You probably already have experienced being prompted by your browser or another person to clear your cache at least once by now. It is not a surprise if being told to do so made you scratch your head and wonder why.
What exactly is a cache? Why do you need to clear it? Is there any benefit to clearing your cache? How do you even clear it? These are probably some of the questions that enter your mind when prompted to clear your cache.
These are also the questions that this article answers so you know what to do when dealing with your cache.
What is a Cache Anyway?
Before we dive deeper into whether or not it is a good idea to clear your cache, let us first define what a cache is. According to Zapier, the cache is "the place where your browser stores images, code, and other files to avoid re-downloading them repeatedly."
Without the cache, your browser will have to re-download everything, including background images, fonts, HTML, and JavaScript, whenever you open a specific website or page. Take note that these are the files downloaded directly from websites.
How exactly is the browser's cache different from cookies? Cookies deal with browser history and user preferences. It can also auto-fill form data. Clearing your browser's cookies will force you to log back into all the websites you were previously logged into.
Related Article: Google's Chrome Browser to Delay Blocking of Tracking Cookies to 2023, Causing Antitrust Concerns
Is There a Benefit to Clearing Your Cache?
Clearing the code of the stored image and other files from your browser might come across as a risky thing to do, but they're benefits to clearing your browser's cache every now and then.
According to Avast, clearing up the cache frees up space and can fix certain problems with your device's battery, speed, and even security and performance. Old cached data, in particular, can end up being corrupted.
"And safety-wise, you don't want your sensitive details sitting in a browser cache for months waiting for a wily hacker to pick them off," said Avast.
How Do you Clear Your Browser's Cache
Clearing your browser's cache is relatively straightforward, but the steps will depend on what browser you're on. PCMag offers these steps to clear the cache of the following browsers:
- Google Chrome: Three-dot menu on the upper right of the browser > More tools > Clear browsing data > Choose the timeframe of the data you want to delete
- Microsoft Edge: Hamburger menu > Settings > Settings > Privacy, search and services > Clear Browsing Data > Choose what to clear
- Mozilla Firefox: Hamburger menu > Options > Privacy & security
- Safari: History > Clear history > Pick timeframe if you want to delete both cookies and cache data. History > Show All History if you want to delete data of specific sites
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Isabella James
