Clearing the Browser Cache (Firefox, Chrome, IE, Edge and Safari)
If you upload many images and make a lot of changes to your website, sometimes the reflected changes might not seem to get updated. In this case, the problem is most probably with the browser cache.
What is the browser cache?
In order to load up a website faster almost all browsers keep a partial copy of a website that you have opened, it includes things like text and certain images and the layout. So that the next time you open the site it opens it up comparatively quicker as most of the data is already within the browser.
The Problem with Cache
Sometimes when changes are implemented the browser fails to show them as it keeps picking up the copy that it has stored in its cache instead of showing you the updated website. Hence, any changes that you have made or the site owner has made, might not show up properly including images and text.
Solutions and Workaround to the Cache Problem
As good practice, make sure that you clear your browser’s cache regularly. Depending on the browser that you use we’ll try to guide how you can do that.
Clearing the Firefox Browser Cache
Clearing Internet Explorer Cache
Clearing the Microsoft Edge Cache
Opening the Private Window in Firefox
Opening the Incognito Window in Chrome
Opening InPrivate Browsing in Internet Explorer
Clearing the Firefox Browser Cache
After the browser opens up you should see a screen similar to the one shown below.
- Go to the top right hand corner to access the menus
- From the menu select ‘Options’.
Once you click on Options, either a new tab will open up or it will open the options screen in the same tab. It will look similar to the image shown below:
- Confirm from the tab that it is the ‘Options’ screen. It will by default open up the ‘General’ settings.
- From the menu on the left-hand side select ‘Privacy and Security’.
Once you select the ‘Privacy & Security’, you’ll see a window similar to the one below from there you scroll to the ‘cookies and site data’ section and on the right-hand side you will see the ‘Clear Data’ button. Click it.
This will open up a screen like the one below –
- Please make sure that the ‘Cached Web Content’ box is checked.
- You can uncheck the cookies box if you do not wish to delete the cookies as this will sign you out of most websites that you frequently visit.
- Press the Clear button below on the bottom right-hand side to clear the cache.
Once you’ve carried out all the steps you are done. The cache has been cleared. If you still wish to use an alternative method as a temporary check
you can use a private window.
After you have opened the browser and see a screen similar to the one below -
- Go to the menu on the top right-hand click or hover on it and a drop-down menu will appear as shown.
- Find the ‘More Tools’ option, select it and it will open up another drop-down menu.
- Find and select ‘Clear browsing data’ from the second drop-down menu as shown.
After clicking on ‘Clear Browsing Data’ Chrome will open up the settings page and the menu for clearing the cache like the one shown below. You can also directly reach this screen by using the shortcut keys: Ctrl + Shift + Del.
- Check to see at the top if the Basic Tab is highlighted as shown.
- From the drop-down menu choose the time frame from which to delete the cache, for best results it is suggested to select ‘All Time’.
- Make sure to check/tick the ‘Cached images and files’ box. You can choose to select or unselect the other options depending on your preference.
- Press on the ‘Clear Data’ button at the bottom right-hand side. It will take a couple of seconds or more to clear the cache depending on the size of the data. Then it will take you to the settings page meaning the cache has been cleared and you can close the settings tab.
If you are looking for a temporary fix you can do that by opening up an ‘incognito window’ and testing your website there to check for changes.
Clearing the Internet Explorer Cache
When you open Internet Explorer you will see a screen somewhat like the image below.
- Go to the settings screen and click on it; it will open a drop-down menu.
- From the drop down menu select ‘Safety’ that will in turn open a new drop-down menu.
- Select ‘Delete browsing history’ from the drop down menu as shown.
This will open up the Delete Browsing History screen as shown below. You can also use the shortcut keys: Ctrl + Shift + Del to access this screen.
- Make sure that the ‘Temporary Internet Files and Website Files’ box is checked. If you wish to delete anything else such as cookies and browsing history make sure they are checked otherwise they should remain unchecked as shown below.
- After that, press on the ‘Delete’ button as shown. It might take a couple of seconds then the screen will disappear and your cache will be clear.
If you wish for a temporary solution to check your website, then you can open up an ‘In-private Window’ to check any changes you made to your website.
Clearing Cookies and Cache from Microsoft Edge
Clearing Cookies and Cache from SAFARI 10.0.1+ (MAC).
Opening the Private Window in Firefox
Sometimes you’re in a hurry and just want to check that slight change you made on your website. You can use the Private Window in Firefox as a temporary solution.
As before open Firefox and -
- On the top right-hand corner you will find the menu, select it.
- Then from the drop-down menu that opens, select ‘New Private Window’.
After selecting that a window similar to the one below will open up, this is the Private Window of Firefox which allows you to bypass all the saved cookies, data and images in the main Firefox. You can also access it using the shortcut keys: Ctrl + Shift + P
Opening the Incognito Window in Chrome
If you just want to check that a slight change you made on your website has been implemented. You can use the Incognito Window in Chrome for a quick look.
Open up your browser and from the top right-hand side access the menu and select ‘New Incognito Window’ from the drop-down menu as show below.
This will open up a window similar to the one below; this is the Incognito Window of Chrome that will allow you to bypass any saved cookies, data and images in Chrome. You can also access it using the shortcut keys: Ctrl + Shift + N
Opening the InPrivate Browser in Internet Explorer
As a temporary solution where you just want to check some changes you made on your website or for any other reason where you wish to bypass the saved data on your Explorer browser you can use the InPrivate Browser in Internet Explorer.
Open up your Internet Explorer and from the top right corner you can access the settings/tools menu and click it to show the drop-down menu as can be seen in the image below. From there, select ‘safety’ and then from the proceeding drop-down menu select ‘InPrivate Browser’.
This will open up a window similar to the one below; this is the InPrivate Browser of Internet Explorer that will allow you to bypass any saved cookies, data and images. You can also access it using the shortcut keys: Ctrl + Shift + P
