Your Browser Might Just Need a Refresh

photo of the author Melissa Jordan

“I need to clear my what? What is a cache?” Keeping your website up-to-date and accurate is a big job. When you make changes to it, you must also verify that your changes are displayed correctly in each of the major browsers. If they don’t, it can be frustrating to figure out why.

Enter The Cache. The cache (pronounced like cash), is used by browsers to help web pages load faster, making it easier for people to browse the web. It saves an assortment of website components (such as images, text, and other items) locally on laptops, tablets, or smart phones so the browser doesn’t have to download all the website components each time you visit a particular website.

Occasionally, a cache gets too full of old website files and components. Clearing a browser cache forces the browser to re-download all of the website components, which guarantees that the latest version of the site appears to users. Sometimes, updates can appear correctly in one browser but not in another. For example, if your photos are not updating properly on a particular browser, try clearing the browser cache. Photos can take up to 48 hours to update completely across the web, so if they haven’t updated within that time period, clearing your cache may solve the problem.

Below are steps for clearing the cache in Chrome, Internet Explorer, Edge, and Firefox. (If you use a different browser, Google the steps). Each browser has its own way of referring to the cache.

Chrome: Clear Browsing Data

Select Menu (icon with the three stacked dots).
Select More Tools.
Select Clear browsing data….
From the Clear the following items from drop-down menu, select the beginning of time.
Select the CLEAR BROWSING DATA button.

Something else to keep in mind about Chrome…there is a setting labeled Use a prediction service to load pages more quickly that holds a cached image on Google’s servers. This is one of their tools for faster search performance. Follow the steps below to deselect this setting and then clear your cache.

Select Menu (icon with the three stacked dots).
Select Settings.
Expand the Advanced menu.
In the Privacy and security section, disable Use a prediction service to load pages more quickly.
Repeat the steps above to clear the browsing data.

Internet Explorer: Delete Browsing History

Select Tools (upper left menu item).
Select Delete browsing history.
Check the option for Temporary Internet Files and website files.
Check the option for Cookies and website data.
Select Delete.

Edge: Clear Browsing Data

Select the Hub icon (the … menu).
Select the History icon.
Select the Clear all history link.
Click the box next to Cookies and saved website data.
Click the box next to Cached data and files.
Select Clear.

Firefox: Clear All History

Select Menu (icon with the three stacked lines).
Select Options.
Select the Privacy & Security tab.
Select the clear your recent history link.
Choose the option for Everything in the Time range to clear drop down.
Select Clear Now.

Understanding how each of the browsers behaves and how they affect your website can be challenging. However, a range of issues can be resolved simply by clearing the cache, so it’s a great place to start. If you’re still having issues, don’t hesitate to contact Partner Services.

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