Your browser cache stores certain pieces of information and data from web pages that you visit – this can include everything from images and form information to technical items like stylesheets and scripts. The cache is designed to help speed up your web experience by avoiding the need to download commonly used assets many times, but in some cases – such as when building a website or undertaking user experience testing – you’ll need to clear your browser cache in order to properly assess how changes are impacting your website.
Chrome
To clear your browser cache on Chrome you need to open Settings from the top right hand menu (the button that looks like three horizontal stripes). Scroll down on the Settings page and click “show advanced settings,” then look for the section marked Privacy. Click on “Clear browsing data…” and you’ll get a range of options. The one you’re interested in is “Empty the cache” – the rest will delete things like cookies, stored passwords and other things you may want to keep. Make sure you select “from the beginning of time” under the timeframe (this makes sure the cache doesn’t just roll back to an earlier version) and then click “Clear browsing data” and you’re done.
Safari for Mac
In the open Safari browser click on ‘Safari’ in your menu which is located at the top of your screen. This will cause a drop down menu to appear, you need to select the option titled ‘Reset Safari’. This will bring up a warning box which will show the items that will be removed, all the items will by default be checked. Ensure that only the items you wish to reset are checked and then click on the button titled ‘Reset’ to complete the process. This will automatically restart the Safari browser.
Safari for PC
In the open Safari browser click the Action (gear) icon which is located in Safari’s main toolbar. This will make a drop down menu appear, the option that you need to select is the option titled ‘Reset Safari’. This will cause a warning box to appear detailing the items that will be removed. Your computer, by default, will select them all so you will need to check that only the items that you wish to reset are checked. When happy with your selection, click the button titled ‘Reset’ to complete the process. This will make your Safari browser restart automatically.
Safari for the iPad and iPhone
Please note that the Safari application must be completely shut down prior to clearing any history. To clear the cache select the ‘Settings’ icon which will bring up your iPad Settings menu. Select the option titled ‘Safari’ which will bring up the Safari’s settings on your iPad or iPhone. To clear the cache select the option labelled ‘Clear Cache’, this will bring up a confirmation message and to confirm that you do indeed want to clear the cache then select ‘Clear’, if not select ‘Cancel’.
Internet Explorer 9
In your open browser select the cogwheel/gear icon on the top right. Go to “Safety” and then across to “Delete browsing history.” Make sure “Preserve Favourites” is ticked on (or you’ll lose them) and then untick everything else except for “Temporary Internet files.” Click delete, wait for the process to finish and then you’re done.
Android
Firstly, open the browser on your Android device. Then hit the menu key on your device and select the ‘More Options’ button which will appear. Choose ‘Settings’ from the drop down menu that will appear. This will bring up a vertification menu and you will need to select ‘Clear Cache’. On some versions another option will come up confirming your action, if this happens you will need to hit either ‘Okay’ or ‘Clear Cache’ to confirm.
Firefox
From the main Firefox menu on the left, go to “History” and select “Clear Recent History.” Expand the “Details” part of the popup window and make sure you select “Cache” and untick everything else. Set the time range to “Everything” to be sure and then just click Clear Now.
Opera
Go to the Opera main menu, down to “Settings” and then across to “Delete Private Data.” The main option you need to tick on the next screen is “Delete entire cache – untick everything else, then just press Delete to finish.
You may need to go through a slightly different process depending on what browser version you are using. There is a completely comprehensive guide for mobile browsers and various different versions of Chrome and Internet Explorer at this helpful browsers article on WikiHow.
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