A sentence you may hear a lot when amending and testing a website is “have you tried clearing your cache?”
Ever notice a website acting strangely after an update? That’s often due to your browser’s cache and cookies. Think of the cache as a temporary storage space your browser uses to load websites faster. While helpful, outdated files in the cache can sometimes conflict with the latest website versions, leading to display issues or errors.
Clearing your cache and cookies is a crucial first step in troubleshooting any browsing problems. It helps ensure you’re seeing the website as it’s truly intended, eliminating potential conflicts caused by outdated cached data.
Quick Keyboard Shortcut to try:
For a fast way to clear your cache in Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Internet Explorer, simply press Ctrl + Shift + Delete simultaneously. This will open the browser’s clearing options.
After clearing your cache and cookies, close and restart your browser to ensure the changes take effect.
If that didn’t work then here are the steps to take for each browser:
Google Chrome:
Desktop:
Click the three vertical dots (More) in the top right corner.
Select “More tools” > “Clear browsing data.”
Choose a time range (e.g., “All time”).
Check the boxes for “Cookies and other site data” and “Cached images and files.”
Click “Delete data.”
Mobile (Android/iOS):
Open the Chrome app.
Tap the three dots (More).
Select “Clear browsing data.”
Choose a time range.
Check the boxes for “Cookies, Site data” and “Cached images and files.”
Tap “Clear browsing data”
Mozilla Firefox:
Desktop:
Click the three horizontal lines (Menu) in the top right corner.
Select “Settings.”
Click “Privacy & Security” on the left.
In the “Cookies and Site Data” section, click “Clear Data.”
Check the boxes for “Cookies and Site Data” and “Cached Web Content.”
Click “Clear.”
Mobile (Android/iOS):
Open the Firefox app.
Tap the three horizontal lines.
Select “Settings” then “Privacy and Security”
Then choose “Clear private data”
Select the data you would like to remove and then click “Clear private data”
Microsoft Edge:
Desktop:
Click the three horizontal dots (Settings and more) in the top right corner.
Select “Settings.”
Click “Privacy, search, and services” on the left.
Under “Clear browsing data,” click “Choose what to clear.”
Choose a time range.
Check the boxes for “Cookies and other site data” and “Cached images and files.”
Click “Clear now.”
Mobile (Android/iOS):
Open the Edge app.
Tap the three dots.
Select “Settings” then “Privacy and security”
Select “Clear browsing data”
Choose the time range and which data you would like to remove, then select “Clear data” or “Clear now”
Safari (macOS):
macOS:
Open Safari.
Click “Safari” in the top menu bar, then “Settings”.
Click the “Privacy” tab.
Click “Manage Website Data…” then “Remove all”
Alternatively to clear the cache, from the top menu bar, if the develop menu is enabled, click Develop, then Empty caches.
iOS (iPhone/iPad):
Open the “Settings” app.
Scroll down and tap “Safari.”
Scroll down and tap “Clear History and Website Data.”
Tap “Clear History and Data” to confirm.
Important Notes:
Tip: Clearing cookies will log you out of most websites so ensure you have your passwords to hand before you clear your cache to avoid locking yourself out of the sites you were using.
You can also view the page in incognito mode too as your activity will not have been recorded.