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What is cache and why should you clear it?

February 10, 2016 Technology

We have all heard the line, “just clear your cache.” But what does clearing your browser’s cache really do? Let’s first look at what cache is and, second, why you should clear it from time to time.

What is cache?
Cache was created by web browser designers to speed up your Internet browsing experience. Basically, it’s faster for your computer to pull information from its hard disk than the Internet. When you visit a website, your browser sends things like images and graphics to your hard disk to store for future use. When you go back to that site the images won’t need to be reloaded from the browser, they will already be stored on your hard disk.

Clearing your cache?
Clearing the cache just simply means emptying its history. The next time you display a web page everything will download fresh and new. The reason you should clear your cache is to simply clear any confusion your cache may have. This could be partially downloaded files or badly formatted sites causing issues. Clearing your cache is a great way to fix these issues and is one of the first things your IT department will suggest if you’re having trouble with your browser.

Depending on what browser you’re using, like Chrome, Firefox or IE, there are different ways to clear your cache. A quick online search can show you how to perform this task.