Alex was confused.
He had refreshed the web page in his browser three times, and still wasn’t able to see the new photos and content on the web page I had updated, at his request, on his company’s website.
He sent me a message, explaining the issue. “What am I missing? Any idea what’s going on?”
“I’m not sure. What browser are you using?” I asked.
“I’m on my Chromebook; I’m using Chrome,” Alex replied.
“Thank you for the info. Have you cleared your browser cache?” I asked.
“Hmmm. What’s a browser cache? And how do I do it?”
Refresh Your Cache
If you’ve ever done technical support for your clients, friends, or family, explaining how to clear the browser cache is a lot easier now with Refresh Your Cache.
The online site explains what a cache is and offers step-by-step instructions with screenshots on how to clear cache in multiple browsers, phones, and operating systems.
Refresh Your Cache makes it straightforward for you to select the cache instructions for your browser. You simply select one of the browser icons from the home page, which includes:
- Google Chrome
- Mozilla Firefox
- Apple Safari
- Internet Explorer
- Opera
- Android
- iOS
- Windows Phone
Or, if you’d rather, you can select from the menu options. You can choose by desktop operating system (Windows or Apple) or mobile operating system (Windows Phone, iOS, or Android. Sorry, no BlackBerry). Once you choose the operating system, you can drill down to the browser.
I found the site easy to use, and shared it with some of my online friends and family members. “This is a great resource, ” one of my colleagues said on an online forum.
I thought so, too. The only thing I found missing on the site was how to clear the cache on a Nexus 7 tablet. So I’ve included those instructions.
A couple things to know: if you have a Nexus 7, you can clear the cache for all applications or clear cached data for individual applications.
To clear the cache for all Nexus 7 applications:
- Open Settings
- Select Storage
- Select Cached Data
- Confirm Clear Cached Data
To clear the cache for individual Nexus 7 applications, select Settings > Apps > Open an Application. Select Clear Cache.
I’d love to find out why Refresh Your Cache chose the label “Apple” rather than Mac. I would have used Mac, since I use Microsoft and Apple to describe the companies, and Windows and Mac to describe their desktop products.
Perhaps their usability testing showed people better understood Apple than Mac?
