How to Clear Cache and Cookies on Your Browser

Nowadays, web browsing is a fast and smooth experience. This is in part due to the functionality of modern browsers, which cache sites’ information and assets.

In general, browsers’ cache and cookies improve the browsing experience. Cached images and files speed up loading pages, and stored cookies remember your previous browsing sessions to provide custom options for your websites’ visits. To learn more, read this article about how cache works.

However, there are cases where they prevent you from loading a website properly. It can also slow down your device.

This guide will explain why you need to clear the browser cache and cookies and how to do it for different applications.

How to Clear Cache and Cookies on Different Browsers?

The process of clearing cache and cookies for the different browsers is similar. Still, the specific menus and paths vary for the different applications. Below, you can see instructions for the most popular browsers.

Google Chrome

Follow these steps to clear cache and cookies on Google Chrome.

1. Open the kebab menu (three dots) in the top right corner.
2. Select Delete Browsing Data.
   

   

   
   

3. Choose the time period for which to delete the data from the Time range menu. To make sure all cached data is cleared, select All time.
4. Select the type of website data to delete. The most essential cached data to clear is Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files.
   Choose Browsing history if you wish to delete your search history and addresses you visited previously.
5. Confirm your choice with the button Delete Data.
   

   

6. In the Advanced section, you can select more site data types to be deleted.

Mozilla Firefox

Here are the steps to clear cache and cookies in Mozilla Firefox.

1. Open the hamburger menu in the top right corner.
2. Select the History section.
   

   

   
   

3. Choose Clear recent history.
   

   

4. Select the period from the When menu. To make sure that all browser cache and cookies are deleted, choose Everything.
5. Check the boxes for the type of cached data to delete. The most essential data are Temporary cached files and pages, and Cookies and site data.
   You also have the option to delete passwords from sites and your search and browsing history.
6. Confirm with the button Clear.
   

   

Safari

By default, clearing cache and cookies in Safari is disabled. You can unlock this option by activating the web developer features. Here is how you can enable the menu and clear cache on Safari.

1. Open the Safari menu from the menu bar.
2. Choose Settings.
   

   

   
   

3. Open the Advanced section.
4. Check the box for Show features for web developers. A new Develop menu will appear in the Safari menu bar.
   

   

5. Open the Develop menu.
6. Choose Empty Caches.
   

   

   
   

Opera

Follow the instructions below to clear cache and cookies in Opera.

1. Click on the History icon in the left side panel.
2. Choose Clear Browsing Data.
   

   

3. Choose the timeframe for the browsing data from the Time range menu. Select All time to clear data from the start.
4. Choose what type of data to delete. If you wish to keep your sites’ passwords and browsing history, check the boxes only for Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files.
5. Confirm your choice with the button Delete data.
   

   

   
   

6. Select the section Advanced for more options to clear data & cached data types.

Microsoft Edge

Similar to the others, you can clear the browser cache and cookies in Edge from the section Delete browsing data. Here is how to reach it.

1. Open the three dots menu in the top right corner.
2. Select History.
   

   

3. Click on the Delete Browsing Data (bin) icon.
   

   

4. From the drop-down menu Time range, select the period from which the data will be deleted. To make sure that all data is cleared, select All Time.
5. Check the boxes for the data types. To clear cache and cookies only, tick Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files.
6. Confirm your choice with the button Clear Now.
   

   

   
   

Brave

Clearing cache and cookies in Brave is similar to other browsers. Below, you’ll find the steps.

1. Open the hamburger menu in the top right corner.
2. Choose Delete Browsing Data.
   

   

3. From the Time range menu, select the period for which the data should be cleared. To ensure that all data is cleared, select All time.
4. Choose what type of data to delete. To clear cached files and cookies, tick the boxes for Cookies and other sites data and Cached images and files.
5. Confirm your choice with the button Delete data.
   

   

6. For more data type options, select Advanced.
7. In the section On exit, you can also set what types of data to be deleted automatically when you exit Brave.

Why Do You Need to Clear Your Browser Cache and Cookies?

There are many benefits to storing browser cache and cookies. However, they can also hamper your browsing experience and even slow down your devices.

One of the most common problems is when you develop your site. Your browser has cached images & files when you visited it. You keep making changes on the site but when you visit it, the changes are not visible. It is because you updated the site files and your browser still loads the cached version of the files before the changes.

Due to expired cached files, you may even load a website with fatal errors. The website itself may be working properly, but your cache is corrupted.

In other cases, the files were cached when there was a problem with the website. The error is already fixed and the website is working as expected. However, your browser cached the error page.

When you experience such problems, one of the first things to do is clear the cached files. In many cases, this is enough to fix them.

Another issue you may experience is having difficulties logging into websites with your login credentials. This could be due to expired and invalid data stored in the browser’s cookies. The website no longer authorizes the data and prevents you from logging in. In such cases, clearing the browser’s cookies is recommended.

Furthermore, the accumulated cache may take too much storage in your local device. When your disk space is running low, it may slow down your device. Deleting cached files will free up your disk space which will improve your device performance.

Summary

In general, cache and cookies in browsers improve your online experience. However, often expired cache and cookies can obstruct the loading of a website properly or slow down your device. This is why it is a good idea to clear them periodically.

This guide outlined the process for clearing cache and cookies in the most popular browsers.

Sometimes, you may also need to clear your device’s DNS cache.

Below, you can see detailed guides on how to clear the DNS cache for the different systems.

• How to clear the DNS cache in Windows?
• How to clear the DNS cache in Mac OS?
• How to clear the DNS cache in Linux?

Your site may also generate cached data. Read this guide on how to clear your site’s cache.