How to Clear Your Web Browser Cache on Any Platform

While your browser cache usually helps websites load faster, it can sometimes prevent you from seeing the most up-to-date version of a webpage. In some cases, an old or corrupted cache can even cause a webpage to load improperly or prevent it from loading at all! Fortunately, it's easy to clear your browser cache on any platform, whether you're using a computer, phone, or tablet. This tutorial will teach you the easiest ways to clear the cache on all popular browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari.

Things You Should Know

In Chrome on a computer, go to ⋮ > More Tools > Clear browsing data. Select "All time," choose "Cached images and files," and click "Clear data."
In the Chrome mobile app, go to ⋮ > History > Clear Browsing Data. Select "Cached images and files" and tap "Clear Browsing Data."
In Safari on a Mac, you'll need to enable the Develop menu to clear your browser cache.

Method 1

Method 1 of 9:

Google Chrome on a Computer

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You'll see this three vertical dots at the top-right corner of your Chrome browser window. A menu will appear.^{[1]
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This expands another menu.^{[2]
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It's in the menu. This opens a window with data-clearing options.^{[3]
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To clear your entire cache, select All Time. Otherwise, you can choose a different time period from the menu.^{[4]
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Check the "Cached images and files" box. If the box is already checked, you're good to go.
- If you only want to clear the cache and not your cookies or browsing history, uncheck both other options before you continue.
This instantly clears your Chrome browser cache.^{[5]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 9:

Google Chrome on Mobile

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If you're using Chrome on your Android, tap the three vertical dots ⋮ at the top-right. On an iPhone or iPad, tap the three horizontal dots … at the bottom-right.
If you're using an iPhone or iPad, you may have to swipe across the icons to find this option.^{[6]
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It's in the lower-left corner of the screen on an iPhone or iPad, and at the top of the screen on an Android.^{[7]
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Select Cached Images and Files to check it. If there's already a checkmark next to this option, you can skip this step.^{[8]
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- If your cache is the only thing you want to clear, remove the checkmarks from all other options.
It's at the bottom of the screen.
To clear your whole cache, select All Time. Otherwise, select your preferred time range from the menu.^{[9]
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This clears your browser cache for Chrome.^{[10]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 9:

Safari on a Mac

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Enable the Develop menu in Safari. If you already see a "Develop" menu in the menu bar at the top of the screen you can skip this step. Otherwise, here's how to enable this menu in Safari:^{[11]
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- Click the Safari menu.
- Click Settings.
- Click Advanced.^{[12]
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- Check the box next to "Show Develop menu in the menu bar."
Now that you've enabled it, it's in the menu bar at the top of the screen.
This deletes your Safari cache on your Mac without clearing your cookies and other browsing data.^{[13]
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Method 4

Method 4 of 9:

Safari on iPhone/iPad

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Open your iPhone's Settings
. To clear your browser cache on Safari, you'll need to clear your entire browsing history and cookies. Start by opening the Settings app from your Home screen or App Library.^{[14]
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It's in the 5th group of settings.^{[15]
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You'll find this blue link near the middle of the page.^{[16]
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Doing so will clear all of your iPhone's Safari data, including the cached files and pages.^{[17]
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Method 5

Method 5 of 9:

Microsoft Edge on Windows

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You'll see it at Edge's top-right corner.^{[18]
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Microsoft Support
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It's on the menu.
This is in the left panel.^{[19]
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Microsoft Support
Technical support and product information from Microsoft.

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This is a button in the right panel next to "Clear browsing data now."
Select how much data to clear from the "Time range" menu at the top. To clear your entire cache, select All time.^{[20]
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Microsoft Support
Technical support and product information from Microsoft.

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If you only want to clear your cache and not cookies and other data, make sure none of the other boxes are checked.
This deletes your Edge browser cache.^{[21]
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Microsoft Support
Technical support and product information from Microsoft.

Go to source}

Method 6

Method 6 of 9:

Firefox on a Computer

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It's the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner of the window.^{[22]
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It's toward the bottom of the menu.^{[23]
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You'll find this in the left panel.^{[24]
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It's under "Cookies and Site Data" in the right panel.
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Choose what to delete. You'll definitely want to check the "Cached Web Content" checkbox, but everything else is optional.^{[25]
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- If you only want to clear the cache, uncheck "Cookies and Site Data."
This clears your Firefox browser cache.^{[26]
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Method 7

Method 7 of 9:

Firefox for Android

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It's at the top-right corner of your web browser.^{[27]
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To delete just the cache, check the box next to "Cached images and files" and remove the other checkmarks.
A confirmation message will appear.^{[30]
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Your cache is now removed.^{[31]
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Method 8

Method 8 of 9:

Firefox for iPhone/iPad

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1
Tap the menu in Firefox ☰. It's the three horizontal lines at the bottom-right corner.^{[32]
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- In Firefox for iOS, you can only clear the cache by deleting all of your private browsing data. This means you'll also be deleting any saved cookies and your browsing history.
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It's under the "Privacy" header.^{[34]
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It's at the bottom of the screen.^{[35]
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Doing so will clear the cached files from your Firefox browser.

Method 9

Method 9 of 9:

Samsung Internet on Android

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You'll see it at the bottom-right corner of your browser.^{[36]
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It's the gear icon in the menu.^{[37]
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This option is in the "Privacy" section.^{[38]
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It's near the top of the page.
If you don't want to clear other data, such as your browsing history or cookies, remove the checkmarks from other options.
It's at the bottom of the screen. Your Samsung Internet browser cache is now clear.^{[39]
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Community Q&A

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Question

How can I figure out which version of Firefox I have installed?

Community Answer

Right click the top of the Firefox window, click Menu Bar, click Help, About Firefox. Under the Firefox logo, it will say Firefox and then a number. That is the version you have.

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How do I clear my cache on my iPad?

Community Answer

Settings -> Safari -> Clear History and Website Data -> Clear History and Data.

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Question

I am using Firefox 45, so how do I clear the Cache?

Community Answer

From the History menu, select Clear Recent History. If the menu bar is hidden, press Alt to make it visible. From the Time Range to Clear: drop-down menu, select the desired range; to clear your entire cache, select Everything. Next to "Details", click the down arrow to choose which elements of the history to clear; to clear your entire cache, select all items. Click Clear Now. Exit/quit all browser windows and re-open the browser.

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Tips

Deleting your browser's cache is not the same thing as deleting cookies.

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Your browser may load sites a little bit slower when accessing them for the first time after clearing the cache.

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Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

On an iPhone, you can still clear your history. Pull up your history in Safari. There should be three tabs and the one on the right should be your browsing/search history. When you switch to the history tab, the “clear” button in the bottom right turns blue for half a second. Quickly switch to another tab and back to the history tab over and over and spam the “clear” button while doing so with your other hand until your history clears. This may take a couple of tries.
Google Chrome: On a Windows or Linux computer, press Ctrl+Shift+Delete. On a Mac, press Command+Shift+Delete. This will open the "Clear browsing data" window. Select the desired time range from the dropdown menu (e.g., "the past hour"). Check the box next to "Cached images and files." You can also choose to clear other browsing data like cookies or browsing history. Click the "Clear data" button.
Clear your web browser's cache regularly to improve browsing speed and ensure you see the latest content on websites.

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