How to Clear Your Browser Cache

How to Clear Browser Cache in Google Chrome

Clearing your browser cache in Google Chrome is a simple process that helps improve performance and resolve website loading issues. To do this quickly, use the following keyboard shortcut:

  • Windows/Linux: Press CTRL + SHIFT + DELETE
  • Mac: Press CMD + SHIFT + DELETE

This will open the “Clear browsing data” window. Ensure that only the Cached images and files option is checked unless you want to delete additional data such as browsing history and cookies.

Clear browser cache in Google Chrome.

 

Selecting a Time Range

You can customize how much of your cache you want to remove by selecting a time range at the top of the window. Options include:

  • Last hour
  • Last 24 hours
  • Last 7 days
  • Last 4 weeks
  • All time

Once you’ve made your selection, click Clear data, and your Chrome cache will be wiped.

Select a time range for which to clear the browser cache

Press the Clear Data button to completely clear everything like the browsing history and cached images in Chrome

Advanced Cache Clearing

For a more in-depth cleanup, navigate to the Advanced tab in the “Clear browsing data” window. Here, you can also delete:

  • Saved passwords
  • Autofill form data
  • Site settings
  • Hosted app data

Be mindful that removing saved passwords and form data will require you to manually re-enter credentials on websites.

The Advanced tab offers more data items to clean on the cache

 

Alternative Cache Clearing Method

You can also access these settings manually by going to Settings > Privacy and Security > Clear browsing data. This will open the same window, allowing you to delete cache files without using keyboard shortcuts.

If you want to manage cookies separately, Chrome provides options under Privacy and Security > Cookies and other site data to:

  • Allow all cookies
  • Block third-party cookies in Incognito mode
  • Block all cookies

These settings help maintain privacy and reduce tracking by websites.

How to Clear Cache in Mozilla Firefox

 

To clear cache in Mozilla Firefox, follow these steps:

  1. Click the Menu button (three horizontal lines in the top-right corner) and select History.
  2. Click Clear Recent History…
  3. Use the shortcut CTRL + SHIFT + DELETE (Windows/Linux) or CMD + SHIFT + DELETE (Mac) to open the same menu.
  4. Choose a Time Range to Clear (last hour, last two hours, last four hours, today, or everything).
  5. Check the Cache box (you may also select cookies, browsing history, and other data).
  6. Click OK to complete the process.

Mozilla Firefox History menu item.

The Clear Recent History button in Mozilla Firefox.

Check off what you want to clear from the Firefox cache

Additional Firefox Cache Management

To explore more cache settings, navigate to Settings > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data. From here, you can:

  • Click Clear Data to remove cookies and cache.
  • Use the Manage Data option to delete site-specific stored data.
  • Enable Delete cookies and site data when Firefox is closed to automatically clear cache upon exit.

How to Clear Cache in Safari

 

 

For Safari users, clearing the cache can be done in multiple ways:

  1. Open Safari > Clear History from the menu bar.
  2. Select a time range (last hour, today, today and yesterday, or all history).
  3. Click Clear History to delete cache along with browsing history and cookies.

Clear History in Safari.

Modify the time frame to clear the cache.

Advanced Safari Cache Clearing

If you prefer to remove only cached files:

  1. Open Safari > Preferences > Advanced.
  2. Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
  3. Click Develop > Empty Caches from the top menu.

Additionally, in Preferences > Privacy, you can:

  • Block all cookies to prevent tracking.
  • Use Manage Website Data to remove stored site-specific cache and cookies.

By managing these settings, you can maintain a cleaner, faster browsing experience while ensuring privacy and security.

Clearing your browser cache regularly can help optimize performance, resolve website issues, and maintain privacy. Whether you use Chrome, Firefox, or Safari, these simple steps will ensure your browser runs efficiently.

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