Clearing your browser cache

Sep 23, 2023

Web browsers are designed to capture certain user information to enhance the browsing experience. This stored information is known as the browser cache, which includes images, site snapshots, cookies, and browsing history. Though helpful, this data can hog storage space and slow down browser performance over time. To remedy this, we can clear the cache. This article will guide you through the automatic process of clearing your browser cache on all major web browsers.

Table of Contents:

Clearing Browser Cache on Desktop Browsers
Clearing Browser Cache on Tablet Browsers
Clearing Browser Cache on Mobile Browsers

1. Clearing Browser Cache on Desktop Browsers

1.1 Manually clearing the browser cache in Google Chrome

Click on the three-dot menu in the top-right corner.
Select ‘More Tools’ and then ‘Clear browsing data.’
Choose the time range and the categories you want to clear, including ‘Cached images and files.’
Click on ‘Clear data’ to complete the process.

1.1.1 Automatically clearing the browser cache after closing Chrome

To automatically clear the cache in Chrome:

Click on the three-dot icon in the browser’s top-right corner.
Go to ‘Settings’, ‘Privacy and Security’, and choose ‘Site Settings’, then ‘Cookies and site data’.
Enable the ‘Clear cookies and site data when you quit Chrome’ option.

1.2 Mozilla Firefox

Open the ‘Menu’ button at the top-right corner.
Select ‘Options,’ and then ‘Privacy & Security.’
In the ‘Cookies and Site Data’ section, click on ‘Clear Data.’
Check ‘Cached Web Content’ and click on ‘Clear.’

1.2.1 Automatically clearing the browser cache after closing Firefox

On Firefox, click on the three-lined ‘hamburger’ icon and go to ‘Options’.
In ‘Privacy & Security’, under ‘Cookies and Site Data’, tick ‘Delete cookies and site data when Firefox is closed’.

1.3 Microsoft Edge

Click on the three-dot menu at the top-right corner.
Choose ‘Settings,’ then ‘Privacy, search, and services.’
Under ‘Clear browsing data,’ click on ‘Choose what to clear.’
Select ‘Cached images and files,’ and then ‘Clear.’

1.3.1 Automatically clearing the browser cache after closing Microsoft Edge

Click on the three-dot icon, go to ‘Settings’, then ‘Privacy, search, and services’, scroll down to ‘Clear browsing data’ then click ‘Choose what to clear every time you close the browser’ and toggle everything except ‘Autofill form data (includes forms and cards)’.

1.4 Safari (Mac)

Open the Safari menu and select ‘Preferences.’
In the ‘Privacy’ tab, click on ‘Manage Website Data.’
Select ‘Remove All’ to clear your cache.

1.4.1 Automatically clearing the browser cache after closing Safari (Mac)

Unfortunately, Safari does not support automatic cache clean-up, but you can use special cleaners like CCleaner.

1.5 Opera

Click on the ‘Menu’ button located in the top-left corner (the Opera logo).
Select ‘Settings’ and navigate to the ‘Advanced’ section.
Click on ‘Privacy & security’ and then select ‘Clear browsing data.’
Choose the time range and check the box next to ‘Cached images and files.’
Finally, click on the ‘Clear data’ button to clear the cache.

1.5.1 Automatically clearing the browser cache after closing Opera

Click on the ‘Menu’ button located in the top-left corner (the Opera logo).
Select ‘Settings’ and navigate to the the ‘Privacy & security` section.
Select ‘Cookies & other site data` then switch on ‘Clear cookies and site data when you quit Opera’.

1.6 Brave Browser

Click on the menu button (the three horizontal lines) in the top-right corner.
Select ‘Settings’ and scroll down to the ‘Privacy and security’ section.
Under ‘Clear browsing data,’ click on ‘Choose what to clear.’
Select the time range and check the box next to ‘Cached images and files.’
Click on the ‘Clear’ button to clear the cache.

1.6.1 Automatically clearing the browser cache after closing Brave Browser

Click on the menu button (the three horizontal lines) in the top-right corner.
Select ‘Settings’ and scroll down to the ‘Privacy and security’ section.
Click on ‘Clear browsing data’, then click the ‘On exit’ tab at the top of the ‘Clear browsing data’ window.
Select all options except ‘Site and shields settings’.

2. Clearing Browser Cache on Tablet Browsers

2.1 Safari (iPad/iOS)

Open the ‘Settings’ app and scroll down to find ‘Safari.’
Tap on ‘Safari’ and select ‘Clear History and Website Data.’
Confirm by tapping on ‘Clear History and Data’ again.

2.1.1 Automatically clearing the browser cache after closing Safari (iPad/iOS)

Unfortunately, Safari on iPads does not support automatic cache clean-up, but you can use special cleaners like CCleaner.

2.2 Google Chrome (Android tablet)

Launch Google Chrome and tap on the three-dot menu in the top-right corner.
Go to ‘Settings’ and select ‘Privacy.’
Choose ‘Clear browsing data’ and check the box next to ‘Cached images and files.’
Tap on ‘Clear data’ to complete the process.

2.2.1 Automatically clearing the browser cache after closing Chrome on Android tablets

Unfortunately, Chrome on Android tablets does not support automatic cache clean-up, but you can use special cleaners like CCleaner.

2.3 Mozilla Firefox (Android tablet)

Open the Firefox browser and tap on the three-dot menu in the bottom-right corner.
Go to ‘Settings’ and select ‘Clear private data.’
Check the box next to ‘Cache’ and tap on ‘Clear data.’

2.3.1 Automatically clearing the browser cache after closing Mozilla Firefox (Android)

Open the Firefox browser and tap on the three-dot menu in the bottom-right corner.
Go to ‘Settings’ and select ‘Clear private data.’
Check the box next to ‘Cache’ and tap on ‘Clear data.’

2.4 Opera (Android tablets, iPads)

Launch the Opera app and tap on the profile menu button in the bottom-right corner.
Select ‘Settings’ and tap on ‘Delete browsing data on quit’ then toggle ‘Delete browsing data on quit’ to on.
Check the box next to ‘Cache’ and tap on ‘Clear’ to clear the cache.

2.4.1 Automatically clearing the browser cache after closing Opera (Android tablets, iPads)

Launch the Opera app and tap on the profile menu button in the bottom-right corner.
Go to ‘Settings’ and then ‘Privacy & security’.
Tap ‘Clear data on exit’ and then toggle all options.

2.5 Brave (iPads and Android tablets)

Open the Brave app and tap on the hamburger menu (the three lines) in the bottom-right corner.
Select ‘Settings’ and go to the ‘Brave Shields & Privacy’ section.
Tap on ‘Clear browsing data’ and select the time range you want to clear.
Check the box next to ‘Cached images and files’ and tap on ‘Clear data.’

2.5.1 Automatically clearing the browser cache after closing Brave (iPads and Android tablets)

Open the Brave app and tap on the hamburger menu (the three lines) in the bottom-right corner.
Select ‘Settings’ and go to the ‘Brave Shields & Privacy’ section.
Turn ‘Clear browsing data’ to On.

3 Clearing Browser Cache on Mobile Browsers

3.1 Safari (iOS)

Launch the ‘Settings’ app and scroll down to find ‘Safari.’
Tap on ‘Safari’ and select ‘Clear History and Website Data.’
Confirm by tapping on ‘Clear History and Data’ again.

3.1.1 Automatically clearing the browser cache after closing Safari (iOS)

Unfortunately, Safari on iPhones phones does not support automatic cache clean-up, but you can use special cleaners like CCleaner.

3.2 Google Chrome (iOS and Android)

Open Google Chrome, tap on the three-dot menu in the top-right corner.
Select ‘Settings,’ then ‘Privacy.’
Tap on ‘Clear Browsing Data’ and check the box next to ‘Cached images and files.’
Finally, tap on ‘Clear Browsing Data’ to complete the process.

3.2.1 Automatically clearing the browser cache after closing Chrome (iOS and Android)

Unfortunately, Chrome on Android phones and iPhones does not support automatic cache clean-up, but you can use special cleaners like CCleaner.

3.3 Opera (Android phones/iPhones)

Launch the Opera Mini app and tap on the ‘O’ menu button in the bottom-right corner.
Select ‘Settings’ and tap on ‘Clear browsing data.’
Check the box next to ‘Cache’ and tap on ‘Clear’ to clear the cache.

3.3.1 Automatically clearing the browser cache after closing Opera (Android phones/iPhones)

Launch the Opera app and tap on the profile menu button in the bottom-right corner.
Go to ‘Settings’ and then ‘Privacy & security’.
Tap ‘Clear data on exit’ and then toggle all options.

3.4 Brave (Android phones/iPhones)

Open the Brave app and tap on the hamburger menu (the three lines) in the bottom-right corner.
Select ‘Settings’ and go to the ‘Privacy’ section.
Tap on ‘Clear browsing data’ and select the time range you want to clear.
Check the box next to ‘Cached images and files’ and tap on ‘Clear data.’

3.4.1 Automatically clearing the browser cache after closing Brave (Android phones/iPhones)

Open the Brave app and tap on the hamburger menu (the three lines) in the bottom-right corner.
Select ‘Settings’ and go to the ‘Brave Shields & Privacy’ section.
Turn ‘Clear browsing data’ to On.

Clearing the web browser cache is essential for maintaining smooth browsing experiences on desktops, tablets, and mobile devices.

By periodically clearing cache data, users can enjoy improved website loading times, clear old or outdated files, and resolve certain browsing issues.

Additionally, clearing the cache also helps to protect privacy and maintain security.