Cleaning Browser Cache

Web browsers download web pages and store them locally on your computer's hard drive in an area called "cache". This cache keeps a record of where you have traveled on the Internet and stores images, sounds, web pages, and cookies in a temporary folder.

When you visit the same page more than once, the browser speeds up display time by loading the page locally from cache instead of downloading everything again. This sometimes results in less than current versions of web pages being displayed. When the cache fills up, performance can slow down and your hard drive may run out of space. This old cache can also cause login problems because it is not current.

You should periodically clear the cache to allow your browser to function more efficiently. It is also a good idea to periodically clear cookies. Below are steps for clearing the cache in several windows based browsers.

  • Explorer 8.0
  • Explorer 7.0
  • Firefox 3.5 - 3.6 - 4.0
  • Safari 5.0
  • Opera 9.0
  • Google Chrome

Microsoft Internet Explorer 8.0

  1. Open Internet Explorer.
  2. Click Tools in the upper toolbar or click on the Tools icon.
  3. Click Internet Options and choose the General tab.
  4. Click Delete under "Browsing History".
  5. Click Delete Files under "Temporary Internet Files".
  6. Click Yes on the Delete Files dialog box.
  7. Click Close and then OK.

Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0

  1. Open Internet Explorer.
  2. Click Tools in the upper toolbar or click on the Tools icon.
  3. Click Internet Options to open Internet Properties.
  4. Click the General tab
  5. Click Delete under "Browsing History".
  6. Click Delete Files under "Temporary Internet Files".
  7. Click Yes on the Delete Files dialog box.
  8. Click Close and then OK.

    Firefox 3.5 - 3.6 - 4.0

    1. Click Tools in the upper toolbar and select Clear Recent History.
    2. Select the Time Range to clear (drop-down menu).
      - Select Everything to clear all cache.
    3. Click Details to choose what history elements to clear.
      - e.g. cache and cookies
    4. Click the Clear Now button.
    5. Exit and re-launch the browser.

      Safari 4.0

      1. Open Safari.
      2. Click on Tools (gear icon) in the upper right toolbar and Select Reset Safari.
      3. Click Empty Cache and Remove All Cookies.
      4. Click the Reset button.
      5. Exit and re-launch the browser.

        Opera 9.0

        1. Open Opera
        2. Click Tools and select Delete Private Data.
        3. Click the Delete options and choose what history elements to clear.
          - e.g. Delete temporary cookies, Delete all cookies, Delete entire cache.
        4. Click the Clear Now button.
        5. Close window.
        6. Exit and re-launch the browser.

          Google Chrome

          1. Open Chrome
          2. Click the wrench icon on the browser toolbar.
          3. Select Tools.
          4. Select Clear browsing data.
          5. In the dialog that appears, select the checkboxes for the types of information that you want to remove.
          6. Use the menu at the top to select the amount of data that you want to delete. Select beginning of time to delete everything.
          7. Click Clear browsing data.