Clearing the Browser Cache - Web Center

Web browsers store copies of pages in the browser cache ("memory") on your computer. By doing this, the page displays faster the next time it is viewed since the browser doesn't have to retrieve it from the web server. Sometimes, however, an update is made on the website that you don't see because the cached page is displayed.

Normally, to see the changes on your page, you click the Refresh or Reload button on the browser toolbar or the F5 key on your keyboard. In some cases, this simply reloads the page from the cache instead of retrieving it from the web server.

Below are some techniques to totally clear the browser's cache so you will see the changes when your page reloads.

Firefox

http://www.mozilla.org/firefox/

• Hold down SHIFT and select the Reload button on the toolbar
  OR
• Hold down CTRL and press F5 on the keyboard
  OR
• Using the FireFox Web Developer Extension (add-on), select Miscellaneous and then Clear Cache
• For Serious Clearing: From the browser menu, select Tools > Options > Privacy > Cache and select Clear

Microsoft Internet Explorer

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/

• Hold down Shift and select the Refresh button on the toolbar
• For Serious Clearing: If you are having problems clearing out the cache, then force it by choosing from the menu Tools > Internet Options> Temporary Files. Select Delete Temporary Files. You can choose the checkbox to delete all Internet files, but you might not want to as that will also clear all your passwords and cookies, but if you are having trouble viewing the changes on your page, go all the way.

Mozilla 1.x and up

http://www.mozilla.org/products/mozilla1.x/

• Hold down SHIFT and select the Reload button on the toolbar
  OR
• Hold down CTRL and press F5 on the keyboard
• For Serious Clearing: Select Edit > Preferences > Advanced and select Cache and Clear Cache

Netscape

http://browser.netscape.com/

• Hold down Shift and select the Refresh button on the toolbar
• For Serious Clearing: Select Edit > Preferences > Advanced. Choose Cache and select both Clear Memory Cache and Clear Disk Cache.

Opera

http://www.opera.com/

• Hold down Shift and select the Reload button on the toolbar
• For Serious Clearing: Select Edit > File > Preferences > History and Cache and select Cache.

Safari

http://www.apple.com/safari/

• Select Safari > Reset Safari and click Reset to confirm
  OR
• Select Safari > Empty Cache.

Set Your Browser to Not Cache

Each browser may have a way of stopping or minimizing the caching of web pages. Using this technique will definitely slow down your web page viewing, and it isn't a perfect solution because some caching may still occur, but it does help. Check your Internet browser's help files for the specifics on how to turn off the cache feature.