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December 21st, 2010 by Gwynne Monahan

#cliotraining Tuesday Tip: Clear your Browser Cache

Browsers are an every day tool, and like every day tools, they need to be cleaned every so often so they continue to function properly.

Cleaning your browser, be it Mozilla FireFox, Google Chrome, Apple Safari or Microsoft Internet Explorer, means clearing its cache. A cache is stored content. When a browser makes a call to a website, it may store some of that information for later use. This helps cut down bandwidth usage and perceived load times.

After awhile, though, the cache becomes laden with information, which can make the browser seem sluggish. You might also be viewing out-of-date data since the browser might load cached information instead of new, updated information. So to help with browser performance, view up-to-date pages and also open up some space on your hard drive, it’s good to clear the browser cache once in awhile.

Clearing a browser cache is usually done through the “Tools” menu, but there are some exceptions. Safari, for example, has a “Clear History” option under its “History” menu. The name for the action may also vary. Google Chrome says “Clear Browsing Data” while FireFox says “Clear Recent History.”

Have no fear. WikiHow has a good tutorial on how to clear your browser’s cache.

And be sure to check out our Support section for other useful information.