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Benefits of clearing a web browser's cache

When using a web browser, files and web pages that you access are often stored, or "cached," to make pages load more quickly when it's accessed again in the future. This is a standard feature in all web browsers.

At times, changes to a website won't be seen automatically, as the web browser is accessing a previously cached version of the website, and not the most recent version.

A common way to address this issue is to clear a web browser's cache of temporary internet files. Clearing a web browser's cache does not damage any information stored in a browser such as bookmarks or your homepage. Instead, it simply makes the web browser think that you have not visited a webpage before. The next time you access a webpage after clearing your cache, the web browser will instead load and display the most recent version of the website, as it will have no previous versions stored.

Please note that whenever you clear your web browser's cache, it is a good idea to completely restart the web browser for this change to fully take effect.

Clear the cache for Internet Explorer 8 and above

To clear the web browser's cache when using Internet Explorer 8 or above:

1. At the top of the page, click the Safety menu, then select Delete Browsing History... from the list.
2. Uncheck the box for Preserve Favorites website data.
3. Check the box for Temporary Internet files.
4. Click Delete.

Clear the cache for Internet Explorer 7

To clear the web browser's cache when using Internet Explorer 7:

1. At the top of the page, click the Tools menu, then select Internet Options from the list.
2. In the "General" tab, find the "Browsing history" section. Click Delete...
   
   
   
   
3. Uncheck the box for Preserve Favorites website data.
4. Check the box for Temporary Internet files.
   
   
   
   
5. Click Delete.

Clear the cache for Firefox 3.5 and above

To clear the web browser's cache when using Firefox 3.5 and above:

1. At the top of the page, click the Tools menu, then select Clear Recent History from the list.
2. From the "Time range to clear" dropdown menu, select Everything.
   
3. Click the arrow symbol next to "Details" to open a list of options.
   
   • Uncheck the boxes for Browsing & Download History, Cookies, and Active Logins.
   • Ensure that the box for Cache is checked.
     
     
     
     
4. Click Clear Now.

Clear the cache for Firefox 3

To clear the web browser's cache when using Firefox 3:

1. At the top of the page, click the Tools menu, then select Clear Recent History from the list.
2. Ensure that the box for Cache is checked.
3. Click Clear Recent History...
   

Clear the cache for Google Chrome

To clear the web browser's cache when using Google Chrome:

1. At the top of the page, click the Configuration icon (shaped like a wrench), then select Tools >> Clear browsing data... from the list.
   
   
   
   
2. In the dropdown menu next to "Obliterate the following items from:" select the beginning of time.
3. Check the box for Empty the cache. All other boxes should be unchecked.
   
   
   
   
4. Click Clear browsing data.

Clear the cache for Safari

To clear the web browser's cache when using Safari:

1. At the top of the page, click the Configuration icon (shaped like a gear), then select Reset Safari... from the list.
   
   
   
   
2. Check the box for Remove all website data. All other boxes should be unchecked.
   
   
   
   
3. Click Reset.

Clear the cache for Safari (mobile platforms)

To clear the web browser's cache when using Safari on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch:

1. At the home screen, tap Settings.
2. Tap Safari.
3. Tap the button for Clear Cache.
4. Tap Clear Cache again to confirm.
   

Clear the cache for Android (mobile platforms)

To clear the web browser's cache when using the default browser on an Android device:

1. Open the default Android web browser.
2. Press the Menu button on the device, then tap More.
3. Tap Settings.
4. Scroll down to the "Privacy settings" section. Tap Clear cache.
5. Tap OK.