How to Clear Cache in Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge

If a website looks broken, shows an old version of a page, or refuses to load even though your internet is working, learning how to clear cache is one of the first fixes worth trying. Browsers save copies of the pages you visit so they can load faster next time, and most of the time that saved data works quietly in the background. Sometimes, though, the saved copy goes out of date or gets damaged, and the browser keeps showing you the stale version instead of the fresh one. That is when knowing how to clear cache turns a confusing problem into a two-minute job.

This guide explains how to clear cache in Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge, on both computers and phones. It also covers what cache actually is, what clearing it keeps and what it removes, and when the fix is worth using. You do not need any technical knowledge: every method below uses the browser’s own menus, and nothing here touches your files, photos, or documents.

What Is Cache and Why Browsers Keep It

Cache is a collection of files your browser saves while you browse: images, stylesheets, scripts, and other pieces of the pages you visit. When you open a page for the first time, the browser downloads all of these pieces from the website’s server. The next time you visit, the browser reuses the saved copies instead of downloading everything again, which makes the page load noticeably faster and uses less data. That is the whole point of cache: speed.

The trouble starts when a website changes but your browser keeps serving the old saved copy. A site might update its design, fix a broken button, or change a price, and your browser still shows the version from last week. A damaged or half-downloaded cached file can cause stranger problems, like a page that loads with no styling, a video that will not play, or a login form that does nothing when you submit it. Clearing the cache forces the browser to download fresh copies of everything, which is why it fixes so many odd browsing problems.

Cache is different from cookies, although browsers group them together in the same menus. Cookies are small pieces of information that websites store to remember you, such as keeping you signed in or remembering what is in your shopping basket. Cached files are copies of the page itself. You can clear one without the other, and this guide will show you how to clear cache on its own, so you can fix a page without signing yourself out of every site.

Why Learning How to Clear Cache Helps

Knowing how to clear cache helps in a few common situations. The first is the stale page: a website has clearly changed, but your browser keeps showing the old version. The second is the broken page: a site loads with missing images, jumbled layout, or buttons that do not respond, and the problem disappears in another browser or in a private window. A private window does not use the saved cache, so if a page works there but not in a normal window, stale cache is a likely cause.

Learning how to clear cache also helps when a website’s login or checkout stops working after the site updates its code. The browser may be running an old saved script against the site’s new pages, and the two no longer fit together. Clearing the cache removes the old script and lets the browser fetch the current one. It is also a sensible step before contacting a website’s support team, because support will usually ask whether you have tried it, and it rules out one of the most common causes in a minute or two.

There are limits, though. Clearing the cache will not fix a slow internet connection, a website that is down for everyone, or a problem with your device itself. It is a fix for problems caused by saved files, and it works best when the symptoms point that way: one site misbehaving while others work fine, or a page that works in a private window but not a normal one.

Before You Start: What Clearing Cache Keeps

Before you clear anything, it helps to know what stays and what goes. Clearing cached images and files removes only the saved copies of web pages. It does not delete your bookmarks, your browsing history, your saved passwords, or your downloaded files. Your browser keeps all of those unless you specifically choose to delete them as well.

If you also tick the box for cookies and site data, that is a different matter: clearing cookies will sign you out of most websites, and sites will forget preferences such as your language choice or items in a basket. That is why this guide focuses on how to clear cache only, leaving cookies alone unless a problem clearly calls for it. In each browser below, the steps tell you to tick the cache option and leave the others unticked.

One more reassurance: clearing the cache is safe and reversible in the sense that nothing is lost permanently. The browser simply downloads fresh copies the next time you visit each site, which may make the first visit slightly slower. There is no need to back anything up first.

How to Clear Cache in Google Chrome

Chrome keeps its cache controls in the Delete browsing data panel, and you can reach it in two ways. The quick way is the keyboard shortcut: press Ctrl + Shift + Delete on Windows or Cmd + Shift + Delete on a Mac, and the panel opens. The menu way is to click the three dots in the top-right corner, choose Delete browsing data, and the same panel appears.

In the panel, choose a time range. “Last hour” is useful if a problem started recently, but “All time” is the safer choice when you are not sure when the bad file was saved, because it clears everything. Then tick “Cached images and files” and untick the other boxes, including browsing history and cookies, unless you also want those removed. Click “Delete data” and the browser clears the cache. The steps above are the short version of how to clear cache in Chrome, and Google’s own help page on deleting browsing data walks through the same panel with pictures if you want a second reference: Delete browsing data in Chrome.

After clearing, close the tab and open the problem site again. If the page still looks wrong, try a hard refresh as well: Ctrl + F5 on Windows or Cmd + Shift + R on a Mac. A hard refresh tells the browser to ignore the cache for that one page load, which is a useful check before you clear everything a second time.

How to Clear Cache in Safari

Safari on a Mac offers two routes, and the simplest is the Clear History option. Open the Safari menu and choose Clear History, then set the dropdown to “all history” and confirm. Despite the name, this also removes cached files along with the history for the chosen period, so it is a quick way to clear both at once. If you only want to clear the cache and keep your history, use the Develop menu instead: first enable it under Safari, then Settings, then Advanced, where you tick “Show Develop menu in menu bar”. Then open the Develop menu and choose Empty Caches.

The second method is the precise one, and it is the one to use when you want to know exactly how to clear cache in Safari without touching anything else. The Empty Caches command removes cached files only and leaves your history, bookmarks, and saved passwords exactly as they were. After using either method, reload the site that was misbehaving and check whether it now shows the current version.

How to Clear Cache in Firefox

Firefox keeps its cache settings under Privacy and Security. Open the menu in the top-right corner, choose Settings, then go to Privacy and Security. Scroll to the Cookies and Site Data section and click “Clear Data”. A small window appears with two checkboxes: “Cookies and Site Data” and “Cached Web Content”. Tick only “Cached Web Content” and click Clear. Firefox removes the saved page files and leaves your cookies and logins alone.

There is also a faster route for a single clear-out: press Ctrl + Shift + Delete on Windows or Cmd + Shift + Delete on a Mac to open the Clear Recent History window. Set the time range to “Everything”, tick only “Cache”, and click Clear Now. Learning how to clear cache in Firefox this way takes a few seconds once you know the shortcut, and it is the same shortcut Chrome and Edge use, so it is easy to remember across browsers.

How to Clear Cache in Microsoft Edge

Edge is built on the same foundation as Chrome, so its menus look familiar. Open the three-dot menu in the top-right corner, choose Settings, then go to Privacy, search, and services. Under “Clear browsing data”, click “Choose what to clear”. In the panel that opens, choose a time range, tick “Cached images and files”, and untick the other boxes unless you want them cleared too. Click “Clear now” and Edge removes the saved copies.

As in Chrome, the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Delete opens the same panel directly, which is the fastest way to reach it. The steps for how to clear cache in Edge are nearly identical to Chrome’s, so if you switch between the two browsers, one habit covers both. After clearing, revisit the problem page and it should load its fresh version.

How to Clear Cache on Your Phone

On a phone, the steps depend on the browser rather than the phone itself. In the Chrome app, tap the three dots, then choose Delete browsing data. Pick a time range, tick “Cached images and files”, and tap “Delete data”. In the Firefox app, open the menu, go to Settings, then choose Delete browsing data and tick “Cached images and files” before confirming.

On an iPhone, Safari’s cache is cleared through the Settings app rather than the browser. Open Settings, scroll to Safari, and tap “Clear History and Website Data”. This clears history and cache together for Safari, so it is a broader clear than the desktop methods above. If you use Chrome on an iPhone, use the Chrome app’s own Delete browsing data screen instead, which lets you clear just the cache.

The reason to learn how to clear cache on your phone is the same as on a computer: a mobile site showing old content, a page that will not load properly on data, or an app-like website behaving oddly. Clearing the cache is also a quick way to free a small amount of storage when your phone is nearly full, since cached files can add up over months of browsing.

What Clearing Cache Does Not Fix

Clearing the cache is a good first step, but it is not a cure for everything. It will not speed up a slow connection, fix a website that is down for everyone, or remove a virus. If every site loads slowly, the problem is more likely your connection or your device than the cache. If one site is down for everyone, no amount of clearing will bring it back; the site’s own servers are the problem.

It also will not fix a problem caused by an extension or a browser setting. If a page breaks because an ad blocker is hiding part of it, or because JavaScript is turned off, clearing the cache changes nothing. In those cases, try the page in a private window with extensions disabled: if it works there, an extension is the cause, not the cache.

Finally, clearing the cache does not delete your Google activity, your search history, or anything saved to your Google account. Those live on Google’s servers, not in your browser, and they need to be deleted from your account settings, not from the browser’s cache menu.

How Often Should You Clear Cache?

There is no rule that says you must clear your cache every week or every month. For most people, clearing it when a problem appears is enough. The cache exists to make browsing faster, and deleting it regularly just means the browser has to download everything again, which can make pages feel slower for a little while.

That said, a routine clear every few months is reasonable if you browse a lot, especially if you notice sites behaving oddly or your browser feeling sluggish. It is also worth clearing the cache after a website you use often announces a big redesign or a major update, because that is when a stale saved copy is most likely to cause trouble. Beyond that, the honest answer about how to clear cache and how often is simple: do it when you need it, not on a schedule, and let the cache do its job the rest of the time.

Frequently Asked Questions About How to Clear Cache

Does clearing cache delete my passwords?

No. Clearing cached images and files only removes saved copies of web pages. Your saved passwords stay in the browser unless you also tick the passwords or cookies options. If you clear cookies as well, you will be signed out of websites, but the passwords themselves remain saved and will fill in again when you sign back in.

Will clearing cache make my browser faster?

Sometimes, briefly, it can feel slower. The first visit to each site after clearing takes longer because the browser downloads everything fresh. After that, the cache rebuilds and pages load quickly again. Clearing the cache helps speed only when a damaged or outdated cached file was causing a page to load badly.

How do I clear cache for just one website?

In Chrome, open the site, click the padlock or tune icon in the address bar, choose Site settings, and click “Clear data”. In Firefox, open the site, click the padlock in the address bar, choose “Clear cookies and site data”. This removes the saved data for that one site only, which is handy when only one page is misbehaving.

Is it safe to clear cache?

Yes. Clearing the cache removes temporary copies of web pages and nothing else. It does not delete your files, photos, bookmarks, or passwords. The browser downloads fresh copies the next time you visit each site, so nothing is lost permanently.

Why does a website still look old after I clear the cache?

The site itself may be serving an old version, or a content delivery network may still be holding a cached copy on its own servers. Try a hard refresh, wait a short while, and check the site in a private window. If it still looks old everywhere, the problem is on the site’s side, not yours.

Learning how to clear cache is a small skill, but it solves a surprising number of everyday browsing problems. A page that will not update, a form that will not submit, or a site that looks broken for no clear reason can often be fixed in under a minute, with no tools and no risk to your files. Keep the steps for your browser in mind, clear the cache when a page misbehaves, and let the browser get on with making everything else faster.