Clearing the Cache and Performing a Hard Reload

When a webpage is not loading properly, clearing the cache and performing a hard reload can often resolve the issue. Here’s why this works

Yeran Kods

Published in

Nerd For Tech

2 min readJun 23, 2024

Reasons to Empty Cache and Hard Reload

Cached Files May Be Outdated:

Browsers store copies of web pages, images, scripts, and other files in a cache to load websites faster on subsequent visits. If the website has updated content or scripts but the browser is still using the old cached files, it can cause the page to load incorrectly or not at all.
Emptying the cache ensures that the browser fetches the latest version of all files from the server.

2. Corrupted Cache:

Sometimes the cached files can become corrupted. This corruption can cause various issues, such as incomplete loading of the webpage or malfunctioning scripts.
Clearing the cache removes these corrupted files, forcing the browser to download fresh, uncorrupted versions.

3. Browser Cache Conflicts:

Changes to the website’s backend or front-end code, especially with JavaScript or CSS files, can lead to conflicts with the cached versions stored in the browser.
By clearing the cache, these conflicts are resolved, allowing the webpage to load the latest version without conflicts.

4. Improving Performance:

Clearing cache and performing a hard reload can improve the performance of the webpage by ensuring that the browser is not using old or unnecessary files.
This can be especially useful if the website has undergone significant updates or optimizations.

How to Perform Empty Cache and Hard Reload

Google Chrome:

Open the Chrome Developer Tools by pressing F12 or Ctrl + Shift + I (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + Option + I (Mac)
Right-click on the refresh button (next to the address bar).
Select “Empty Cache and Hard Reload”.

Mozilla Firefox:

Open the Developer Tools by pressing F12 or Ctrl + Shift + I (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + Option + I (Mac).
Right-click on the refresh button (next to the address bar).
Select “Empty Cache and Hard Reload”.

Safari:

Enable the Develop menu (if not already enabled) by going to Safari > Preferences > Advanced and checking “Show Develop menu in menu bar”.
Open the Developer Tools by pressing Option + Cmd + C.
Click on the Develop menu and select “Empty Caches”.

By following these steps, you ensure that the browser reloads the webpage with the latest files from the server, which can often resolve issues caused by outdated or corrupted cache files.

Hope you learned something new.❤️

Connect with me via;