Clear your web browser's cache and cookies

Your web browser caches some information from every page you visit, mainly to speed up browsing by not requesting the same information from remote servers over and over.

If you still see an older version of a website after fixing it, first try a hard reload or a private window. If the result changes, local data is a likely cause. If it happens in a private window and in another up-to-date browser too, check the HTTP response, the application, a service worker, the server cache or the CDN.

The cache keeps resources to make pages load faster. Cookies store sessions and preferences: deleting them will sign you out and may erase settings. Don't delete all cookies if you only need to refresh static files.

Clear the affected site's data first. Clear data for all time ranges only as a last resort.

Microsoft Edge

In Settings > Privacy, search and services > Clear browsing data, open Choose what to clear. Select Cached images and files and tick cookies only if you need to renew the session. Microsoft keeps the current Edge instructions up to date.

Mozilla Firefox

Open Settings > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data. Use Manage Data to remove only that domain, or Clear Data for a wider scope. You can also clear only the cache.

Safari

Open Safari > Settings > Privacy > Manage Website Data, search for the domain and click Remove. Apple documents how to manage cookies and website data in Safari.

Chrome

Open Settings > Privacy and security > Delete browsing data. Select Cached images and files and tick cookies only if you need to clear the session. For a single domain, open its controls from the address bar and delete its data. See the current Chrome instructions.

Internet Explorer is no longer supported and shouldn't be used to check a current issue.

Check what has changed

Repeat the same URL and action after clearing. A private window can also change cookies, extensions and session; the fact that it works there doesn't prove on its own that the problem was a cached file.

Before deleting a site's data, save any unsubmitted work. Local storage can hold drafts or unsynchronised information as well as preferences. If you manage several accounts on that domain, clearing may sign you out of all of them.

Clearing browser data doesn't empty the server cache, the CDN or authoritative DNS. If other devices still see the fault, keep the URL, time and observed response so the relevant layer can be checked.