What does it mean to clear the cache: why clear it + 3 ways to clear your computer + clearing the cache of 4 types of browsers + 2 ways to clear memory on Android + 3 ways to clean iPhone.

Computers, tablets, phones need proper operation and technical support, if you want their work to be correct, fast and uninterrupted.

One of the most important manipulations for keeping your PC in shape is the decision to clear the cache.

Let's take a look what does clear cache mean?, and how to do it on different browsers and operating systems.

What is cache?

Cache– this is an ultra-random access memory (buffer) for temporary data with high access speed and limited volume.

It is needed to speed up access to data that is used frequently. Caching is used central processor PC, hard drives, browsers.

Browser cache– storage of temporary data downloaded from network resources. The Internet browser saves temporary documents on the PC hard drive.

When pages from the Internet are viewed in a browser, it automatically saves some parts of the page to the computer’s memory so that when viewing the page again, it takes data not from the site server, but from the system’s memory, which greatly increases the speed of opening the page.

The caching process is easy to verify.
Open any site new to your browser, then close it.
When you open it again, the site will load much faster than the first time.

The Internet browser does not cache all files and data. This depends on the settings of each site that the webmaster sets.

What does clear cache mean?

The cleaning process involves deleting temporary files saved when working with data and sites. What does "clear cache" mean? Erase all graphics and text files.

In the next browser session, it will again take information from the site server and again save the received data into the system memory.

Why clear the cache?

Since temporary documents are saved on the computer’s hard drive, over time they take up extra space, which affects the speed of work operating system.

This affects both the operation of the computer itself and the operation of the browser.

If several browsers are used, each of them stores data in the system memory, then the information is duplicated.
Accordingly, it takes up more space.

There is another reason why you need to clear memory: by pulling data from hard drive, and not from the server, the Internet browser may not show updates that have occurred on the site.

How to clear the cache on your computer?

Cleaning unnecessary computer files cannot be called a simple procedure, unlike similar cleaning of the browser.

But if your PC begins to freeze, it is highly likely that such cleaning will help restore its performance.

Let's consider the process of deleting temporary documents for the most popular operating system - Windows.

When cleaning, you can use built-in tools or special programs. Standard cleaning Windows tools considered more effective, but requires more time and skill.

Standard Windows cleaning consists of 3 points:

  • clear cached DNS memory (a system for obtaining information about domains);
  • deleting cached files from thumbnails (folder with thumbnails of viewed images);
  • clear cache memory.

a) Clear DNS cache

Clearing the DNS cache is done using the command line. Go to “Start”, select “All Programs”, after “Accessories”, from the drop-down menu open “ Command line».

In the program that appears, enter the command “ipconfig /flushdns” without parentheses.

As a result, the computer itself clears the DNS of unnecessary data.

b) Clearing thumbnails cache

Clearing the thumbnails cache is done using a standard program.

To run it, follow this path:

  1. Go to the Start menu.
  2. Find “ All programs” in it.
  3. Then " Standard programs».
  4. Then "Service".
  5. And finally, “Disk Cleanup”.

You will see the “Select disk” window. Choose hard drive, on which the Windows OS is located (usually on drive C).

Your thumbnails cache is now empty.

c) Clear cache


Another way to remove unnecessary temporary documents from your computer

shown in the video:

And don’t forget to empty the Trash, the data in it can also take up a lot of space.

d) Special programs for clearing the cache


It’s convenient to use to clear unnecessary data from your computer’s RAM. special programs.

There are many such services developed, but the most popular is Ccleaner.

This program is free. Finding it on the Internet and downloading it to your computer is not difficult.

The official website of the developers, from which you can also download free version programs: http://www.piriform.com/CCLEANER

You can also use the online version without installation on your PC.

To clean your PC using CCleaner, open the program in the “Cleaning” tab.

On the Windows tab, you can select the data you want to delete. Usually automatic setting defines such documents quite accurately.

The program will delete unnecessary files from a computer, including those saved by Internet browsers, and from other things software.

Click on the “Analysis” button and wait for it to finish. After that, click “Cleanup”.

How to clear browser cache?

If there is no need to delete all temporary documents from your computer, then you can simply clear the memory of Internet browsers. Cleaning methods differ slightly for different Internet browsers.

1) How to clear memory in Internet Explorer?

On the taskbar or in the main menu, find “Tools” and then “Internet Options”.

In the window that appears, you need the “General” tab, where there is a “Browsing history” area. There is a button “Delete...”. By clicking on this button, you will see a window appear with a list of documents for disposal.

The necessary files are already selected automatically, but you can independently mark which data should be deleted. After clicking the “Delete” button, temporary documents will be erased.

2) Clear memory in Firefox


From the main screen, open Settings. In the window that appears, find “Additional” and go to “Network”.

This tab contains a “Cached Web Content” area with a “Clear Now” button. Click on it, and Firefox will run the analysis and erase what is unnecessary.

3) Cleaning memory in Google Chrome

IN Google Chrome find “Tools”, then “Show additional settings».

In some versions of the Internet browser, the path is as follows: “Additional tools” - “Deleting data on pages viewed.”

By selecting this item, you will see the “Clear history” window.

Set the recycling period to “All time” and select “Cookies and other site data” and “Images stored in the cache.” At the end, you need to click on “Clear history”.

4) Clearing memory in Opera

Go to the "Settings" section. In the window that appears, open the “Security” tab. There is a “Privacy” area with a “Clear browsing history” button, click on it.

In the window that appears, select the period “From the very beginning” and mark what data needs to be disposed of. Click on “Clear browsing history”. Ready.

How to clear the cache on your phone?

Modern phones, or rather smartphones and tablets, need the same maintenance as personal computers.

They also need to dispose of unnecessary documents. And this should be done more often than on a PC, since the amount of RAM is smaller and the system quickly begins to slow down.

1) Clear memory on Android

In the operating room Android system There are 3 types of cached memory:

  • dalvik-Cache – optimized application files are stored here;
  • system cache - files are written to it system programs;
  • application cache – files of applications such as Internet browsers, games, etc. are saved here.

To clean them, you can use several methods: manually using a standard built-in utility or using additional software.

Ways to clear memory on Android:

For example, consider the Clean Master program:


How to remove temporary RAM using CCleaner

watch in the video:

2) Clear cache on iPhone


Don’t forget to periodically clear your computer and phone of temporary files, because now you know what does clear cache mean?– free up space and make the system easier to operate, thereby increasing its performance and speed.

First of all, let's figure out what it is browser cache. The web pages you view on the Internet consist of many files:

  • CSS styles,
  • JavaScript scripts,
  • pictures and photos,
  • audio and video,
  • the web page itself is text document, marked in a special way, collecting all these files into a common whole.

When you first visit a site, the browser saves the files that make up the web pages to disk. This special storage on your computer is called browser cache. When you visit the site again, there is no need to download all this stuff to your computer again, since the browser has already saved them in cache. This saves traffic and precious time.

Over time, however, this storage can grow to monstrous proportions. And even if you no longer visit the pages to which most of the files belong, they are still stored on your computer. Do you need it?

So if you ask me: “Should I clear my browser cache?” I will answer you: “We must!”

How to properly clear your browser cache

So how do you clear your browser cache? It’s very simple: read the section dedicated to your favorite browser, follow the instructions and enjoy life.

Select browser:

How to clear Yandex browser cache

1. You can clear the Yandex browser cache by clicking on the button at the very top of the program window:

2. Hover your mouse over the item “ Additionally" and in the drop-down menu click on the line " Clear history».

However, you can also call this window using a hotkey combination Ctrl+Shift+Del from any open tab.

4. In the drop-down list, select the time for which you want to delete your browsing history, and also check the boxes “ Files saved in cache", and also optionally " Cookies and other site data" All other checkboxes can be cleared.

5. Press the button " Clear history».

How to clear Google Chrome browser cache

1. You can clear the Chrome browser cache by going through the main menu to the “Settings” menu item

2. On the page that opens, click on the button “ Clear history" in the section " Personal information" For this section to appear (hidden by default), you must click on the link at the bottom of the page “ Show advanced settings».

3. In the window that appears “ Clear history» Specify in the drop-down list the period for which you want to delete your browsing history. Then check only the checkboxes " Images and other files saved in cache" If necessary, you can also check the box “ Cookies and other site and plugin data».

4. Confirm your actions by clicking on the “ Clear history»

How to clear Opera browser cache

1. Go to the main menu, find the item “ Settings» ( Alt+P)

2. Click in the left menu the item “ Safety»

3. In the section " Confidentiality» click on the button « Clear browsing history...»

Call the window " Clear browsing history"You can also use hotkeys Ctrl+Shift+Del

4. In the drop-down list next to “ Destroy the following items“Select the period for which we want to destroy this data.

5. Leave only the “ Clear cache", and if necessary, also delete cookies " Delete cookies and other site data»

6. Press the button " Clear browsing history».

How to clear Mozilla Firefox browser cache

1. Look for the settings icon in the right corner and click. A drop-down window with menu options appears. We find the item “ Settings».

2. On the tab " Privacy" looking for the link " delete your recent history».

3. However, the fastest way is to use hotkeys to clear the browser cache: Ctrl+Shift+Del.

4. In this window " Deleting recent history" in the drop-down list " Delete» select the period for which you want to delete the history.

5. Next, expand the menu “ Details" and check only the box " Cache"if you want to reset the cache Firefox browser. If necessary, check the box next to " Cookies"if you want to clear your browser cache and cookies.

6. Confirm your actions by clicking on the “ Delete now».

How to clear Internet Explorer browser cache

Depending on version Internet Explorer, the settings responsible for clearing the cache may be located in different points menu.

How to find out your IE version:

  1. In the main menu of IE, look for the item “ Reference"(Help). If you don't see the menu, hold down Alt.
  2. In the drop-down menu " Reference"find the item " About the program»
  3. The window that appears will tell you your Internet version Explorer.

IE 6

Service Alt.
Internet Options»
3. In the tab " General» press the button « Delete files»
Ok»
5. To close the window " Internet Options", click again " Ok».

IE 7

1. In the main menu, select the item “ Service" If you don't see a menu item, click Alt.
2. In the menu that opens, click on the line “ Delete browsing history»
3. In the section " Temporary Internet files» press the button « Delete files»
4. Confirm your actions by pressing “ Yes»
5. To close the window " Delete browsing history", click " Close».

IE 8.9

1. In the main menu, look for the item “ Service" If you see it, try holding down the key Alt.
2. In the menu " Service"find the item " Delete browsing history»
3. Check the box “ Temporary Internet files" Uncheck all other boxes.
4. Confirm your actions with the “ Delete».

IE 10.11

1. Go to the menu “ Service" by clicking on the gear icon in the upper right corner:

Note: to clear the browser cache, hotkeys are very useful: press and hold simultaneously Ctrl+Shift+Del, we see the same window.

  • Even more useful

2. In the window " Deleting review history"Uncheck all the boxes, leaving a checkmark only in the item" Temporary Internet and Website Files" If you want to clear your browser cache and cookies, then you need to leave the checkbox next to the “ Cookies and website data».

3. Press the button " Delete».

How to clear Amigo browser cache from Mail.ru

1. How to clear the Amigo browser cache, if you suddenly happen to become the unfortunate owner of this, so to speak, “browser”.

2. Just delete it - that's my sincere advice!

How to Clear Safari Browser Cache

1. In the main menu Safari browser find the item " Safari", and then " Reset Safari»

2. In the window that opens, check the box “ Delete all website data", it is better to leave all other checkboxes unchecked.

3. Press the button " Reset».

Have you encountered any difficulties while clearing your browser cache?

In your browser. As an example, I will use the most popular programs at the moment, such as Google Chrome, Opera, Mozilla. This operation is usually performed according to one pattern. That is, you need to go to the settings, find the menu with the saved browsing history, where you need to select deleting the cache. But this article is intended for beginners, so I will describe in more detail how to clear the cache.

Preparation

First, it’s worth understanding why you need to periodically delete the cache. Cache is a temporary computer memory that allows you to store some information on the clipboard. With its help, you can access files (in this case from the Internet) without even connecting to the network. But sometimes the cache memory becomes full, which can cause some problems. For example, the browser will begin to interpret information incorrectly or even begin to refuse to receive new information. The latter rarely happens, but sometimes it happens. Clearing the browser cache should occur at certain intervals. It all depends on the characteristics of your computer and the amount of cache memory allocated. It will be difficult for the browser to navigate through a large number of files. Moreover, most of them will never be needed again. Next, you'll learn how to clear the cache in some specific programs. A universal method for performing this operation will also be outlined.

  1. Open your browser. Go to the settings menu. To do this, click on the button located to the right of the address bar. In the drop-down menu, find the “History” item. You can use the key combination Ctrl + H.
  2. At the top there will be a “Clear history” button, click on it. You will see a new window where you need to check the “Clear cache” checkbox. Next, click “Clear history.”
  3. Please note that at the top of this window there is an additional menu where you can select the time interval for which the cache was accumulated.

  1. Open your browser. Go to the settings menu. To do this, in the upper left part of the screen, find the button labeled “Opera”, or on home page program, press the Alt key on your keyboard. In the drop-down list, find the “History” item. You can use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + H.
  2. You will see a window open where all previously visited sites will be listed. At the very top there will be a “Clear browsing history” button. Click on it.
  3. A new window should appear again. Check the box next to “Clear cache”. Click on the inscription “Clear history...”. Here you can also select the required time interval.

  1. Open your browser. Go to the settings menu. To do this, in the upper left side of the screen, find the button labeled “Firefox”. On the right side of the drop-down menu, find “History”, where you need to select “Erase recent history”. You can use the hotkeys Ctrl + Shift + Del.
  2. Check the box next to “Clear cache”. Click on “Clean Now”. In the same window there is a window for selecting a time interval.

Universal method

If you use several browsers at once, you can clear the cache of all these browsers in one program. Now there are many utilities for performing such an operation. I recommend you use CCleaner program. The interface of this software is very simple and intuitive. Therefore, everyone can cope.

Conclusion

The question “how to clear the cache” is very often asked. inexperienced users PC. Various forums interpret their instructions and methods. I suggest using only standard means programs. Now, I hope you know how to clear the cache in your browser.

Not everyone knows about this, but there is one very simple and quick way to clear cache and cookies any browser. You only need to remember one keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+Delete. While in any browser, hold down these three keys on the keyboard, and then all you have to do is choose what exactly to delete and for what period.

How to clear cache and cookies in Mozilla Firefox

So, let's press Ctrl+Shift+Del on the keyboard in the browser Mozilla Firefox. The following window will appear:
Click on it “ Details” and uncheck the extra checkboxes if you want. Leave cookies and cache. Then, here at the top in the drop-down list, select: for what period to delete data (you can select “ All”).

After that, click the “ Delete now

That's it! In other browsers everything works similarly.

How to clear cache and cookies in Internet Explorer

IN Internet Explorer press on the keyboard Ctrl+Shift+Del. In the window that opens, leave the following flags:

  • Temporary Internet and Website Files
  • Cookies and website data

Then click the “ Delete" and wait for the operation to complete:

How to clear cache and cookies in Opera

In the browser Opera press on the keyboard Ctrl+Shift+Del. In the window that opens, select a period from the drop-down list (you can select “ from the very beginning"). Leave the flags below:

  • Cookies and other site data
  • Cached images and files

Then click the “ Clear browsing history” and wait for the operation to complete:

How to clear cache and cookies in Google Chrome

In the browser Google Chrome press on your keyboard Ctrl+Shift+Del. In the window that opens, select the period (you can “ for all time"), then leave the flags:

  • Cookies and other site and plugin data
  • Images and other files saved in cache

After that, click the “ Clear history” and wait for the operation to complete.

Caching objects during application operation is one of the fundamental principles of data storage and processing, which is used by all programs, including browsers. The article will tell you how to clear the browser cache and help you understand the sequence of actions if there is a need for manual clearing.

The physical placement of the cache on the device, and working with it using built-in tools, differs for different browsers, but there are general concepts.

What is cache?

In the “Settings” menu, you need to select the “Applications” section, find the browser in the list and open its settings. Further actions depend on the Android version. The “Clear cache” button may be on the main application settings screen, or you will first have to open the “Storage” option - the button will be in this section.

The example uses the Chrome browser, but this is not important. Clearing the cache on a mobile device is a function of the operating system, not the application. The cache of any other browser will be cleared in the same way.

Manual cleaning is rarely done, in emergency situations and when incorrect operation browser. You should not clear it unless necessary; the programs themselves monitor the correctness and relevance of the cache contents.

The network offers various utilities that automatically, on a schedule, or manually, remove “garbage” and free up disk space, including cache. They can be used, but the built-in tools will handle the task of deleting buffered data better and more correctly.

Finding the folder on the disk containing the cache files is easy. In the Mozilla browser, for example, the address about:Cache is used for this; in response, the disk path and cache parameters are displayed on the screen. Theoretically, you can open this folder in Explorer and delete all files from it. But this is incorrect, and it is better not to do this.

Forced indication of the drive and directory for the browser cache, as well as the cache size, is done through the settings, in the same section where cleaning is provided.

Exception - Google browser Chrome and clones based on its engine. In this browser, restriction and redirection are done through launch string parameters.

In the shortcut, in the “Object” field, after the closing quotes, enter a string of two keys:

--disk-cache-dir=d:ttemp --disk-cache-size=104857600

The double dash before the key is not a typo, it’s correct.

The key—disk-cache-dir specifies the directory, in the example the ttemp directory on drive D:

The --disk-cache-size switch specifies the maximum cache size in bytes. In the example, the limit is set to 100 Mb.

Conclusion

Periodically cleaning your computer, or mobile device, is necessary. Unnecessary, unused files gradually accumulate, cluttering up memory and disk, and the cache occupies one of the first places in this “garbage heap”. A sign that they need to be removed is when the device slows down and fails when downloading new information from the Internet.


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