Clearing cache in Opera GX takes about two minutes and happens through the browser's settings menu

Open Opera GX and look for the menu button — three horizontal lines in the top left corner. Click it, then select Settings. On the left side, click Privacy and security. You'll see a section called Clear browsing data with a button that says Clear browsing data. Click that button, and a window will pop up.

In that window, make sure Cached images and files is checked — that's your cache. You can also choose the time range at the top: All time clears everything, or you can pick Last hour, Last 24 hours, Last 7 days, Last 4 weeks, or Last 3 months. Once you've chosen what to clear, click the Clear data button at the bottom right. Your cache is now cleared. The next time you visit a website, Opera GX will read fresh copies of images and files instead of using the stored versions.

Key Takeaways

  • Cache clearing happens in Settings > Privacy and security > Clear browsing data, and takes less than two minutes.
  • You can clear all cached files or choose a specific time range — last hour, last day, last week, or last month.
  • Clearing cache frees up storage space on your computer and forces websites to load fresh versions of images and files.
  • Opera GX also lets you set the browser to clear cache automatically every time you close it, if you prefer.

Why you might want to clear cache

Cache stores images, scripts, and other files from websites you visit so they load faster the next time. But over time, cached files take up storage space on your computer. If a website looks broken or loads incorrectly, clearing cache often fixes it because you're forcing the browser to read fresh files instead of using old or corrupted versions.

Some people clear cache regularly for privacy reasons — cached files can include data about where you've been online. Others clear it when their computer is running slowly or when they're running low on storage space. Clearing cache won't make your browser faster in general, but it can help if your hard drive is nearly full, since the freed space allows your computer to run other programs more smoothly.

Setting Opera GX to clear cache automatically

If you want Opera GX to clear cache every time you close the browser, you can set that up in the same Privacy and security settings. Look for the section called Clear browsing data and toggle on the switch next to Clear browsing data on exit. From that point on, whenever you close Opera GX completely, the browser will automatically delete cached images and files.

This is useful if you share your computer with other people or if you want to minimize the files stored on your hard drive. The downside is that websites will load slightly slower because the browser can't use cached files — but the difference is usually small on modern internet connections. You can turn this setting off at any time by going back to the same toggle and switching it off.

What else you can clear at the same time

When you click Clear browsing data, you'll see checkboxes for several types of data. Cached images and files is just one of them. You can also clear Cookies and other site data (which logs you out of websites), read history, Browsing history, and Passwords. Most people leave these unchecked unless they have a specific reason to clear them.

If you only want to clear cache and nothing else, make sure only Cached images and files is checked before you click Clear data. This way you won't accidentally delete your login information or browsing history at the same time.

Clearing cache for a single website

Opera GX doesn't have a built-in way to clear cache for just one website at a time. If a single site is loading incorrectly, your best option is to clear all cache using the method above, or to do a hard refresh of that page. Hold Ctrl and press F5 on Windows, or hold Cmd and press Shift and R on Mac. This forces the browser to reload the page without using cached files.

A hard refresh is faster than clearing all cache if you only need to fix one website, since it doesn't delete any stored files — it just tells the browser to ignore them for that one page load. After the page loads, the browser will go back to using cache normally for other sites.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will clearing cache log me out of websites?

No, not unless you also clear cookies. Cache only stores images and files. Cookies store login information, so if you want to stay logged in, make sure Cookies and other site data is unchecked when you clear browsing data.

How much storage space does cache usually take up?

It varies depending on how much you browse and how long it's been since you last cleared cache. For most people, it's between 100 megabytes and a few gigabytes. If your computer is low on storage, clearing cache can free up noticeable space.

Does clearing cache make Opera GX run faster?

Not usually. Clearing cache might make your computer run faster if your hard drive is nearly full, but it won't speed up the browser itself. In fact, websites may load slightly slower at first because the browser has to read fresh files instead of using cached versions.

What's the difference between clearing cache and clearing browsing history?

Browsing history is the list of websites you've visited. Cache is the files those websites stored on your computer. Clearing history removes the list; clearing cache removes the stored files. You can do either one independently.

Can I clear cache on Opera GX mobile?

Yes. On Opera GX mobile, tap the menu button at the bottom right, then go to Settings > Privacy. Tap Clear browsing data and select Cached images and files, then confirm. The process is similar to the desktop version.