How To: Clearing Cache & Cookies in Edge and Chrome

How to clear your Internet browser's cache and cookies.  Clearing cache and cookies can be helpful for a few different reasons, mostly related to improving your browsing experience or fixing specific issues.  It’s not usually something you need to do often, but if you're running into issues or just want to refresh things, it can be a good, quick fix.

• Cache: Your browser stores cached files (images, scripts, etc.) to load websites faster the next time you visit them. However, over time, this cache can take up a lot of space and slow down your browser or cause it to behave erratically.
• Cookies: These are small files that websites store on your device to remember things like login info, site preferences, and tracking data. Accumulated cookies can also slow things down or cause issues with websites not loading properly.

• Sometimes, old or corrupted cache files can cause a website to not load properly. Clearing the cache forces the browser to fetch fresh content from the site, potentially solving the problem.

• Cookies can track your browsing habits, so if you're concerned about privacy or if you're on a shared device, clearing them removes this tracking information.
• For security, clearing cookies can log you out of websites, so it's a good step if you're worried about your account security.

• If you’re having trouble with a site or app (e.g., it’s stuck on a login page or showing outdated content), clearing the cache and cookies can help. Sometimes errors stem from outdated information stored in your browser.

• Occasionally, a website's content may change, but your browser might still show you the old version (because it’s relying on cached files). Clearing the cache ensures you're seeing the most up-to-date version of a site.

Steps:

1. Open Edge.
2. Click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner.
3. Go to Settings.
4. In the left sidebar, select Privacy, search, and services.
5. Scroll down to Clear browsing data and click Choose what to clear.
6. Choose the Time range (e.g., Last hour, All time).
7. Check the boxes for:
   • Cookies and other site data
   • Cached images and files
8. Click Clear now.

1. Open Chrome.
2. Click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner.
3. Go to Settings.
4. In the left sidebar, click Privacy and security.
5. Click Clear browsing data.
6. Under the Basic tab:
   • Choose Time range (e.g., Last hour, All time).
   • Check:
     • Cookies and other site data
     • Cached images and files
7. Click Clear data.

If you still continue to have issues with the retrieval, please submit a ticket request or call IT.