How to clear browser cache and cookies in Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox to fix loading issues

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How to clear browser cache and cookies in Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox to fix loading issues. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

If a website is failing to load, showing outdated content, or refusing to accept your login credentials, the issue is often caused by corrupted or stale data stored locally in your browser. Clearing your cache and cookies forces the browser to fetch fresh copies of web pages and resets any stored session information. This guide walks you through the process in Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Safari and Mozilla Firefox.

What Are Cache and Cookies?

Before diving in, it helps to understand what you are actually clearing:

• Cache: Temporary files such as images, scripts and stylesheets that your browser saves to make websites load faster on repeat visits.
• Cookies: Small pieces of data that websites use to remember your preferences, login sessions and other settings.

Before You Begin

• Make sure you have your passwords handy. Clearing cookies will sign you out of most websites.
• Close any tabs you have open that you do not want to lose.
• If you only want to clear data for one specific site, most browsers allow you to do this without affecting other sites.

Google Chrome

Desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux)

1. Open Chrome and click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner.
2. Select Settings, then click Privacy and security in the left-hand menu.
3. Click Delete browsing data.
4. Choose a Time range. For most issues, select All time.
5. Tick the boxes for Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files.
6. Click Delete data.

Shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + Delete on Windows or Command + Shift + Delete on macOS.

Mobile (Android)

1. Tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner.
2. Tap History, then Delete browsing data.
3. Select All time as the time range.
4. Tick Cookies and site data and Cached images and files.
5. Tap Delete browsing data, then confirm.

Mobile (iOS)

1. Tap the three-dot menu at the bottom of the screen.
2. Tap Settings > Privacy.
3. Tap Clear Browsing Data.
4. Select Cookies, Site Data and Cached Images and Files.
5. Tap Clear Browsing Data and confirm.

Microsoft Edge

Desktop (Windows and macOS)

1. Open Edge and click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner.
2. Select Settings.
3. Click Privacy, search, and services in the left-hand menu.
4. Under Clear browsing data, click Choose what to clear.
5. Select All time from the time range dropdown.
6. Tick Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files.
7. Click Clear now.

Shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + Delete on Windows or Command + Shift + Delete on macOS.

Mobile (Android)

1. Tap the three-dot menu at the bottom of the screen.
2. Tap Settings > Privacy and security.
3. Tap Clear browsing data.
4. Select Cookies and site data and Cached images and files.
5. Tap Clear browsing data and confirm.

Mobile (iOS)

1. Tap the three-dot menu at the bottom of the screen.
2. Tap Settings > Privacy and security.
3. Tap Clear Browsing Data.
4. Select Cookies and Site Data and Cached Images and Files.
5. Tap Clear Browsing Data and confirm.

Safari

macOS

1. Open Safari and click Safari in the menu bar at the top of the screen.
2. Select Settings (or Preferences on older versions).
3. Click the Privacy tab.
4. Click Manage Website Data.
5. Click Remove All, then confirm by clicking Remove Now.

iOS (iPhone and iPad)

1. Open the Settings app on your device.
2. Scroll down and tap Safari.
3. Tap Clear History and Website Data.
4. Confirm by tapping Clear History and Data.

Mozilla Firefox

Desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux)

1. Open Firefox and click the three-line menu (hamburger icon) in the top-right corner.
2. Select Settings.
3. Click Privacy & Security in the left-hand menu.
4. Scroll down to Cookies and Site Data and click Clear Data.
5. Tick both Cookies and Site Data and Temporary Cached Files and Pages.
6. Click Clear, then confirm.

Shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + Delete on Windows or Command + Shift + Delete on macOS.

Mobile (Android)

1. Tap the three-dot menu in the bottom-right corner.
2. Tap Settings > Delete browsing data.
3. Tick Cookies and Cached files.
4. Tap Delete browsing data and confirm.

Mobile (iOS)

1. Tap the three-dot menu at the bottom of the screen.
2. Tap Settings > Data Management.
3. Toggle on Cookies and Cache.
4. Tap Clear Private Data and confirm.

Clearing Data for a Single Website

If only one website is misbehaving, you can clear data just for that site without logging yourself out of everything else.

• Chrome and Edge: Click the padlock icon in the address bar > Site settings > Clear data.
• Firefox: Click the padlock icon > Clear cookies and site data > Remove.
• Safari (macOS): Go to Safari > Settings > Privacy > Manage Website Data, then search for and remove the specific site.

Troubleshooting After Clearing

If clearing cache and cookies does not resolve the issue, try the following:

• Restart your browser completely. Make sure it is fully closed, not just minimised.
• Test in a private or incognito window. If the site works there, the issue is almost certainly related to stored data or an extension.
• Disable browser extensions temporarily, particularly ad blockers, privacy tools or VPN add-ons.
• Try a different browser to confirm whether the issue is browser-specific.
• Restart your computer and network equipment, including your router and modem.

When to Escalate

If you have worked through this guide and the website is still not loading correctly, the team at 220 can investigate further. Please include the following details when you get in touch:

• The exact website URL you are having trouble with
• The browser and version you are using
• Any error messages you are seeing
• Steps you have already attempted

To get help, Open a Ticket through the 220 support portal and one of our technicians will assist you.

Still Having Issues?