What is “browser cache”?

How to clear browser cache : Running out of disk space? Can't stop your browser from loading an out-of-date page? Your browser taking longer to exit?

Web cache
Main article: Web cache
Web browsers and web proxy servers employ web caches to store previous responses from web servers, such as web pages. Web caches reduce the amount of information that needs to be transmitted across the network, as information previously stored in the cache can often be re-used. This reduces bandwidth and processing requirements of the web server, and helps to improve responsiveness for users of the web.

As of 2009[update], modern web browsers employ a built-in web cache, but some internet service providers or organizations also use a caching proxy server, which is a web cache that is shared between all users of that network.

Another form of cache is P2P caching, where the files most sought for by peer-to-peer applications are stored in an ISP cache to accelerate P2P transfers.

Your browser (Netscape, Internet Explorer, etc.—whatever application you use to surf the web) has a folder in which certain items that have been downloaded are stored for future access. Graphic images (such as buttons, banners, icons, advertising, graphs, and color bars), photographs, and even entire web pages are examples of cache items. When going to a page on a website, your computer will check its cache folder first to see if it already has those images and, if so, it won’t take the time to download them again. This makes for a faster loading of the page. Cache folders can get quite large, however, and can occupy 40-to-50-to-100 megabytes or more of hard drive space, storing graphics for sites you may never visit again, so it may be wise for those with storage concerns to empty the cache periodically. That will also enable the browser to access updated web pages without the older cache item interfering. You can also limit how much cache is stored.

Erase cache Clear cache. How to clear browser cache : Running out of disk space? Can't stop your browser from loading an out-of-date page? Your browser taking longer to exit?

Why we need ot clear browser’s cache?

Clearing your browser’s cache might help alleviate many problems including:

• Failing log in attempts to any website
• Out of date information displaying on a website
• Slow Web browser performance

Before clearing your cache, log out of any websites you’re currently logged in to.

To Clear Your Cache in Google Chrome™

1. Open the Tools menu, and select Clear Browsing Data.
2. Select Empty the cache.
3. From the Clear data from this period list, select Everything.
4. Click Clear Browsing Data.

To Clear Your Cache in Internet Explorer®

1. Open the Tools menu, and select Internet Options.
2. Click on the General tab in the dialog box.
3. Under Temporary Internet files, click Delete Files.
4. Check the box next to Delete all offline content.
5. Click OK.

To Clear Your Cache in Mozilla Firefox®

1. Open the Tools menu, and select Clear Recent History.
2. In the Details list, select Cache, and any other private data you want to delete.
3. Click Clear Now.

To Clear Your Cache in Netscape®

1. Open the Edit menu, and select Preferences.
2. Expand the Advanced menu by clicking on the plus sign (+).
3. Select Cache, and click Clear Cache.
4. Click OK.

To Clear Your Cache using Firefox® on a Macintosh®

1. Open the Tools menu, and select Clear Recent History.
2. In the Details list, select Cache, and any other private data you want to delete.
3. Click Clear Now.

To Clear Your Cache using Safari® on a Macintosh®

1. Open the Safari menu.
2. Select Empty Cache.
3. In the Dialog box, click Empty.