Are you wondering why you can’t see updates to your website that you know have been made? Chances are you need to clear your internet browser’s cache.
An internet browser is the programme that allows you to use the internet. The most commonly used internet browsers are Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge and Internet Explorer.
Your internet browser’s cache is a temporary storage location on your computer for files downloaded by your browser to display websites. The browser temporarily stores these files so that it can load websites faster on subsequent visits. This is a huge convenience to you when browsing the internet, but a major inconvenience when updating your website. It can be very frustrating when you can’t see an update you’ve just made, because your browser is “remembering” an old version of the site instead of loading it from scratch.
Hard Refresh
The first and easiest thing to try is a hard refresh of the page. This can be done by pressing Ctrl+F5 on a Windows computer or Cmd + Shift + R on a Mac.
Clearing Your Cache
If you are updating your website you might be asked by your website developer to “clear your cache”. Below are some simple instructions on how to clear the cache for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge and Internet Explorer:
Chrome
- On the browser toolbar, click the 3 dots and then More Tools and then Clear Browsing Data.
- In the “Clear browsing data” box, click the checkboxes for Cookies and Other Site Data and Cached Images and Files.
- In the Time Range dropdown box choose All Time.
- Click Clear Browsing Data.
Firefox
- Click the menu button and choose Options.
- Select the Privacy & Security.
- In the Cached Web Content section, click Clear Now.
Safari
- Click Safari in the upper left-hand side of your screen. In the menu that appears, click Preferences.
- In the window that appears, click the Privacy tab. Click the button Remove All Website Data.
- Click Remove Now in the pop up window that appears.
Edge
- On the browser toolbar, click the 3 dots and then Settings and then under Clear Browsing Data click Choose what to clear.
- Select the Cookies and saved website data box and Cached data and files box and unselect all other boxes.
- Click Clear.
Internet Explorer
- Click in the top right corner and then Safety followed by Delete browsing history.
- Select the Temporary Internet files and website files box and the Cookies and website data, all other boxes should be unselected.
- Click Delete.
If the above instructions don’t work, please feel free to give us a call on 07 346 2760 and we will do our best to assist you.
