Yes, your browser has a refresh button. But, did you know that you can force your browser to refresh and clear the cache at the same time? It’s called a “hard refresh,” and here’s how it’s done:
Chrome on Windows:
- Hold down CTRL and click the Refresh button in Chrome
- Or, press CTRL + F5
Chrome on Mac:
- Hold down SHIFT and click the Refresh button in Chrome
- Or, press CMD + R
Firefox on Windows:
- Press CTRL + SHIFT + R
- Or, press CTRL + F5
Firefox on Mac:
- Press CMD + SHIFT + R
- Or, hold down SHIFT and click the Refresh button in Firefox
Microsoft Edge:
- Hold down CTRL and click the Refresh button in Edge
- Or, press CTRL + F5
Clear Cache on Safari:
- Press OPTION + CMD + E
The Problem
Have you ever been given website changes to preview by your developer, but the changes don’t appear even after refreshing your browser multiple times? Well… it’s because you’re caching.
What on Earth is Caching?
When it comes to your website, caching (pronounced “cashing”) is the process of storing copies of the website files in a temporary storage location called a “cache.” This process allows for quicker access to those files in the future.
You may have experienced this caching process without realizing what it was called. If you’ve ever returned to a website you’ve visited before, and it loads faster than it did on your first visit, you’ve witnessed caching in action! Your browser stored a snapshot of the website on your computer the first, which is why it loaded faster the second time.
Caching Deep Dive
When a user visits your website, their browser needs to download a significant amount of data to display the page. So, to reduce page load times, the browser will store most of that data in a cache, creating a copy of the website’s content on the visitor’s hard drive. Therefore, when the same visitor loads the page again, most of the content is already stored locally, and the page will load faster.
Browsers cache because it’s much faster for your browser to load the website from your local computer, as opposed to downloading the website from the internet again.
So Why Do I Need to Clear My Cache?
Although storing web pages in the browser’s cache can speed up website loading, it may also result in changes made to a website not being immediately visible until the cache is cleared. Many of our clients have reported that they cannot see the changes we make to their websites when they visit the site. This is because their browser is showing the old version stored in the cache. In this case, clearing the browser cache and refreshing the page would download the new content and display the updated version of the website.