RWD - April Newsletter
What is Cached Data? Will it Cause any Problems if We Clear Cached Data?
A number of clients have had problems viewing the most recent versions of web pages OR images on their site immediately AFTER I have made changes. These are all related to your browser storing images / files so that next time, the page loads faster. This is called BROWSER CACHE / MEMORY. 

Most of the time a simple clearing / refreshing your browser solves the problem by your F5 key, ctrl+F5 keys, OR ctrl+shift+delete, then ‘Clear Data’. Below will show you the steps to do a deeper clearing of your browser cache.

PDFs stay much longer in the memory of your browser. For example, if we make a change to a PDF document and upload it to your site, it may stay on your screen (browser memory) for an entire day. For someone who has NOT seen this PDF prior, they will view it and the correct version will show properly. Even if you do a ctrl+shift+delete, then ‘Clear Data’, the old PDF may still show on your screen.

The BROWSER CACHE / MEMORY is fairly simple, but rather difficult to explain. I hope this is not too wordy!
What is cached data?

Okay, so we know that cached data is information we store on our devices to make reopening websites and apps faster, but what actually is the stuff?

Cached data is usually made up of files, images, and scripts. For example, if you’ve visited our article on best cell phone plans before, your browser will have saved information about the images and widgets used in the article to pull it up faster.

Keep Your Browser set to the Latest Version - This can also prevent old images / files from showing.

Should I delete my cached data?

Like the dust on your bookcase, cached data can quickly build up over time. After deleting your cached data, you may notice pages you normally visit taking a few seconds longer to load. Your browser will redownload that cached data as you visit more websites. But it’s nice knowing you’re not storing cached data from websites you visited months ago that you’ll probably never visit again.
How do I delete my cached data on Google Chrome?

If you’re on a desktop or laptop computer, these are the steps for deleting your cached data on Google Chrome:
  1. Open Chrome.
  2. At the top right, click the three vertical dots next to your Gmail portrait.
  3. Click More tools and then Clear browsing data.
  4. Choose a time range of cache that you would like to delete. You can select “All time” to delete all of your cached data.
  5. Check the boxes next to “Cookies and other site data” and “Cached images and files.”
  6. Click “Clear data.”

Or simply ctrl+shift+delete, then ‘Clear Data’.
How do I delete my cached data on other browsers? ctrl+shift+delete, then ‘Clear Data’.  

Every browser will have its own process for deleting cached data. A quick Google search should give you instructions on how to delete cached data for Firefox, Edge, Chrome and other internet browsers.
How do I delete cached data on my iPhone?

Sadly, the iPhone operating system doesn’t have a “Clear all cached data” button, but wouldn’t it be nice if they did? Instead, Open the Settings app on your iPhone to delete the cache in Safari.
  1. Select Safari. In Settings, scroll down until Safari comes up, tap on it to select it.
  2. Find a button for Clear History and Website Data. ...
 
For iPhone Chrome - open the Chrome app.
  1. At the bottom, tap More or the 3 dots ... .
  2. Tap History. Clear browsing data.

How do I delete cached data on my Android phone?

Android works in the same way as iPhone when it comes to deleting cached data:
  1. Open your Settings.
  2. Tap the Storage option.
  3. Tap Other Apps to see a list of all of your installed apps.
  4. Find the app you want to delete cached data from.
  5. Hit the Clear Cache button.

Hit the clear cache button on the bottom right corner. The process on Android could look slightly different on your phone.

Happy Surfing!