Today, the Internet ranks among the most visited places. Over time, the information and styling preferences stored by web browsers can consume vast amounts of storage space. Furthermore - even if you are a web developer yourself and changes to your web project are not displaying correctly - the reason may lie in outdated design elements stored in your browser's cache.
The simplest method is to delete all offline data entirely. However, please note that doing so will require you to log back into websites; furthermore, active shopping carts and website settings may also be deleted, as these options are linked to cookies. The methods described below pertain to the deletion of all offline data. Please also note that you are often presented with detailed options allowing you to choose whether to delete cookies specifically or other cached data.
You can configure your browser to automatically delete stored information (cookies and temporary files) upon closing. If you wish to do so, access the "Privacy and Security"—or alternatively, "Privacy and Settings"—submenu within the "Settings" section of your web browser's main menu. In most browsers, the corresponding option is clearly presented in this location.
Mozilla Firefox
Firefox offers a quick method for deleting offline data for a specific website without affecting other visited websites. Furthermore, Mozilla Firefox provides a special feature that makes it very fast to delete offline data for just a single, specific page.
- To do this, click on History → Show All History in the Firefox top menu. The history overview of recently visited websites will open (alternatively, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+H).
- In the left-hand menu column, select the time period under the "History" tab during which you last visited the page in question (Today, Yesterday, Last 7 Days). In the main window on the right, the individual pages you visited—including their descriptions and web addresses—are displayed.
- Click on the desired URL. Then, right-click and select "Forget Entire Website" from the context menu that appears. All offline data related to this site—including associated cookies—will now be deleted.
Deleting All Offline Data in Mozilla Firefox
The simplest option is the method using the "Chronicle" menu item described above.
- History → Clear recent history (Alternatively, the key combination Ctrl+Shift+Delete).
- In the upper section, select the "All" option from the drop-down menu. Below the settings window, click the "Delete" button. All stored offline data, including cookies, has now been removed.
Please note that deleting cookies may require you to log in again to the respective website. From that point on, the browser assumes that you have never visited the site before.
Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome
Delete all offline data
Here, too, two methods are available: the keyboard shortcut and selection via the menu navigation. However, please note: cookies will also be deleted if they are included in your selection. This would mean that you would have to log in again on certain websites.
- Click the three-dot menu [...] located next to the browser's address bar.
- From the displayed options, select "Clear browsing data" or "Delete browsing data."
- From the selection that now appears, choose the option "All time," and finally, click the "Delete now" or "Delete from this device" button. Your cache is now completely cleared—just as if you had never visited those pages.
Alternative Keyboard Shortcut (Edge and Chrome)
- Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+Delete.
- Select the time range for which you want to remove offline data from the browser cache (e.g., "All time").
- Finally, click the "Delete Now" or "Delete from This Device" button. Your cache is now completely cleared—just as if you had never visited the pages..
Please note that cookies will also be deleted if they are selected. This would result in you having to log in again on some websites, and various web settings—such as shopping carts or preference settings—being deleted.
Delete only cookies (Edge and Chrome)
These two browsers also offer a quick option to delete only the cookies stored for a specific site.
Click on the lock icon (Chrome displays a slider here), which appears to the left of the URL in the browser's address bar.
- Select "Cookies and site data" → "Manage site data on device" (Chrome) / "Cookies" (Edge) here.
- Click the trash can icon next to the address for which you want to delete the data (Chrome) / Select the corresponding website and choose "Delete" (Edge).
Apple Safari (Mac)
In the menu in Safari, click on
- Settings (or "Settings for this website").
- Click on the "Privacy" tab.
- Select "Manage Website Data".
- Select the desired page and click "Remove".
Please note that cookies will also be deleted if they are selected. This would result in you having to log in again on some websites, and various web settings—such as shopping carts or preference settings—being deleted.