Deleting Web Browser Cookies & Cache

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Clearing your cache can significantly improve the speed and performance of your browser and ensures that anyone who uses the same computer and browser after you (particularly on public computers) will not see your private information.

About Browser Cookies

Websites send small text files known as cookies to your web browser in order to store information about your connection to their server, including authentication information, details about your online session, and any preferences you may have saved. Cookies are particularly useful when you want a website to auto-sign you into a web service, but like the cache, they could be used to compromise your privacy if someone gained access to your computer. Some people choose to delete their cookies periodically (though you should keep in mind that any authenticated sites you use will not remember you the next time you return).

About the Browser Cache

In order to speed up web browsing, browsers are designed to download web pages and store them on your computer in an area called the cache (pronounced cash). When you visit the same page for a second time, the browser speeds up the display time by loading the pages locally from the cache instead of downloading everything again. This sometimes results in less than current versions of web pages being displayed, along with problems on registration and authentication pages.

Over time, this process may actually begin to slow down your browser as large amounts of data are saved to your hard drive. A cache does not empty itself and anyone who gains access to your computer can tell from these files what websites you have visited. To make matters worse, this caching is not limited to pages, but can also include login IDs, passwords, banking information, and other sensitive information.

Clearing your cache can significantly improve the speed and performance of your browser and ensures that anyone who uses the same computer and browser after you (particularly on public computers) will not see your private information. It's a good habit to clear your cache from time to time.

How to Clear the Browser Cache and Delete Cookies

Select your web browser:

Internet Explorer v6.x and Up for Windows XP/2000

Open Internet Explorer, choose the Tools menu, and select Internet Options.
Select the General tab.
In the Temporary Internet files section, click Delete Cookies, then click OK in the window that opens. Depending on the number of cookies you have, this can take anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes.
Click Delete Files. In the window that opens, check the box next to Delete all offline content, then click OK. Depending on the number of files, this could take anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes.
Click OK to save your changes.
To be safe we recommend you close and re-open Internet Explorer.

Firefox for Windows XP/2000 & Mac OS X

Open Firefox, select the Tools menu, and choose Clear Private Data.
Place a check mark next to all items to be cleared (see screenshot), then click Clear Private Data Now.

Safari for Mac OS X

Open the Safari menu and select Preferences.
Click the Security icon at the top right.
At the bottom of the window, click Show Cookies (see above).
In the new window that opens, click Remove All then click Done.
Click the Red X button at the top left corner of the window to close Preferences.
Open the Safari menu again and select Empty Cache...
In the window that opens, click Empty (or Empty Cache) to remove the saved files.

Netscape for Windows XP/2000 & Mac OS X

Open Netscape, go to the Edit menu (OS X users go to the Netscape menu) and choose Preferences.
On the left side of the window, scroll down, click the triangle to the left of Advanced and select the sub-category Cache.
On the right side of the window, click Clear Memory Cache button. In the window that opens, click OK.
Click Clear Disk Cache. In the window that opens, click OK.
On the left side of the window, scroll down, click the triangle to the left of Privacy & Security, and select the sub-category Cookies.

On the right side of the window, click View Stored Cookies (see screenshot above).
At the bottom of the Cookie Manager window that opens, click Remove All Cookies.
Click Close, then click OK to close the Preferences window.

Opera v8.5 for Windows XP/2000 & Mac OS X

Open Opera, select the Tools menu (the Opera menu in OS X) and choose Delete private data.
In the Delete private data window , place a check mark next to all of the appropriate items (see screenshot).
Once you are done, click Delete.

Page last reviewed: August 31, 2006