Do you use a web page and wonder why all of a sudden it doesn't work properly? Maybe updates were made to the website but you’re still seeing the older version? This may be a signal that you need to clear your cache.
Caching is the process of storing copies [of files, data, etc.] in a temporary storage location to be quickly accessed by your web browser. Each time a user loads a webpage, the browser downloads a large amount of data to show the information and content on that page. To speed up the page loading time, web browsers will save or cache a copy of the content on your device’s hard drive. Caching allows you to efficiently reuse previously retrieved data.
Web browsers cache HTML files, JavaScript, images, and more to help websites operate faster and more efficiently. “Clearing the cache” means that the memory of the page is deleted from your device’s hard drive. The next time you visit that webpage, it will load as if it’s the first time you have visited that page.
Clearing the cache will look different depending on your device, but you will need to visit your device’s browser settings. See below for step-by-step instructions to learn how to clear your cache.
Click the Tools menu (three dotted lines in the upper-right corner).
Select History.
Select Clear Browsing Data from the left-hand side. Set the Time Range set to All Time. Check-mark Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files and select Clear Data.
If on a Windows computer, close and re-open Chrome to save your changes. If on an Apple computer, go to the Chrome menu on the top menu bar and select Quit for the changes to take effect.
Click on Safari on the top menu bar.
Click Preferences.
Click the Privacy tab.
Click Manage Website Data.
Click Remove All.
Click Remove Now.
Go to the Safari menu on the top menu bar.
Select Quit to close Safari and save your changes.
Click on the Tools bar.
Click on Options (On Mac, it's labeled Preferences).
On the menu to the left, select Privacy & Security.
Under the Cookies and Site Data option, click the "Clear Data..." button.
Select only the two options and hit clear now.
If on a Windows computer, close and re-open Firefox to save your changes. If on an Apple computer, go to the Firefox menu on the top menu bar and select Quit for the changes to take effect.
Click on the Settings menu in the upper-right corner.
Click Internet options.
Under the General tab on the upper-left-hand side, scroll down to Browsing history.
Select Delete.
Check the Temporary Internet files and website files, Cookies, and website data, History, and Download History boxes.
Select Delete.
Close Internet Explorer and reopen it for changes to take effect.
To learn more about website caching or website development, contact us.
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