How to Clear Website Cache: A Step-by-Step Guide for All Browsers

Website cache can be a helpful feature, storing website data to speed up browsing and improve user experience. However, sometimes this stored information can become outdated or corrupted, leading to issues like incorrect page displays or website malfunctions. In such cases, clearing your website cache can be a necessary troubleshooting step. While you can clear all your browser cache, which might impact the loading speed of other frequently visited sites, there’s a more targeted approach: clearing the cache for a specific website. This guide will show you How To Clear Website Cache for specific sites across various popular browsers, ensuring you resolve website-specific issues without broadly affecting your browsing experience.

Clearing Cache in Popular Browsers

Different browsers offer various methods to manage website data. Below are detailed instructions for clearing site-specific cache in Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, and Internet Explorer.

Google Chrome

Chrome provides a straightforward way to clear cache and cookies for individual websites. Here’s how:

1. Access Chrome Settings: In the top right corner of your Chrome browser, click the ellipsis icon (three vertical dots) to open the Chrome menu. Select Settings from the dropdown menu.

2. Navigate to Privacy and Security: In the Settings menu, click on Privacy and security in the left-hand sidebar.

3. Open Clear Browsing Data: Within the Privacy and security section, click on Clear browsing data.

   Alt text: Clear browsing data window in Google Chrome settings, highlighting options for Time range and types of data to clear.

4. Clear Complete Cache (Optional): If you want to clear the entire cache, you can select the desired time range and check the boxes for “Cookies and other site data” and “Cached images and files”. Then click Clear data. Note that this will clear data for all websites, not just a specific one. For site-specific clearing, proceed to the next steps.

5. Access Site Settings: To clear cache for a specific site, go back to the Privacy and Security menu and select Site settings.

   Alt text: Site settings menu in Google Chrome, showing options to control permissions and data storage for websites.

6. View Site Data and Permissions: In the Site settings menu, click on View permissions and data stored across sites.

7. Locate and Clear Specific Site Data: You will see a list of websites that have stored data. Use the search bar to find the specific website you want to clear. Expand the main domain to see any subdomains. Once you find the site, click on the trash bin icon next to it to delete its stored data.

   Alt text: Clearing specific website data in Chrome’s Site settings, showing the trash bin icon to remove stored data for a selected website.

Mozilla Firefox

Firefox provides a user-friendly interface to manage cookies and site data, allowing you to easily clear cache for specific websites.

1. Open Firefox Settings: Click the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) in the top right corner of Firefox. Select Settings from the dropdown menu.

2. Go to Privacy & Security: In the Settings menu, click on the Privacy & Security tab on the left.

3. Locate Cookies and Site Data: Scroll down to the Cookies and Site Data section.

4. Manage Data: Click the Manage Data button. This will open a window where you can manage cookies and site data.

5. Search and Remove Specific Website Data: In the Manage Cookies and Site Data window, you can either search for the website in the search bar or scroll through the list. Select the website you want to clear the cache for and click Remove Selected.

6. Clear All Data (Optional): If you wish to clear all cookies and site data, you can click Clear Data in the Cookies and Site Data section, and then select the data types you want to clear before clicking Clear Now.

   Alt text: Animation showing how to clear site-specific data in Firefox through the Manage Data option in Privacy & Security settings.

Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge, both the legacy version and the Chromium-based version, offers methods to clear website-specific cache.

For Chromium-based Edge (Newer Edge):

The process is very similar to Google Chrome as it’s built on the same Chromium engine. Follow the steps outlined for Google Chrome above to clear cache for specific sites in the new Microsoft Edge.

For Legacy Edge (Older Edge):

1. Access History: Click on the ellipsis icon (three dots) in the top-right corner of Legacy Edge. Go to History and then click Manage History.

2. Select and Delete Website Data: In the History panel, find the website for which you want to clear the cache. You can use the search function to locate it quickly. Once found, select the website entry and click the X button to the right of it to delete the data. Confirm your action if prompted.

3. Clear All Browsing Data (Optional): To clear all cache, instead of “Manage History”, click on Clear browsing data from the Edge menu. Then select the data types you wish to delete and click Clear.

   Alt text: Animated guide for clearing site-specific cache in Legacy Microsoft Edge through History settings.

Safari

Safari on macOS also allows you to remove cookies and website data for specific sites.

1. Open Safari Preferences: Open Safari and click on Safari in the menu bar. Select Preferences.

2. Go to Privacy: In the Preferences window, click on the Privacy tab.

3. Manage Website Data: Click on Manage Website Data….

4. Search and Remove Specific Website Data: A window will appear showing website data. Use the search bar to find the website you want to clear the cache for. Select the website and click Remove. You can also click Remove All to clear data for all websites, but for site-specific clearing, use the Remove button after selecting the desired site.

Internet Explorer 11

Internet Explorer 11 provides different methods to clear cache, including options for specific websites.

1. Open Developer Tools: Launch Internet Explorer and navigate to the website you want to clear the cache for. Press F12 to open Developer Tools.

2. Go to Network Tab: In the Developer Tools panel, go to the Network tab.

3. Clear Cache for Current Website: To clear the cache specifically for the current website, click the Clear cache icon (or press Ctrl + R).

4. Clear All Browsing History (Optional): To clear all cache and browsing history, go to Internet Options (you can find this in the Tools menu, or by searching “Internet Options” in the Windows search bar). In the Internet Options window, under the General tab, in the Browsing history section, click Delete…. Select the data types you want to delete and click Delete.

5. View and Delete Website-Specific Files: To delete files specific to a website, in the Internet Options window, under the General tab > Browsing history section, click Settings, then View files. This will open a folder showing temporary internet files. You can then sort by domain or manually find and delete files related to the specific website.

   Alt text: Animation demonstrating how to clear website cache in Internet Explorer 11 using Developer Tools and Internet Options.

Internet Explorer 8, 9, and 10

For older versions of Internet Explorer (8, 9, and 10), the process is slightly different but still allows for site-specific cache clearing through Developer Tools.

1. Open Developer Tools: Launch Internet Explorer and navigate to the website. Press F12 to open Developer Tools.

2. Access Cache Menu: In the Developer Tools menu bar, click on Cache.

3. Clear Cache for Domain: From the dropdown menu under Cache, select “Clear browser cache for this domain”. This will clear all cached files specifically for the currently open website.

4. Clear Cookies for Domain: Similarly, to clear cookies for the current website, go to Cache > Clear cookies for domain in the Developer Tools menu.

Conclusion

Clearing website cache for specific sites is a useful technique to resolve website-related problems without clearing all your browser data. By following these step-by-step instructions for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, and Internet Explorer, you can efficiently manage website cache and ensure a smoother browsing experience. Regularly clearing the cache for websites that cause issues can help maintain your browser’s performance and prevent display errors. Remember to choose the method that best suits your browser and needs, whether it’s a quick fix for a single site or a more comprehensive cleanup.