What clearing your cache actually does
Cache is a folder on your computer where your browser stores copies of websites you have visited — images, text, videos, and other files. When you visit a website again, your browser loads these stored copies instead of downloading them fresh from the internet. This makes pages load faster.
Clearing your cache deletes all those stored copies. The next time you visit those websites, your browser downloads everything again from scratch. This takes a few seconds longer, but it forces your browser to get the newest version of each page instead of showing you an outdated copy.
Most people clear their cache when a website looks broken, loads incorrectly, or shows old information even after refreshing. It also frees up storage space on your computer, though usually not much — most caches use between 100 megabytes and a few gigabytes depending on your browsing habits.
Key Takeaways
- Cache is a storage folder where your browser saves copies of websites to make them load faster next time.
- Clearing cache deletes those stored copies and forces your browser to read fresh versions of websites.
- You should clear cache when websites display incorrectly, show outdated information, or load slowly.
- The process takes less than one minute and works the same way on Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android.
- Clearing cache does not delete your passwords, bookmarks, or browsing history unless you specifically choose those options.
How to clear cache in Chrome
Open Chrome and look at the top right corner. Click the three vertical dots (called the menu button). A dropdown list will appear. Click Settings.
On the left side of the screen, click Privacy and security. Then click Clear browsing data. A window will pop up with several checkboxes. Make sure only Cached images and files is checked. At the top of this window, you will see a dropdown that says All time — this is correct and will clear everything. Click the blue Clear data button.
Chrome will clear your cache in a few seconds. You can close this window and continue browsing. The next time you visit a website, it will load fresh copies of all the files.
How to clear cache in Firefox
Open Firefox and look at the top right corner. Click the three horizontal lines (the menu button). A dropdown will appear. Click Settings.
On the left side, click Privacy & Security. Scroll down until you see a section called Cookies and Site Data. Click the button that says Clear Data. A small window will pop up. Make sure Cached Web Content is checked and Cookies and Site Data is unchecked (unless you want to clear those too). Click Clear.
Firefox will clear your cache when ready. You can close the window and continue. If you ever want to clear cache automatically every time you close Firefox, go back to Privacy & Security, scroll to History, and change the dropdown from Remember history to Never remember history.
How to clear cache in Safari
Open Safari. At the very top of your screen, click Safari in the menu bar (not inside the browser window — in the actual menu bar at the top of your Mac). A dropdown will appear. Click Clear History.
A window will pop up asking how far back you want to clear. Select All history from the dropdown. Click Clear History. Safari will clear your cache and close the window.
Note that Safari's "Clear History" button clears both your browsing history and your cache together — you cannot clear one without the other. If you want to clear cache without losing your history, you will need to use a different method, but most people clear both at once.
How to clear cache on iPhone and Android
On an iPhone, open Settings (the gray gear icon). Scroll down and tap Safari. Scroll to the bottom and tap Clear History and Website Data. A popup will ask you to confirm. Tap Clear History and Data. This clears both your cache and browsing history.
On Android, the steps depend on which browser you use. For Chrome, tap the three dots in the top right corner, then tap Settings. Tap Privacy, then Clear browsing data. Make sure Cached images and files is checked and tap Clear data. For Firefox on Android, tap the three lines in the bottom right, tap Settings, then Delete browsing data, and confirm.
What happens after you clear cache
After clearing cache, websites will load slightly slower the first time you visit them because your browser has to read all the files fresh. This usually takes only a few extra seconds. On your second visit to the same website, it will be fast again because the cache has rebuilt itself.
Clearing cache does not delete your passwords, bookmarks, or browsing history unless you specifically checked those boxes before clearing. It does not log you out of websites automatically, though some websites may ask you to log in again the next time you visit because they cannot find your stored login information.
If a website still looks broken or loads incorrectly after clearing cache, try refreshing the page by pressing Ctrl+R (Windows) or Command+R (Mac). If it still does not work, the problem may be with the website itself rather than your browser.
When you should clear cache
Clear your cache when a website displays incorrectly, shows outdated information, or refuses to load properly. This is the most common fix for website problems and solves the issue about 70 percent of the time.
You should also clear cache if you are using a shared computer and want to remove traces of websites you visited. Clearing cache does not delete your browsing history (that is a separate action), but it does remove the stored files from those sites.
Some people clear cache regularly as part of computer maintenance, though this is not necessary unless you are running low on storage space. Most modern computers have plenty of room for cache, and clearing it frequently does not improve performance noticeably.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will clearing cache delete my passwords?
No. Cache stores only images, text, and other files from websites. Passwords are stored separately in your browser's password manager. To delete passwords, you would need to go into your browser settings and specifically clear "Passwords" or "Autofill data" — this is a different action from clearing cache.
Why does my website still look wrong after I cleared cache?
If clearing cache did not fix the problem, try refreshing the page (Ctrl+R on Windows or Command+R on Mac). If it still looks wrong, the issue may be with the website itself, your internet connection, or a browser extension. Try opening the website in a different browser to see if the problem happens there too.
How often should I clear my cache?
You do not need to clear cache on a schedule. Clear it only when a website has a problem or when you want to free up storage space. If you use a shared computer, you may want to clear cache before you stop using it. Most people clear cache once every few months or less.
Does clearing cache make my computer faster?
Not noticeably. Cache is designed to make browsing faster, not slower. Clearing it removes that speed benefit temporarily. Your computer will not run faster overall after clearing cache, though websites will load slightly faster on your second visit once the cache rebuilds.
Can I clear cache for just one website instead of all websites?
Most browsers do not offer an straightforward way to clear cache for a single website. Your best option is to clear all cache, or to open that specific website in a private browsing window (called Incognito in Chrome, Private Window in Firefox, and Private in Safari), which does not store cache at all.