How to Clear Cached Data in Chrome and Internet Explorer in Windows 10

Owned by Sandro Munoz (Unlicensed)
Last updated: Apr 05, 2017
2 min read

This how-to will explain how to clear cached information (passwords, browsing history, cookies, brownies, form data, etc).  This is very useful if your browser is taking a long time to load or if it's performing slowly.  

 

On this page:

 

Step-by-step guide

Clearing Cached Data in Chrome

  1. While in Chrome, press ctrl+shift+del to bring up the Clear Browsing Data window.



  2. Select all the data you wish to clear and how far back to go.  The default is 1 hour.
  3. Click Clear browsing data.
  4. Once the data is cleared, close and restart your browser.

Chrome Incognito Mode

If you don’t want Google Chrome to save a record of what you visit and download, you can browse the web privately in Incognito mode. See this article for more information: Browse in private with Incognito mode.

Clearing Cached Data in Safari 10.1 and above in OS X

  1. Open Safari and in the menu bar click Safari → Preferences... (or press Command+,)

    Safari Preferences


  2. Click Privacy → Manage Website Data...

    Settings Window


  3. Select Remove All and in the final pop-up window, click Remove Now.

    ScreenShot2016-12-14at4.41.23PM.png


Using Private Browsing mode in Safari

Private browsing mode protects your privacy by preventing Safari from recording sites you visit and will not remember usernames or passwords for sites you log into. This also comes in handy if you're using a public computer and don't want to leave any AutoFill information behind. See this article for more information: How to Use Private Browsing Mode in Safari.


Clearing Cached Data in Internet Explorer

  1. While in Internet Explorer, press ctrl+shift+del to bring up the Delete Browsing History page.



  2. Select all the data you wish to clear.
  3. Click Delete.
  4. Once the data is cleared, close and restart your browser.

Need information on other browsers?

This article from the University of Wisconsin-Madison has steps for other browsers: Clearing Browser Caches and Cookies.

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