It has probably happened to you that if you have visited certain websites several times, they load quickly the next time you visit them. In addition, it has probably also happened to you that you cannot use the new version of a website, even if you try to reload it. This all has to do with the cache of your internet browser. What the cache entails and how you can solve these aforementioned problems, you can read in this article.
What is caching and why is caching needed?
When you are surfing the internet on your computer or using various apps on your phone, your device temporarily stores various internet and app data such as images and texts. The repository of this stored data is called the “cache.” This is also called ‘browser cache’ when it comes to internet data or ‘app cache’ when it comes to apps data. When you visit a certain website again at a later time, your computer can gain faster access to all associated data via the cache of the website in question, so that websites are loaded faster. Storing this data in cache to get to the required data faster later is called ‘caching’.
Emptying your internet browser cache is necessary from time to time
When you experience problems with loading various websites, you regularly hear that it is advised to empty the cache of your internet browser, or to clear it. Despite the fact that your computer stores the internet data of the websites you visit, it often happens that when adjustments are made to the websites, you are not able to see them even if you try to reload the website. Instead, you’ll continue to see the old version of the website, as the now-old internet data is pulled from the cache. To solve this problem, it is therefore recommended to clear the cache of your internet browser so that the most recent version of the website can be stored in the cache again.
How do you clear the cache of various browsers?
Each internet browser has its own cache, to temporarily store the most important internet data for later use. However, emptying the cache is slightly different for each internet browser. Below you can read how you can easily clear the cache of the most used internet browsers.
Clear cache in Google Chrome
One of the most used internet browsers is Google Chrome. Here’s how to clear your cache in Google Chrome:
- When you open Google Chrome, three dots appear in the top right of the screen. Click on the three dots and the ‘Customize and manage Google Chrome’ menu will appear.
- In the ‘Customize and manage Chrome’ menu, click on the ‘Settings’ option.
- You are then on the ‘Settings’ menu. Then you go to the ‘Privacy and security’ menu by scrolling down on the current page or by clicking on the menu button at the top left and clicking the ‘Privacy and security’ option.
- Then click on the ‘Clear browsing data’ option and a pop-up window will appear.
- Choose the ‘Basic’ tab at the top of the pop-up screen and only check the option ‘Cached images and files’.
Finally, click on ‘Clear data’ and close the ‘Settings’ tab.
Clear cache in Mozilla Firefox
Another commonly used internet browser is Mozilla Firefox. Clearing your cache in Mozilla Firefox is pretty much the same as in Google Chrome and goes like this:
- Just like when opening Google Chrome, when you open Mozilla Firefox, click on the three dots that appear in the top right of the screen. Also in this menu you click on the option ‘Settings’.
- In the ‘Settings’ menu, click on the “Privacy & Security” option, which is located on the left side of the screen.
- Then scroll down until you get to the “Cookies and website data” section. Here you click on the option ‘Clear data’ and a pop-up window will appear.
On the pop-up screen, just check the option ‘Buffered web content’ and click clear. Then you can close the ‘Settings’ tab.
Clear cache in Safari
Most Apple users use Safari as their default internet browser. Clearing your cache data in Safari is slightly different compared to other internet browsers, because it requires a development menu to be enabled. Here’s how:
- When you open Safari, you’ll see a “Safari” option on the left side of the menu bar. Under the ‘Safari’ menu, click on the ‘Preferences’ option.
- Then click on the ‘Advanced’ option at the top of the menu bar and check the ‘Show Develop menu in menu bar’ option.
The development menu is now enabled. Then you can click on this and click on the option ‘Empty caches’.
Clear cache in Microsoft Edge
In Microsoft Edge, clearing cache is done in much the same way as in Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.
- When opening Microsoft Edge, click on the three dots at the top right of the screen and choose the ‘Settings’ option.
- On the left side of the ‘Settings’ menu, choose the option ‘Privacy, search and services’.
- Here you will find the button ‘Choose what you want to erase’ under ‘Clear browsing data’ and you can check the option ‘Images files in the cache’.
Finally, click on ‘Clear Now’ and close the ‘Settings’ tab.
Clear cache in Internet Explorer
Internet Explorer is a somewhat older internet browser, which is still used intensively. Again, it is necessary to clear cache data, which goes as follows:
- When you open the internet browser, click on the gear at the top right, where you then choose the option ‘Internet options’.
- In the general settings, under ‘Browsing history’, you will find the option ‘Delete’.
- Then just check the option ‘Temporary internet files and website files’ and click on the option ‘Delete’.
Finally, you will receive a confirmation when the data has been deleted and you can close the current tab.
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