How to Clear Cache and Cookies on a Browser

There’s a reason for this: cookies are stored on your device. Technically, cookies are small blocks of data that a web server collects when you visit a website. Both users and websites benefit from these cookie files.

From a user’s perspective, cookies help avoid having to log into a website repeatedly. Cookies are used by websites to analyze their visitors and display advertisements based on those analyses. While cookies have many advantages, they can be harmful if they are corrupted. The purpose of this article is to explain what cookies are and how to deal with corrupted ones.

How to Clear Caches and Cookies from Your Browser

At the beginning of this article, we discussed the major benefits of cookies and cache files, as well as the harm caused by corrupted cookies and caches. I’m sure you’ve also encountered this problem in the past, where visiting a website frequently results in numerous errors, such as Error 500 (internal server) and Error 502 (invalid gateway).

To resolve this issue, we need to delete the corrupted cookies stored on our device. However, the process of deleting these cookies can be confusing, as there are a wide variety of web browsers and devices available today. In this article, we will clear up this confusion and discuss the steps for clearing cookies and cache files in different browsers.

Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge, the web browser developed by Microsoft, offers a seamless browsing experience due to its ecosystem. If you’ve used Edge, you know how smoothly it syncs between your phone and PC. To clear the cache and cookies on Edge, follow these steps:

Note: These steps can be used on any device running Microsoft Edge. Although navigation may vary, the options will remain the same.

• Open Microsoft Edge on your device.
• Go to the “Settings & More” option.
• Select “Settings” and then “Privacy, Search, and Services.”
• Under “Clear browsing data,” select a time range.
• Select “Cookies and other site data.”
• Lastly, tap on “Clear now,” and you’re done.

Google Chrome

Google Chrome, another tech giant known for its search engine, is a popular web browser for its capabilities. However, like any browser, it also stores cache files. If you’re a Chrome user and want to delete the cache and cookies, follow these steps:

• Open Google Chrome on your device.
• Navigate to the “More” option.
• Tap on “More tools” and then “Clear browsing data.”
• Choose the time range in which you want to clear the cache.
• Mark the boxes for “Clear cache” and “Cookies and other site data.”
• Lastly, tap on “Clear data,” and you’re done.

Internet Explorer 11

Internet Explorer 11 Even though many users prefer to use Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge on the desktop, some users still prefer Internet Explorer 11. The reason is that they like the way the browser presents options. So, if you want to clear the cache and cookies in this browser, follow these steps:

• Open Internet Explorer 11.
• From the main toolbar, choose the “Settings” option.
• Click on “Options” and locate “History.”
• Under the “History” tab, click on “Select” and mark the boxes for “Cookies.”
• Lastly, click “Delete” and enjoy error-free browsing.

Safari

Apple Safari is a unique web browser available on various Apple devices. Even though Apple claims that Safari leaves no room for error, the browser still stores cache files, and if they become corrupt, they can cause browsing errors. So, to clear cookies in Safari, follow these instructions:

• Open the Safari app on your device.
• Look for the “Settings” option.
• Click on “Settings” and then “Advanced Settings.”
• Under “Advanced,” click on “Website data.”
• Lastly, tap “Remove all data,” and you’re done.

Mozilla Firefox

Another top-rated browser that people use on their smartphones, tablets, and computers is Mozilla Firefox. Besides being open-source, Firefox also offers the most optimal possible experience for its users. However, the problem of corrupted cache files still arises. If you’re a Firefox user and want to clear cookies, follow these steps:

• Open the Mozilla Firefox app.
• From the in-app menu, click “Settings.”
• Select the “Privacy and Security” option.
• Under the “Cookies and site data” section, click on the “Manage data” button.
• Now click on “Remove all items shown” and click on “Save changes.”
• That’s it; you’re done.

Opera

In addition to other browsers, Opera has an in-built VPN service. If you browse the Internet, you might see a few errors. In the meantime, there is also the issue of corrupted cookies. In such a case, you need to delete the cache and cookies. Follow these steps if you want to do that:

• Open the Opera application.
• Select the “Settings” option from there.
• Under “Settings” >> “Privacy & Security,”
• Now select “Clear browsing data” and select the time range.
• After that, choose the “Cache Files” and “Cookies” options.
• Lastly, clear your browsing data, and you’re done.

Besides that, if you’re using Internet Explorer, Edge, Google Chrome, or Mozilla Firefox, you can immediately clear cache files using a keyboard shortcut: CTRL + SHIFT + Delete. Press this key combination and delete the cache and cookies immediately. Here is a simple guide to clearing cookies. If you have questions, please ask them below.

Frequently Asked Questions