What Is a Browser Cache?

So you’ve just done a redesign of your website and for some reason you can’t comprehend, your web browser is still showing the previous version of your site. If you’ve ever experienced this, you’re not alone.

Your browser cache is usually the culprit.

Browser Cache Basics

A web browser — such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Internet Explorer or Microsoft Edge — is a software application that we use to access and view information living on the internet. In other words, a browser looks, finds, and presents to us websites and/or other pieces of information we look for via URLs.

A browser’s cache is its tool through which it saves data, such as images and HTML, needed to see a website. The purpose of saving such data is to help with bandwidth.

So, the next time you go back to see a page, it takes less time to load as a cached version of the page has already been saved. In other words, because you have a cached version of a page, your browser will not need to send a new request to see that page.

How Browser Cache Relates to Cookies

You may be wondering, “How does all this impact tracking cookies?” Here it is.

Browser cache saves data like images and HTML, which are needed to see websites, right? Well, cookies are smaller pieces of data, such as names and email addresses, a website saves to your computer. This comes in handy because this is how a website knows who you are next time you visit.

Ever wondered how a website greets you by name? Yes, that’s cookies. A website picks up on the cookie it previously placed on your computer — therefore, it recognizes you.

The important thing to know is how a browser cache and cookies together can affect your work as it pertains to updating pages on your site, testing forms, and appropriately rendering pages. This is an easy variable to understand and usually one of the first ones to troubleshoot, as it can — in the vast majority of instances — resolve the issue(s) you’re experiencing with your site.

How to Clear Browser Cache

In order to eliminate browser cache as the culprit, you’ll need to clear it. The methods and/or steps required for clearing your browser cache will depend on the device and browser you’re using. Different browsers have different interfaces for accessing these settings.

Here are the steps for the most common desktop browsers:

Chrome

1. Open Chrome.
2. At the top right, click the three vertical dots.
3. Click More Tools.
4. Select Clear browsing data.
5. Choose your time range for deletion.
6. Check the boxes next to “Cookies and other site data” and “Cached images and files.”
7. Click Clear data.

Firefox

1. Open Firefox.
2. Click the hamburger menu (three stacked horizontal lines) in the top right corner.
3. Click Options.
4. Select the Privacy & Security panel.
5. In the Cookies and Site Data section, click Clear Data.
6. Check the boxes next to “Cookies and Site Data” and “Cached Web Content.”
7. Click Clear.

Safari

1. Open Safari.
2. Choose the Safari menu in the top left.
3. Select Preferences.
4. In the pop-up menu, click the Advanced tab.
5. At the bottom of the window, check the box “Show Develop menu in menu bar.”
6. This will add a Develop menu to your bar. Click that.
7. Select Empty Caches.
8. You can also delete your browsing history by selecting the History tab.
9. Click Clear History.
10. Choose your time frame and select Clear History.

Microsoft Edge

1. Open Microsoft Edge.
2. At the top right, click the three horizontal dots.
3. Select History.
4. Click “Clear history” at the top of the new menu.
5. Check the boxes next to “Browsing history,” “Cookies and saved website data,” “Cached data and files,” and “Tabs I’ve set aside or recently closed.”
6. Click Clear.