Clearing web browser history and cache

Applies To:

All users and administrators.

Your internet browser is retaining outdated pages and associated files, such as CSS styles and JavaScript interactive scripts, resulting in an unintended user experience.
There may be a difference between the version of a website (Pinnacle Series for example) cached (stored) on your computer and the version that you're loading from the web. This conflict can lead to weird glitches, and clearing your cache can help when nothing else seems to.

A cache is a special storage space for temporary files that makes a device, browser, or app run faster and more efficiently.
After opening an app or website for the first time, a cache stashes files, images, and other pertinent data on your device.
Cached data is used to quickly load an app or website for every subsequent visit.
Every web browser, whether it's Microsoft Edge, Chrome, Firefox, or Safari, maintains its own cache.
A browser cache stores files needed by your browser to display the websites it visits. This includes elements like the HTML file that describe the site, along with CSS style sheets, Javascripts, cookies, and images.
Apps typically maintain their own cache as well. Like browsers, apps save files and data they deem important so they can quickly reload the information as needed. Every app is different, though, and so the kind of data it caches will vary but might include images, video thumbnails, search history, and other user preferences.

They make everything run faster. The key benefit of a cache is that it improves the performance of the system. By storing local copies of website files, for example, your browser only needs to download that information the first time you visit and can load the local files on subsequent visits.

They save data. To help improve performance, apps store recently and frequently used data to the cache. Not only does this allow everything to run faster as previously mentioned, but in some cases, it can allow apps to work "offline." For example, if you don't have internet access, an app can rely on cached data to continue to work even without a connection.

They store data for later use. There's a lot of efficiency in only downloading files once. If a copy of a file is stored in the cache, then the app doesn't need to waste time, battery power, and other resources downloading it a second time. Instead, the app only needs to download changed or new files.

A corrupted cache can cause the app to behave badly. If there's something wrong with a file stored in the cache, it can cause the app to display data incorrectly, glitch, or even crash. That's why a common remedy for browser issues is clearing the cache.
Caches can prevent apps from loading the latest version of a web page or other data. In theory, apps are supposed to only use the cache to display files unchanged since the last visit. That doesn't always work, though, and sometimes the only way to see the latest version of a website or other info is to clear the cache, so the app is forced to download everything anew.

The advantages of clearing the cache include freeing up previous storage space on your computer and eliminating any files that might be causing it to misbehave.
Clearing the cache also eliminates the files that are designed to make your computer run more efficiently. For example, clearing a browser cache typically means you'll have to log in to all your favorite websites all over again, and you'll lose any special customizations or personalization you had there, including the contents of shopping carts or baskets.

For video guidance on how to clear the cache in your internet browser, we advise you to watch this video inside the Pinnacle Series.

In Google Chrome, locate the settings icon in the upper right-hand corner of the web browser.
Navigate to the history pop out, then choose History.
Locate the Clear Browsing Data option. This will bring up the menu to clear the history and cache.
Ensure you select All Time from the time range dropdown.
Then select Clear Data.
You have now successfully cleared your history and cache within Google Chrome.

In Microsoft Edge, locate the Settings Icon in the upper right-hand corner of the web browser.
Locate the history pop out, then choose Manage History.
Navigate to the Clear Browsing Data option. This will bring up the menu to clear the history and cache.
Ensure you select All Time from the time range dropdown.
Then select Clear Now.
You have now successfully cleared your history and cache within Microsoft Edge.

In Mozilla Firefox, locate the Settings Icon in the upper right-hand corner of the web browser.
Select Options from the settings menu.
Locate the Privacy and Security option on the menu to the left.
Within this menu, scroll down until you locate the section titled History.
Then select Clear History.
Ensure you select Everything within the time range to clear the menu.
Then select OK.
You have now successfully cleared your history and cache within Mozilla Firefox.

Click on the Safari tab at the top left of your screen and choose Preferences from the dropdown menu.
Click the Advanced tab of the menu that pops up.
At the end of the tab, select the Show Develop menu in the menu bar box and close the Preferences menu.
Click the Develop tab from the Safari menu at the top of the page.
Click Empty Caches from the dropdown menu.

Clear your cache, history, and cookies

You may also want to clear your browsing history and cookies in addition to emptying your cache. Here's how to do that.
Choose the History tab at the top of your screen.
At the very bottom of the dropdown menu, choose Clear History.
A box pops up with a choice to clear the last hour, today, today, and yesterday, or all history. Choose your time frame and click the Clear History button.
Once you clear the history, it will also clear the cache and cookies associated with that time period.