Do you ever notice certain websites taking longer than normal to load? Or maybe you’ve encountered websites loading incorrectly? Often when the ITS Service Desk receives calls about a web page not working correctly, the first question we ask is, “Have you cleared your web browser’s cache and cookies?” What exactly does this mean and why should you be concerned with clearing your cache and cookies?
Cache and cookies have a few key differences, but both are used to improve your web browsing experience by storing data. In general terms, your web browser can store data from websites to make it easier and faster to visit those sites again in the future. The key differences between cache and cookies comes down to the type of data being stored.
Cache
- A browser cache is a location on your computer where frequently accessed data from websites is stored.
- This data may include images, code, HTML pages, or other data that’s generally downloaded from a web server.
- Since the data is stored locally, access to those files happens much faster than when your browser has to retrieve them from the web server.
- Your browser cache works to improve website loading times and to prevent your device from downloading the same data repeatedly.
Cookies
- Cookies store user-specific data, such as information you entered on a website, the last time you visited a website, how often you visit websites, your preference settings for certain websites, and sometimes even the items you viewed or considered purchasing online.
- Additionally, some websites use cookies to track how users engage with their website which can help when making future site improvements and updates.
- Sometimes websites use cookies to track your engagement online which allows websites to display targeted advertisements based on your browsing interests.
When you encounter webpages taking too long to load, or loading incorrectly, this is often a sign that your web browser’s cache and cookies need to be cleared. Sometimes the browser cache can become corrupt or outdated, while cookies may contain outdated information. In situations like this, clearing the cache and cookies is a simple fix that often resolves issues with websites. Clearing cache and cookies routinely is beneficial for several reasons, including faster loading times, fixing website glitches, improving browser performance, and enhancing privacy and security by reducing tracking and protecting login credentials.
So, how do you clear your web browser’s cache and cookies? The process is relatively simple, but it does vary slightly depending on which web browser you use (e.g. Firefox, Safari, Chrome, Edge, etc.). Regardless of which browser you use, it’s always wise to clear your cache and cookies for “all time” as this ensures that all the old cache and cookies data stored on your computer is removed rather than data from the last week or the last 24 hours. Clearing the cache and cookies for “all time” tends to be much more effective at resolving website issues. The ITS Service Desk has created a guide with instructions for clearing cache and cookies on numerous web browsers used by Windows OS and macOS. Additionally, the ITS Service Desk even has a guide on how to clear cache and cookies from web browsers on mobile devices. You can find both guides linked below.
If you run into any issues clearing your web browser’s cache and cookies, or if clearing cache and cookies does not resolve the issue you’re facing, the ITS Service Desk is here to help! You can visit the ITS Service Desk at 108 Allen Hall from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM Monday through Friday. You can also contact the Service Desk by email at servicedesk@msstate.edu or by phone at 662-325-0631.
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