How to clear browser cache in Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari

“Clear your cache” is one of the most common pieces of tech-support advice, and one of the most misunderstood. Done right, it fixes pages that look broken, old versions of a site that refuse to update, and sign-in loops. Done carelessly, it logs you out of every site and deletes saved preferences without fixing anything. This guide shows how to clear the cache in Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari on desktop and mobile, how to clear it for just one site, and when a cheaper fix will do.

What clearing the cache actually removes

The browser cache is a folder of files the browser has already downloaded: images, stylesheets, scripts, fonts and sometimes whole pages. Keeping them lets a site open faster the second time. Clearing the cache deletes those stored copies, so the next visit downloads everything fresh. Our guide to how browser cache works explains the rules that decide how long a copy is kept.

The “Clear browsing data” window usually offers several separate boxes, and they do very different things:

• Cached images and files – the cache itself. Safe to delete; the only cost is a slower first load afterwards.
• Cookies and site data – sign-in sessions, preferences, shopping carts and local storage. Deleting these signs you out of websites. See cookies and sessions for why.
• Browsing history – the list of pages you visited. Removing it has no effect on how sites load.
• Saved passwords and autofill – leave these unticked unless you mean to delete them.

For most problems you only need the first box.

Try this first: a hard reload

A hard reload tells the browser to ignore the cache for the page you are looking at and download it again, without touching any other site. It solves most “the site has not updated” problems in one keystroke.

• Windows and Linux (Chrome, Edge, Firefox): Ctrl + Shift + R or Ctrl + F5.
• macOS (Chrome, Edge, Firefox): Cmd + Shift + R.
• Safari on Mac: Cmd + Option + R, or hold Shift and click the reload button.

If the page is still wrong, open it in a private or incognito window. A private window starts with an empty cache and no extensions, so if the page works there, the problem is local to your normal profile.

Chrome and Edge

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + Delete (Mac). This opens “Clear browsing data” directly.
2. Choose a time range. “Last hour” is enough if the problem just started; “All time” clears everything.
3. Tick only Cached images and files.
4. Click Delete data (Chrome) or Clear now (Edge).

Only one site: click the icon to the left of the address, open Site settings and choose Delete data. This clears that site’s cookies and storage too, so expect to sign in to it again.

Android: tap the three-dot menu, then Delete browsing data (or History > Delete browsing data), tick Cached images and files and confirm.

Firefox

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + Shift + Delete (Mac).
2. Pick the time range.
3. Tick Temporary cached files and pages only, and untick cookies if you want to stay signed in.
4. Click Clear.

Only one site: open Settings > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data > Manage Data, search for the site and remove it.

Safari on Mac, iPhone and iPad

Mac: Safari hides the cache-only option behind the developer menu. Enable it in Settings > Advanced > Show features for web developers, then choose Develop > Empty Caches (Cmd + Option + E). The broader History > Clear History also removes cookies and history.

iPhone and iPad: open the system Settings > Apps > Safari > Clear History and Website Data. This removes history, cookies and cache together. To clear one site, use Settings > Apps > Safari > Advanced > Website Data, swipe left on the site and delete it.

Menu names move between versions; if an entry is not where described, search the browser’s settings for “cache”.

When clearing the cache helps, and when it does not

Clearing the cache helps when a stored copy is out of date or damaged:

• A site looks broken or unstyled after it was updated.
• You see an old version of a page that others see updated.
• Images or icons are missing or show an old logo.
• A web app behaves strangely after an update.

It does not fix a slow internet connection, a site that is down for everyone, malware, a full disk or a browser crash caused by an extension. Clearing the cache usually makes the next few page loads slower, because everything must be downloaded again. There is no benefit in clearing it on a schedule.

Sign-in loops and “too many redirects” errors are usually caused by cookies, not the cache. For those, clear cookies for that one site rather than for every site.

A note for site owners

If visitors have to clear their cache to see your changes, the problem is on the server. Give static files a version in their URL (for example style.css?v=2) and change it on every release, and send HTML with a short cache lifetime. Browsers then fetch new files automatically and nobody needs to clear anything.

Frequently asked questions

Will clearing the cache delete my passwords?

No, not if you tick only “Cached images and files”. Saved passwords are a separate box. Clearing cookies signs you out of sites, but it does not remove passwords saved in the browser or a password manager.

How often should I clear my browser cache?

Only when something looks wrong. Browsers manage the cache size automatically and remove old entries themselves.

Is clearing the cache the same as private browsing?

No. Private browsing uses a temporary cache that is discarded when the window closes; clearing the cache deletes the stored files of your normal profile.

Does clearing the cache free disk space?

Briefly. The cache usually takes a few hundred megabytes and refills as you browse, so it is not a long-term way to save space.

In short: try a hard reload first, then a private window. If the problem remains, clear only “Cached images and files” for a short time range, or delete data for the single site that misbehaves. Leave cookies and passwords alone unless they are the actual problem.