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How to Clear Your Browser's Cache

In order to ensure that web pages load as quickly as possible, most browsers employ a technique known as "caching". Caching means that the browser stores every image and file that it encounters, so if it is used again the browser can simply load the file from the cache (which is stored on your computer) rather than downloading it again from the website.

An example of this might be the banner of a site - it is shown on every page of the website, so the browser just downloads it the first time it encounters it, and then on all other pages it will load the stored version instead, making the page load much faster.

However, sometimes the cache can cause problems. If a file in the cache becomes corrupted, for instance, it can stop a website functioning correctly. Also, the web developer may have changed an image on the website (which is very common if your website is in development), but you don't see it because the old, stored version is being used instead.

In these instances, you need to clear the cache in order to delete all of the temporary files and ensure that you are viewing the newest versions of everything on the internet. If you need to clear your cache, select the browser you are using from the list below for a step-by-step guide.

• Internet Explorer 6
• Mozilla Firefox
• Google Chrome
• Apple Safari