How to clear your browser cache

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The WEBDOGS Platform Stack implements enterprise caching to make our partners’ websites blazing fast. Caching makes browsers fast by storing static files on your computer, eliminating the need to download new files with every pageload.

However, locally stored files can get out of sync, specifically in times of active development. The most common files to get out of sync are CSS and JavaScript files, which control the visual design and interactivity, respectively. When WEBDOGS reports that changes have occurred on a website, yet you’re not seeing those changes, it’s very likely the files on your computer are out of date and need to be refreshed.

There are three primary strategies to refresh locally stored files:

  1. Reload, which is a non-destructive operation and resolves about 85% of file synchronization issues.
  2. Clearing cached files, which deletes all locally stored browser files including CSS, JavaScript, and images.
  3. Private / Incognito / InPrivate browsing which creates an entirely new browser window with no data at all, as if you just opened a browser on a brand new computer.

Engaging in the cache clearing strategies in the specified order (Reload > Clear files > Private) is actually quite important. For instance, knowing that a regression is present after clearing cache but not when looking Private is a critical piece of information that would help the WEBDOGS team resolve any discrepancy more quickly.

With all that said, here’s the WEBDOG guide to clearing your browser cache.

Table of Contents

Try first: hard reload

Chrome & Firefox (Mac & Windows)

  • Windows: Press Ctrl + F5
  • Mac: Press Shift + ⌘ + R

Edge

Press Ctrl + F5

Safari

Press Option + ⌘ + E, then hold Shift and click the refresh icon in the
browser address bar.

For all of the above, be sure to either hold these keys down for ~5 seconds (creating multiple refreshes) or press them
at least 5 times in a row to ensure the browser fully processes the reload.

iOS Safari & Mobile Chrome (Android or iOS)

There unfortunately isn’t an equivalent action in the mobile browsers. It is possible to clear the cache for iOS and Android.

Try next: Clear cached files

Chrome (Mac & Windows)

How to clear browser cache in Chrome for Windows and Mac
Clear browser cache in
Chrome for Windows and Mac
  1. Type chrome://settings/clearBrowserdata into the browser address bar. This will immediately
    navigate to the correct view.
  2. In the “Clear browser data” popup, select the “Advanced” tab.
  3. Set the time range to “All time” or “Beginning of time”
  4. Uncheck all options except “Cached images and files.”
  5. Click “Clear data” in the lower right of the popup.

Firefox (Mac & Windows)

Firefox clear cache step 1
How to clear cache in Firefox, step 1
How to clear cache in Firefox step 2
How to clear cache in Firefox, step
2
  1. Type about:preferences#privacy into the browser address bar.
  2. Scroll down to the “Cookies and Site Data” section.
  3. Click the “Clear Data…” button and a popup will appear.
  4. Deselect “Cookies and Site Data” ensuring “Cached Web Content” is the only selected option.
  5. Click the “Clear” button in the lower right of the popup.

Edge

How to clear cache in Edge, step 1
How to clear cache in Edge, step 1
How to clear cache in Edge, step 2
How to clear cache in Edge, step 2
How to clear cache in Edge, step 3
How to clear cache in Edge, step 3
  1. Click the “Settings and more” menu (three dots)
  2. Click “Settings” with the gear icon
  3. Click “Privacy & Security”
  4. Click “Choose what to clear”
  5. Deselect all options except “Cached data and files” which must remain checked.
  6. Click the “Clear” button in the lower right of the popup.

Safari


Safari Clear Cache Step 1

Safari Clear Cache Step 2
  1. Press ⌘ + ,
  2. Click on the Advanced tab
  3. Check the option “Show develop menu in menu bar”
  4. In the new Develop menu, navigate to Develop > Empty caches

iOS Safari

Note: This action will delete Safari data and may require you to log in to sites again.

  1. Navigate to Settings
  2. Scroll down the Settings page until you get to Safari, then tap Safari.
  3. Scroll down the Safari settings until you see Clear History and Website Data and tap it.
  4. Click the red text that says Clear History and Data

Mobile Chrome (Android)

  1. In Chrome, tap the three dots …
  2. Tap Settings
  3. Under the “Advanced” header, click Privacy
  4. In the Privacy menu, tap Clear browsing data
  5. Uncheck Browsing history and Cookies and site data
  6. Click the Clear data button.

Try last: Incognito / Private / InPrivate browsing

In the event reloading or clearing cache doesn’t produce any changes, using Incognito / Private browsing can give us
an idea if caching perhaps isn’t the issue. To effectively use Incognito / Private / InPrivate browsing:

  1. Ensure all Incognito / Private / InPrivate windows are closed.
    It is critical that no Incognito / Private / InPrivate windows are open at this point as they will have
    generated cached files.
  2. Open a new Incognito window:
    1. Windows
      1. Chrome: Ctrl + Shift + N
      2. Firefox: Ctrl + Shift + P
      3. Edge: Ctrl + Shift + P
    2. Mac
      1. Chrome: Shift + ⌘ + N
      2. Safari: Shift + ⌘ + N
      3. Firefox: Shift + ⌘ + P
    3. iOS
      1. Tap the two squares icon in the lower right of the browser window.
      2. Tap “Private” in the bottom left of the screen.
      3. Close all existing tabs
      4. Tap the + icon to add a new tab.
    4. Chrome (Android)
      1. Tap the three dots …
      2. Tap “New Incognito Tab”
  3. Navigate to the website URL.

Final steps:

  1. Take a screenshot
  2. Submit your screenshot along with a description of the issue to support@webdogs.com or by logging into your account at https://support.webdogs.com