How to Clear Cache in Chrome

How to Clear Cache in Chrome

Clear Cache in Chrome: A step-by-step tutorial on how to clear cache if using Google Chrome browser and your pages are not opening quickly or old content keeps coming up as newer content might have been put on the websites. It is a very useful feature sometimes, but at other times, this cache becomes too full or even corrupts. So, then, it becomes problematic when you start experiencing slow performance or things that were updated cannot be displayed. Here we guide you through how to clear cache in Google Chrome in a plain and very user-friendly way.

What is Cache and Why Clear It?

Knowing what the cache is could be quite important. Let's therefore proceed to learn how to clear this cache. Cache is a collection of files that Chrome downloads from the sites that you visit in the form of images, javascript files, and also HTML files. It does this because it renders pages faster as you come back to them since it doesn't need to download the same files every time. However, the cache will tend to fill itself after some time and will cause problems which include:

Older content or images showing.

Too much storage results in slow performance.

Web pages load improperly.

It helps in removing those issues by clearing the cache on your Chrome so that when you open a specific website, it can load new content.

Step by Step Instructions to Clear Cache on Chrome

Procedure 1: Using the Chrome Options Menu

This is the easiest way to clear cache in chrome from the built-in settings menu of the browser. Here's how to do it:

Open Chrome

Open Google Chrome.

Access Chrome Settings

Tap the three dots at the top right in Chrome which open the menu. Sometimes marked with the word "More". After this, tap on "Settings".

Navigation to Privacy and Security

Scroll down left side bar inside the settings menu and tap on "Privacy and security".

Clear Browsing Data

See "Safety and security" and select "Clear browsing data." There will be choices to clear your browser's information in a new window that opens.

Choose What to Clear

You'll see two tabs: Basic and Advanced. In the Basic tab, you can select:

Browsing history – Clears the list of websites you've visited.

Cookies and other site data – Clear login data and other data unique to the site.

Cached images and files – Clears the cache.

Tick "Cached images and files." You can choose to also tick clear browsing history and cookies if you want to wipe out more info.

 Select your Time Range

Underneath your list of types of data is where you can select a time frame that you might want to wipe clean. You might choose:

Last hour

Last 24 hours

Last 7 days

Last 4 weeks

All time- this will clear all of the cached data

For resolving any issue, often "All time" is chosen for clearing out all of the cached data

Delete the Data

Tap the "Clear data" button. Chrome will delete the files you chose, including your cache.

Method 2: Keyboard Shortcuts

You can clear the cache faster using keyboard shortcuts. Here's how to do it:

Open Chrome

Open Chrome on your computer.

Open the Clear Browsing Data Menu

Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete on Windows, or Cmd + Shift + Delete on Mac. Immediately, the "Clear browsing data" window will appear.

Select What to Clear

Select "Cached images and files" and change the time range according to your needs.

Clear Cache

Click "Clear data" to remove the cache.

Method 3: Clearing only the Cache of a given website

Sometimes, you may want to clear only the cache for a specific website without touching all the other data in your browser. Here is how you can do it:

Open Chrome

Open Chrome and then go to the site from which you wish to clear the cache.

Inspect Page

Open the "Inspect" panel by right-clicking somewhere on the page, or on a Windows computer, press Ctrl + Shift + I to open the Developer Tools panel; on a Mac, use Cmd + Option + I.

Application Tab

Select the "Application" tab inside that panel.

Clear Site Data

On the left-hand sidebar, find "Clear Storage" under the Application section. Here you’ll see options to clear data for that specific website, including cache, cookies, and local storage. Click the "Clear site data" button.

This method will only remove cache and data related to that website, leaving other data in your browser untouched.

Things to Keep in Mind

Sometimes, clearing the cache logs you out from some websites. You may need to relogin if you also cleared your cookies.

Easier Browsing: Clearing cache often keeps the running of your browser faster and performs better. If pages begin to take longer periods to load, then you know it's getting slow.

Incognito Mode: If you ever felt you don't want your Chrome to store its cache and cookies, then incognito mode is provided for all your private browsing using the browser. All data relating to the browses is not logged by Chrome once it is closed while in that kind of mode.

Conclusion

Clearing the cache is one efficient way to resolve issues with slow performance, outdated content, and display problems on websites in Google Chrome. Whatever you select from settings, keyboard shortcuts, or clearing a website's cache, they are all very simple to understand and do. Cleaning up your cache every so often ensures smooth performance for Chrome and viewing the most recent content available.