Are you wondering where the internet keeps and remembers your visited sites and items?
The cache stores and remembers these sites and pages. It keeps codes, images, and other files. It keeps you from re-downloading them whenever you open your browser.
With the internet playing a major role in the current health crisis, it’s best to learn how to increase your web browsing efficiency.
Clearing your internet cache is a simple and effective habit for achieving this goal. Continue reading below for five key reasons to clear internet cache regularly. We’ll also list some methods of how to clear your cache.
1. Helps Avoid Website Tracking
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As you browse the internet, the websites you visit will remember. Failing to clear your cache makes it easy for businesses to retrace your activities.
You might feel clearing internet cache is a double-edged sword. After all, doing so will erase the sites you visit frequently. Bookmark these pages to ensure they’re accessible with a single click.
The trade-off is these pages will load slightly slower. However, it’s a small price to pay if you want to secure your online activities.
2. Fights Off the Bugs
When a website owner puts out an update, caching affects your browsing experience. After all, the internet cache stores a snapshot of the web pages. It means you can’t enjoy the updated version and your browsing experience becomes buggy.
The web page could show the wrong format. In some cases, it fails to load completely. Even when it does, it freezes up at a certain point.
Clearing your internet cache can eliminate website bugs instantly. It prevents the site from crashing whenever your visit.
3. Speeds Up Browser
You might ask, “how to speed up my computer?” The answer is by clearing your cache.
Your browser saves files through the cache and cookies. It uses the space on your hard drive. These are only a few KB in size, but they will add up over time.
As they accumulate, your browser requires more computing power. They need it to load web pages properly. The more computing power they need, the slower your computer becomes.
One of the easiest ways to speed up your computer is to clear your internet cache. It frees up your hard disk space and makes the browser more responsive.
4. Protects Your Login Credentials
Sometimes, you need to use public computers. For example, you’re sending emails or opening social media accounts. However, the computer will remember your login credentials.
Cybercrime cases rose as the current health situation worsened. Hackers use various tricks to steal your passwords. They can use the cache’s temporary files to spread malware.
Failing to clear the cache can be disastrous, especially when opening your online banking website on a public computer. The next user may see your personal information and use the data to access your bank account.
The hackers can change your password and lock you out. They can use your mobile number for illegal transactions. With that, stealing money from your account becomes easier.
5. Prolongs the Life of Your Computer
As the cache accumulates, it makes the hard disk slower. With your RAM space dwindling, they become more susceptible to viruses.
It’s only a matter of time before the malware enters your computer system. If you have no reputable antivirus software, your machine becomes infected.
When you clear the internet cache regularly, you can extend your computer’s lifespan since it frees more hard drive space. It speeds up your computer’s performance while boosting its security.
Clearing Cache on Mac
If you’re using Safari Version 2 or newer, go to “Safari” then hit “Preferences.” Click the “Advanced” tab. Tick the box saying “Show Develop menu in the menu bar.”
Close the “Preferences” window to reveal the “Develop” menu. Select “Develop” and hit “Empty Caches” to complete the process.
If you have Safari 7 or older, go to “Safari” and select “Empty Cache.” For Safari 8 to 10 users, open the “Develop” menu. Select “Empty Caches” to free it up.
Visit https://setapp.com/ to learn more about clearing browser history for Mac.
Clearing Your Google Chrome Cache
Open the Chrome menu and select “More Tools/Clear Browsing Data.” Go to “Time range:” and pick “All time.” Uncheck the “Browsing history” option.
Select “Cached images and files” and “Cookies and other site data.” Click on the “Clear Data” button to finish the process. Remember, clearing the cache is different from clearing the browser history.
Freeing Up Cache on Mozilla Firefox
Go to “Tools” and select the “Clear Recent History” option. Look for “Time range to clear” and pick “Everything.” Open the Details section and unselect all except for “Cache” and “Cookies.”
Hit “Delete” to complete the process.
Clearing the Opera Browser Cache
On the Opera screen, go to the top left portion and hit the Opera icon. Look for “More Tools,” then select “Clear browsing data.”
Go to “Obliterate the following items from:” then set it to at least “the last 4 weeks.” Uncheck everything except the “Cached images and files” box. Click “Clear browsing data” to clear the cache.
Removing Cached Files on Internet Explorer
For older computers using Internet Explorer, click on the “Tools” icon. Select “Internet Options,” then go to the General tab.
Select “Delete Browsing History.” Uncheck all options except for “Temporary Internet files and website files” and “Cookies.” Hit “Delete” to clear the cache.
Clear Internet Cache for Microsoft Edge Users
Go to the menu on the right and hit “Settings.” Look for the “Privacy, search, and services” tab in the “Clear browsing data.” Select “Choose what to clear.”
Look for “Time range” and set it to “All Time.” Like with Firefox, uncheck all except for “Cached images and files” and “Cookies and other site data.”
Become a Better Computer Owner
Learning how to clear internet cache will improve your browsing experience. It will also boost your online security and extend the life of your device. Use the steps mentioned above to keep your browser clean.
However, clearing your cache is only one of the many tricks to learn. Study other ways to optimize your computer speed for a better experience.
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