Cache, pronounced “cash,” is temporary storage on your device. Your browser keeps saved copies of some website material so it does not have to download the same things again every time you visit. The point is speed. If you go to the same weather site every morning, your browser does not need to rebuild the entire page each time.

Most of the time, cache helps pages load faster. But problems can start when the saved version and the current version of a site no longer match. Website administrators have a number of methods to alert incoming queries that changes have been made to the site. However, If a server is configured incorrectly, or if a browser ignores server instructions to be faster, it may keep showing an old version. 

That is when clearing cache can help. It tells the browser to stop relying on its stored copy and go back to the site for a fresh version. If a page looks strange, a button does not work, a shopping cart will not update or a login page keeps looping, cache is a reasonable suspect. It is especially likely when the problem happens on one website but the rest of the internet works fine.

To clear your cache, go to settings and choose Privacy and security if you are a Chrome user, other browsers will work in a similar way. Click Delete browsing data. This opens a panel with four checkboxes: Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, Cached images and files, and Download history. Chrome bundles these together because they are the most commonly cleared items, but they do very different things.

Cached images and files is the one you want when a website looks broken or outdated. This is the cache: stored copies of images, scripts and page layouts. Pages may load slightly slower the first time you revisit a site, but everything will look and work correctly, and the speed comes back quickly. Notice how much storage these cached images and files are using. Anything under 1GB should not slow down your browsing, but people that spend a lot of time on social media and other sites with lots of images, may see that figure exceed a gigabyte. If that’s you, clear your cache to see better browsing performance.

Cookies and other site data is a different story. Cookies are small files that remember you. They keep you logged into websites, save your shopping cart contents and remember your preferences. This is also how websites and advertisers track your behavior. If you feel overwhelmed by personalized advertising, delete them here and then opt for no ad personalization.

Clearing cookies will log you out of nearly every site you use. You will have to re-enter passwords and reset any saved preferences. This can be useful if a site is behaving oddly after a login or if you’re troubleshooting an account issue. If you clear cookies, have your passwords handy.

Browsing history is a record of what sites you’ve visited, stored locally on your device. Clearing it does not affect how websites behave. It is a privacy measure, not a performance fix. When you use a shared computer, you may want to remove a record of where you’ve been.

Before you click the blue Delete data button, notice the time range menu at the top of the panel. It defaults to “Last hour,” which clears only what your browser stored in the past 60 minutes. For most troubleshooting, Last 24 hours or Last 7 days is enough. Choosing All time is the most thorough option and makes sense for a full reset, but it also means logging back into everything. Start with a shorter range and work up if the problem persists.

Now that you understand what you’re deleting and why, clear your cache becomes a tool rather than a reflex. The next time a website misbehaves, you’ll know which box to check and and why.

Leslie Meredith has been writing about technology for more than a decade. As a mom of four, value, usefulness and online safety take priority. Have a question? Email Leslie at asklesliemeredith@gmail.com.