At Mosaic Digital Media, one of the simplest and silliest issues we always have is our websites incorrectly displaying our changes after we have made them. Naturally, this makes us pull our own hair out as we are certain that we have done everything correctly, yet the website says otherwise. The usual culprit to this phenomenon is the browser cache.

Before we get started on how to fix this issue if and when you stumble across it (as we most certainly think you will) lets first go over what exactly is a cache and if it is so detrimental to our work why it does exist?

A cache is a collection of temporary files or data that is stored either on your personal computer (local cache), within the websites hosting (server cache) or on whatever platform you’re accessing the internet from (browser cache). The use of a cache is to save the server the trouble of sending every file needed to view the website over to you every time the page is refreshed, this of course then saves you the trouble of having to download the files every time allowing the site to load faster.

Clearing your cache on different devices

With the explanation and breakdown of what a cache is out of the way, it becomes more obvious on what the actual issue is. Since we have already downloaded the files and saved them in the cache we are not getting our newly edited files until the old ones have been removed! So how exactly DO you remove a cache from your computer? Well, you have come to the right place, read on and we’ll cover what to do when clearing your cache on whichever device you are using in Google/Safari.

Windows/Linux:

When clearing your cache on a Windows/Linux device you want to do the following steps:

1. Press F12 (This will bring up a window of code, ignore this and click back into the browser)

2. Right Click the refresh page icon

3. Left Click the option “Empty Cache and Hard Reload”

Mac:

To start clearing your cache on a Mac device you want to do the following steps:

1. Hold Down the Shift Key

2. Left Click the refresh page icon

Android:

To start clearing your cache on an Android device you want to do the following steps:

1. Press the 3 Vertical Dots located in the upper right section of the screen

2. Press the “Settings” option in the dropdown

3. Press the “Privacy” option in the “Settings” screen

4. Press the “Clear Browsing Data” option in this screen

5. Choose which elements you would like to clear (in this case the cache) then press “Clear”

Apple:

To clear your cache on an Apple device you want to do the following steps:

1. Press the “Settings” option on the Apple device

2. Press the “Safari” option

3. Press the “Clear History and Website Data” option

Note: This will also remove your browsing history

Mosaic can increase your sales with our marketing prowess and expertise in SEO, SMO, and Web Design. Contact us on 01925 563 960 or contact us using our contact form to see what we can do to promote your business.