Introduction

Your browser keeps a local copy of images, scripts and styles so pages load faster. Most of the time that is invisible. Occasionally the copy goes stale, and a page renders with the old version after an update has shipped.

Clearing the cache forces the browser to fetch everything fresh. It is the first thing to try when a screen looks wrong, a control is missing, or a change you expect to see has not appeared.

Before you start. Clearing cached files does not remove your bookmarks or saved passwords. If you also tick cookies, you will be signed out of sites and will need to sign back in, so save any work in progress first.

Step-by-Step Guide

Steps differ by browser. Each section below has the short version, and a link to that browser's own instructions, which stay current when the browser changes.

Faster on any of them: press Ctrl + Shift + Delete on Windows, or Cmd + Shift + Delete on a Mac, to open the clear-data dialog directly.

Google Chrome

1. Open the three-dot menu at the top right, then Settings, then Privacy and security.

2. Click Delete browsing data.

3. Set Time range, and tick Cached images and files. Leave cookies unticked to stay signed in.

4. Click Delete data.

Google's instructions for Chrome

Microsoft Edge

1. Open the three-dot menu, then Settings, then Privacy, search, and services.

2. Under Clear browsing data, click Choose what to clear.

3. Set the time range and tick Cached images and files.

4. Click Clear now.

Microsoft's instructions for Edge

Mozilla Firefox

1. Open the menu, then Settings, then Privacy & Security.

2. Scroll to Cookies and Site Data and click Clear Data.

3. Tick Cached Web Content, and leave cookies unticked to stay signed in.

4. Click Clear, then confirm.

Mozilla's instructions for Firefox

Safari on a Mac

1. Open the Safari menu, then Settings, then Advanced.

2. Turn on Show features for web developers.

3. A Develop menu appears in the menu bar. Open it and choose Empty Caches.

Apple's instructions for Safari on Mac

Safari on iPhone or iPad

1. Open the Settings app and tap Safari.

2. Tap Clear History and Website Data.

3. Confirm.

On iPhone and iPad this clears your history and signs you out of sites as well. There is no cache-only option.

Apple's instructions for Safari on iPhone and iPad

Brave

1. Open the menu, then Settings, then Privacy and security.

2. Choose Clear browsing data.

3. Set the time range and tick Cached images and files.

4. Click Clear data.

Brave's instructions

Tips

• Try a hard refresh first. Ctrl + F5 on Windows, or Cmd + Shift + R on a Mac, reloads the current page past the cache without clearing anything. It fixes most stale pages on its own.

• Clear one site instead of everything. Click the icon at the left of the address bar, open the site settings, and clear data for that site alone.

• Leave cookies alone unless you need to. Cached files are what goes stale. Clearing cookies signs you out everywhere and rarely helps.

• If it comes back, the cache is not the cause. A page that goes stale again straight after clearing points at something else, so report it rather than clearing repeatedly.

Conclusion

A hard refresh fixes most stale pages, and clearing cached files fixes the rest. Neither touches your bookmarks or passwords. If a screen still looks wrong afterwards, it is worth reporting rather than clearing again.