A modification has just been delivered on your site — a correction, a new page, a design change — but when you open it, nothing has changed. Or you are asked to "clear your cache" and you are not quite sure what that means. Here is a simple explanation, and the steps to follow according to your browser.
What is the browser cache?
To display a website quickly, your browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge...) saves a local copy of the pages you visit: images, CSS files, scripts, fonts... On your next visit, rather than re-downloading everything from the server, it reuses what it already has in memory. This is what we call the cache.
This is useful on a daily basis — it makes browsing faster. But it poses a concrete problem: if the site has been modified since your last visit, your browser may continue to display the old version, without even checking if there is something new.
Why are you asked to clear it?
When we update your site, the files change on the server. But if your browser has cached an old version of these files, it will not necessarily re-download them — and you continue to see the old version of the site, even if everyone around you is already seeing the new one.
Clearing the cache forces the browser to start from scratch: it re-downloads everything from the server, and you see the most up-to-date version of the site.
This is also useful for diagnosing a bug: sometimes what we take for a problem on the site is simply an old version stuck in the cache.
How to clear the cache according to your browser
Google Chrome
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + Delete (Mac).
- In the window that opens, choose the time range "All time".
- Check at least "Cached images and files". You can also check cookies if explicitly asked.
- Click on "Clear data".
- Reload your site page.
Mozilla Firefox
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + Delete (Mac).
- Choose the time range "Everything".
- Check "Cache".
- Click on "Clear Now".
- Reload the page.
Safari (Mac)
- In the top menu, click on Safari → Preferences (or Settings depending on your version).
- Go to the Advanced tab and enable "Show Develop menu" if it is not already done.
- In the Develop menu, click on "Empty Caches".
- Reload the page.
Direct shortcut: Cmd + Option + E.
Safari (iPhone / iPad)
- Open Settings on your device.
- Scroll down to Safari.
- Tap on "Clear History and Website Data".
- Confirm. Reopen Safari and reload the page.
Microsoft Edge
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete.
- Choose the time range "All time".
- Check "Cached images and files".
- Click on "Clear Now".
- Reload the page.
The universal shortcut: forced reload
If you do not want to clear the entire cache, there is a shortcut that forces the browser to reload the page while ignoring the cache, without touching the rest:
- Windows / Linux: Ctrl + Shift + R or Ctrl + F5
- Mac: Cmd + Shift + R
This is often enough to check if a modification is visible on your site.
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