When your web developer makes changes to a website, you might not see those changes in your browser because of something called “browser caching”.
Basically, that means that the browser keeps old copies of parts of the website locally so it doesn’t have to re-load them each time you visit a new page on the site.
That’s great for making pages load fast, but it could mean that you’re viewing an old version of the site, especially if your developer has made changes recently.
Here’s how to do a “hard refresh” to clear your desktop computer’s browser cache:
Windows Chrome and Edge
Hold the CTRL key, then click the “Reload” button on your browser.
Windows Firefox
Hold the CTRL key down and press F5
Mac Chrome, Firefox, and Safari
Hold the SHIFT key, then click the “Reload” button on your browser.
On Chrome, you can also hold down COMMAND SHIFT and press the R key.
Mobile Browsers
On mobile devices such as iPhones, iPads, and Android devices, you need to completely clear the browser history to see the latest version of a website.
iOS Chrome
- Open the Chrome app.
- Tap the three dots at the bottom to get to the main options
- Tap History
- Tap “Clear Browsing Data” in red at the bottom of the screen
- Confirm all of the types of data are checked off, then tap the red “Clear Browsing Data” at the bottom of the screen again.
- In the popup, tap “Clear Browsing Data” yet again!
- Tap “Done”.
- Tap “Done” again.
iOS Safari
- Go to the Settings app and find Safari. I find it easiest to type “Safari” in the search field.
- Tap “Clear History and Website Data”.
- Tap “Clear History and Website Data” again.
Android Chrome
- Open the Chrome app.
- Tap the three dots in the upper right corner of the browser.
- Tap History
- Tap “Clear browsing data…”
- Tap the “Clear data” button at the bottom.
- Tap X to close the window.
Conclusion
If you do this, you should be able to see the latest version of the website. The browser cache will clear itself naturally over time, so your visitors will eventually be able to see the latest changes as well without having to do a hard refresh. – Brian
I am a freelance web developer and consultant based in Santa Monica, CA. I’ve been designing websites using WordPress and from scratch using HTML, CSS, PHP, and JavaScript since 2010. I create websites and web applications for businesses, nonprofits, and other organizations. I have a degree in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) from California Institute of Technology and a degree in Engineering Management (MSEM) from Stanford University.
