How to hard refresh your browser and clear your cache

(A German version of this article is available.)


To speed up browsing, web browsers store copies of website data on your computer as a set of files called a cache. When you load a website, you often see a local copy of elements from the site (such as images) that have been pulled from your cache.

Normally, when the browser loads a website and detects a change, it fetches a new version of the site from the remote web server and replaces the cache. But the process isn't perfect, and sometimes your browser ends up with a local copy of the website data in your browser cache that doesn't match the latest version on the server. As a result, the website of your ConfTool installation may look incorrect.

To fix this, you need to force the web browser to discard what it already has in its cache and download the latest version of the website. Many people call this a “hard refresh”.

Important: Clicking the “Refresh” arrow in your browser's address bar is not a hard refresh.

Hard Refresh

Performing a hard refresh is easy and the commands vary depending on the browser and operating system you are using.
A quick hard refresh can be done by using the following shortcut keys:

Windows/Linux

Edge:
-   Hold the Ctrl key and click the Refresh button.
-   Or, hold down Ctrl and press the F5 key.

Chrome:
-   Hold the Ctrl key and click the Reload button.
-   Or, Hold down Ctrl and press the F5 key.

Firefox:
-   Hold down Ctrl and press the F5 key.
-   Or, hold down Ctrl and ⇧ Shift and then press R.


Mac OS

Safari:
There is no simple shortcut to force a hard refresh.
Instead, hold down Option and ⌘ Cmd and then press E to empty the cache.
Then hold down Shift and click the Reload button in the toolbar.

Chrome:
-   Hold down ⇧ Shift and click the Reload button.
-   Or, hold down ⌘ Cmd and ⇧ Shift and then press R.

Firefox:
-   Hold down ⇧ Shift and click the Reload button.
-   Or, hold down ⌘ Cmd and ⇧ Shift and then press R.


Mobile Browsers

iOS:
There is no shortcut to force a hard refresh.
You'll have to dig into the settings to erase your browser's cache (see next post).

Android:
There is no shortcut to force a hard refresh.
You'll have to dig into the settings to erase your browser's cache (see next post).


After you perform a hard refresh, the website should go blank and take longer than usual to reload. That's because the browser is redownloading all the data and images on the site.
Now you should see the new design of your ConfTool installation.

Clear Cache

A hard refresh forces a website to reload without relying on the cache. It does not clear your cache or cookies.

If a hard refresh doesn't solve your problem, please try to clear your browser's cache.
Clearing your cache improves the way your browser works and allows websites to display content from scratch.

This guide explains how to clear your browser’s cache for all major browsers.

Windows/Linux

Chrome:
1.   Click the menu icon (three points) in the top-right corner of the screen.
2.   Select History, then History again.
3.   Click Clear browsing data.
4.   Check Browsing history, Cookie and other site data, and Cached images and files.
5.   From the Time Range drop-down, choose All time.
6.   Click Clear Data.
7.   Close and restart Chrome for the clearing to take full effect.

Firefox:
1.   Click the menu icon (three lines) in the top-right corner of the screen.
2.   Select Settings.
3.   Click Privacy & Security.
4.   Scroll down to Cookies and Site Data and click Clear Data.
5.   Close and restart Firefox for the clearing to take full effect.

Edge:
1.   Click the menu icon (three points) in the top-right corner of the screen.
2.   Select History.
3.   Click Clear browsing data.
4.   Select all boxes.
5.   From the Time Range drop-down, choose All time.
6.   Click Clear now.
7.   Close and restart Edge for the clearing to take full effect.


Mac OS

Chrome:
1.   Click the menu icon (three points) in the top-right corner of the screen.
2.   Select History, then History again.
3.   Click Clear browsing data.
4.   Check Browsing history, Cookie and other site data, and Cached images and files.
5.   From the Time Range drop-down, choose All time.
6.   Click Clear Data.
7.   Close and restart Chrome for the clearing to take full effect.

Firefox:
1.   Click the menu icon (three lines) in the top-right corner of the screen.
2.   Select Settings.
3.   Click Privacy & Security.
4.   Scroll down to Cookies and Site Data and click Clear Data.
5.   Close and restart Firefox for the clearing to take full effect.

Safari:
1.   Click Safari in the top bar.
2.   Select Settings.
3.   In the Privacy tab, click Manage Website Data.
4.   Click Remove All.
5.   Click Done.
6.   Close and restart Safari for the clearing to take full effect.


Mobile Browsers

Safari for iOS:
1.   From the Home screen, open the Settings App.
2.   Open Safari settings.
3.   Swipe to the bottom of the menu and tap Advanced.
4.   Tap Website Data.
5.   Swipe to the bottom of the menu and tap Remove All Website Data.

Chrome for iOS:
1.   From the Chrome app, tap the Menu icon (three points).
2.   Tap Clear browsing data.
3.   Check Browsing history, Cookies and Site data, and Cached images and files.
4.   From the Time Range list, select All time.
5.   Tap Clear Browsing Data.

Chrome for Android:
1.   From the Chrome app, tap the Menu icon (three points).
2.   Tap Clear browsing data.
3.   Check Browsing history, Cookies and Site data, and Cached images and files.
4.   From the Time Range list, select All time.
5.   Tap Clear Data.