How And Why Do I Need To Clear My Web Browser's Cache?
Most high-performance websites usually employ a range of browser and network caching technologies and techniques. These are used to ensure that the end user experiences the fastest possible download speed. However, there is a trade-off against this, sometimes it is necessary to clear your web browser's cache. The most likely scenario where you might need to clear your browser's cache is when a new version of the website that you are browsing has become available but you can still see the old version.
Incognito Mode
Usually, the best way to check to see if you are viewing the latest version of a website is to open a new incognito or private browser window. When you browse a website in these modes you will automatically view the latest version of a website. Common
Google Chrome
- Windows: Press Ctrl + Shift + n
- Mac: Press ⌘ + Shift + n
Firefox
- Windows: Press Ctrl + Shift + p
- Mac: Press ⌘ + Shift + p
Safari
- Mac: Press ⌘ + Shift + n
Internet Explorer
- Windows: Press Ctrl + Shift + p
How To Hard Reload A Web Page
Sometimes you can also see some strange symptoms on websites where just part of the website gets cached. The website might even look broken when all it needs is what is a termed a hard reload. This simply means loading the latest version of the website into your browser. Luckily all web browsers come with the ability to hard reload a web page within a few clicks as follows:
Google Chrome
- Windows: Press Ctrl + F5
- Mac: Press ⌘ + Shift + r
Firefox
- Windows: Press Ctrl + F5
- Mac: Press ⌘ + Shift + r
Safari
- There is no quick shortcut available please see the following link for further information: https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/12049/how-to-clear-the-cache-or-do-a-hard-refresh-in-safari
Internet Explorer
- Windows: Press Ctrl + F5 or Press Ctrl and click the Refresh button