How to Clear Your Browser's Cache

If current information does not appear in your browser, you may need to clear your cache.

Cache is temporary storage of Web pages on your hard disk.

The first time you view a page, the page is retrieved from the Web. If you request this same page again, the browser checks to see if this page is available in cache.

For example, if you use the Back button to re-display a page, cache can display the page more quickly than retrieving the page from the Web a second time.

Sometimes you might not want a page to be retrieved from cache. The page you displayed initially may be different than the page currently offered by the Web. If a modification to a particular URL has occurred, you may want the updated page rather than the copy in cache.

Clearing Cache

Internet Explorer

• Press the Refresh button or use the menu options View, Refresh.
  • This will update any Web page stored in your disk cache with the latest content on the Web.
    
    

• If Refresh fails to display the updated page, empty your Internet Explorer disk cache.
  • For Internet Explorer version 4.0:
    1. On the View menu of your Internet Explorer toolbar, click Internet Options.
    2. Click the General tab.
    3. In the Temporary Internet files area, click Delete Files, then click OK.
    4. Click OK to close Internet Options.
  • For Internet Explorer version 5.0, 5.5, 6.0:
    1. On the Tools menu of your Internet Explorer toolbar, click Internet Options.
    2. Click the General tab.
    3. In the Temporary Internet files area, click Delete Files, then click OK.
    4. Click OK to close Internet Options.

Netscape

• Press the Reload button or use the menu options View, Reload.
  • Netscape checks with the server to see if an update has occurred before bringing a page from cache. If any change to the page has occurred, a fresh version is transmitted from the Web; otherwise, a copy is quickly retrieved from cache.

• If Reload fails to display the updated page, press the Reload button while holding down the Ctrl key (Option key on Macintosh).
  • Netscape retrieves a fresh version from the Web whether the page has been updated or not. Cache is not used. This type of reload is useful if you suspect the cached copy of a page has been corrupted.

• If Reload while holding down Ctrl fails, empty your Netscape disk cache:
  • For Netscape version 4.7, 6.0, 7.0:
    1. On the Edit menu of your Netscape toolbar, click Preferences.
    2. Click the Advanced category and select Cache.
    3. Click the Clear Disk Cache button and the Clear Memory Cache button.
    4. Click OK.