Have you ever heard the term: “Clear your cache”? If you’ve worked with us on anything web-based, you’ve probably been tasked with this on a number of occasions.
But what does it mean, and how do you even clear your cache? Well, team Rawww is here to save the day and offer some words of wisdom on how to clear your cache.
So, what is cache?
Cache, pronounced cash, is an online ‘place’ that is used to store something temporarily in a computing environment. Often, and especially with websites, active data is cached to help access times by shortening data and therefore improving overall site performances. If you frequently visit certain websites, cache will contain data as way of improving the user experience and speeding up the loading time.
Essentially, when you visit a website, the files your browser requests are kept on your computing storage in the browser’s cache. Although this is great for speed, it can sometimes be more of a hindrance.
Time to clear out your cache
So, when is it time to clear your cache? If recent changes have been made to a website, and you want to check that they look how you imagined, cache can sometimes get in the way. As it stores your browser data, it will only bring up what it expects you want to see, and not necessarily the new changes. This is when it’s time to clear your cache, so that you can see the site for how it actually is.
How to clear your cache
There are a number of ways you can clear your cache, depending on the internet browser you’re using, but relax – each of them are pretty simple to do.
Desktops
Chrome:
- In the browser bar, enter:
chrome://settings/clearBrowserData - Select the following:
– Browsing history
– Download history
– Cookies and other site and plug-in data
– Cached images and files - Click Clear browsing data.
- Quit all browser windows and reopen the browser.
Internet Explorer 9 (or higher):
- Select Tools > Safety > Delete browsing history…
- Deselect: Preserve Favorites website data, and select:
– Temporary Internet files or Temporary Internet files and website files
– Cookies or Cookies and website data
– History - Click Delete. This will be confirmed.
- Quit all browser windows and reopen the browser.
Mobile:
Android
- Go to Settings and choose Apps or Application Manager.
- Swipe to the All tab.
- In the list of installed apps, find and tap your web browser. Tap Clear Data and then Clear Cache.
- Quit all browser windows and reopen the browser.
Safari (Apple iOs)
- Open your Settings app.
- Tap Safari.
- Tap Clear History and Website Data and confirm.
- Quit all browser windows and reopen the browser.
Clear cache quick!
If you’re in a rush and want to know the quickest way to clear your cache, there are also a number of apps you can download to your browser. An office favourite is Cache Killer, a Chrome app that (once downloaded) only requires a quick click of a button to switch your cache on and off. For alternative options, simply Google cache Chrome extensions.
Feeling like a cache clearing pro? We hope these tips have helped you to understand what cache is and how it works. Plus, next time we or anyone else ask you to clear your cache, you’ll know exactly what to do.
