the History<\/strong> icon (that looks like a clock) on the lower left side menu and press the Clear Browsing Data <\/strong>button.<\/p>

\"Clearing
Clearing browsing cache with Opera – Step 1 – Source: Opera
<\/figcaption><\/figure>

You have both a basic and advanced tab that allows you to select the content you want to clear the cache for, including cookies. Make up your selection and click on the Clear data<\/strong> button.<\/p>

\"Clearing
Clearing browsing cache with Opera – Step 2 – Source: Opera
<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Opera also has a dedicated section for choosing which cookies to delete or block, accessible from the easy setup <\/strong>button > Privacy & security > Cookies and other site data.<\/strong><\/p>

\"Advanced
Advanced clearing browsing cache with Opera – Source: Opera<\/figcaption><\/figure>

How to Clear Cache on Microsoft Edge<\/h3>

To clear the browser cache on Microsoft Edge, click on the three dots<\/strong> in the top right of your browser window and select History<\/strong> > Clear Browsing Data<\/strong>:<\/p>

\"Clearing
Clearing cache and cookies on Microsoft Edge – Step 1 – Source: Microsoft Edge
<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Select the time range and check the boxes of the content you want to clear the cache from, including the cookies:<\/p>

\"Clearing
Clearing cache and cookies on Microsoft Edge – Step 2 – Source: Microsoft Edge<\/figcaption><\/figure>

If you are looking to do more advanced caching navigate to the three dots<\/strong> icon > Settings<\/strong> > Privacy, Search and Services <\/strong>and then press the Choose What to Clear <\/strong>button:<\/p>

\"Advanced
Advanced caching from the Settings – Source: Microsoft Edge<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Regarding the cookies, Microsoft Edge has a dedicated Cookies and Site Permissions panel that allows you to allow or forbid sites to save the cookies data.<\/p>

\"Cookies
Cookies management from the Settings – Source: Microsoft Edge<\/figcaption><\/figure>

How to Clear Cache on Internet Explorer<\/h3>

Internet Explorer is now discontinued so we don\u2019t encourage you to use it for your research on the web. Since 2022, Microsoft has been encouraging their customers to move to Microsoft Edge, which is safer and provides support for modern websites and apps. <\/p>

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