Clear the cache and cookies in Chrome, Edge and Firefox

The cache keeps copies of pages and images so sites load faster; cookies keep you signed in. Clearing them fixes pages that look broken, load old content or refuse to sign you in. Deleting cookies signs you out of most sites.

Time
A minute
Level
Easy

Before you start

  • Clearing cookies signs you out of most websites. Make sure you know your passwords, or keep cookies checked off and clear only the cache.
  • For one page only, try a hard reload first: press Ctrl + F5 in Chrome, Edge or Firefox on Windows. It reloads the page without using the cache.

Chrome

Steps written for Chrome for Windows (screenshot: Windows 11 26H2).

  1. Open Delete browsing data

    Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete. Or select More (the three dots at the top right) > Delete browsing data.

  2. Choose how far back to delete

    Select a time range at the top, such as Last hour. To clear everything, open More next to the ranges and choose All time.

  3. Choose what to delete

    Check Cached images and files. Check Cookies and other site data too if a site will not sign you in. Uncheck anything you want to keep.

    Chrome Delete browsing data dialog with Cached images and files checked
    Chrome: Delete browsing data, with the time ranges at the top. Screenshot: Windows 11 26H2
  4. Delete the data

    Select Delete from this device.

Steps checked against Google Help: Clear cache & cookies; our screenshot of Chrome on Windows 11 26H2 on Oct 3, 2026.

If the site still does not work

  1. Close every window of the browser and open it again.
  2. Open the site in a private window. If it works there, an extension is the likely cause: Remove a browser extension On 2-Spyware.
  3. If the browser opens pages you did not ask for or its search engine changed, follow Reset a browser and fix a hijacked search engine On 2-Spyware.

Clear the data every time you close the browser

  • Edge: on the same Clear browsing data page, open Choose what to clear every time you close the browser and turn on the items you want.
  • Firefox: in Settings > Privacy & Security, in the History section choose to use custom settings for history, check Clear history when Firefox closes, then pick the items under Settings….

Used in 1 guide

Sources

  1. Google Help: Clear cache & cookies (computer) (read Oct 3, 2026)
  2. Microsoft Support: View and delete browser history in Microsoft Edge (read Oct 3, 2026)
  3. Mozilla Support: How to clear the Firefox cache (read Oct 3, 2026)

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