How to Clear Cache in Chrome (2026): 6 Ways, From One Site to Everything

Here is how to clear cache in Chrome in about ten seconds: press Ctrl+Shift+Delete (Command+Shift+Delete on a Mac), tick Cached images and files, choose a time range and click Delete data. That is the full-browser way, and it works.

It is also the bluntest tool Chrome has. Most of the time only one site is misbehaving, and wiping every site's data to fix it costs you more than it should. This guide covers six ways to clear Chrome's cache, from one page to everything, and when each one is the right call.

We build a small Chrome extension for exactly this problem, so we spend a lot of time inside Chrome's storage settings. Everything below uses Chrome's own menus first. Our tool comes up once, where it fits.

The short answer#

• Whole browser: Ctrl+Shift+Delete, tick only Cached images and files, click Delete data. You stay signed in.
• One page: Ctrl+Shift+R (Command+Shift+R on Mac) reloads the page and skips its cached files.
• One site: click the icon left of the address, then Cookies and site data, Manage on-device site data, and delete it.
• Developers: open DevTools and right-click the reload button for Empty Cache and Hard Reload.
• Phones: Android uses History, then Delete browsing data. iPhone uses Settings, then Privacy and security.

What "cache" means in Chrome (and what it is not)#

Chrome's cache is a folder of copies. Images, scripts, style sheets and fonts that a site sent you are kept on disk so the next visit loads faster. Chrome calls this Cached images and files in its settings.

Cache is not the same as cookies. Cookies are small notes a site saves to remember you, including the fact that you are signed in. Clearing the cache does not sign you out. Clearing cookies does.

There is a third kind of data people mix up with both: site storage. That covers local storage, IndexedDB, Cache Storage and service workers. Modern web apps keep a lot here, and an old service worker is a common reason a site keeps showing yesterday's version even after you clear the regular cache.

Keep these three apart and every fix below makes sense. Our cache vs cookies guide covers the difference in more depth.

1. Clear cache for every site (Ctrl+Shift+Delete)#

This is the method most guides show. Chrome recently renamed the menu item from "Clear browsing data" to Delete browsing data, so older screenshots may not match what you see.

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+Delete on Windows, Linux or ChromeOS, or Command+Shift+Delete on a Mac. You can also open the three-dot menu and choose Delete browsing data.
2. Pick a time range. "Last hour" is enough if the problem started recently. "All time" clears everything.
3. Tick Cached images and files.
4. Untick Cookies and other site data unless you mean to sign out of everything.
5. Click Delete data.

Google's help page lists what each box removes. Cookies and other site data also take the site permissions you granted with them. Your downloaded files stay on your computer, and passwords are only removed if you tick that box on purpose.

The catch: this clears the cache for every site you have ever visited in that time range. Your next visit to each one is slower, and if you also tick cookies, you are signed out of mail, banking and work tools at once.

2. Hard reload the page you are on#

If one page looks wrong, start here. A hard reload asks Chrome to fetch the page again and ignore the cached copies of its files.

• Windows, Linux, ChromeOS: Ctrl+Shift+R, or Ctrl+F5
• Mac: Command+Shift+R
• Mouse: hold Shift and click the reload button

A hard reload does not delete anything. It only skips the cache for that one load. It will not help if the stale copy lives in a service worker, and it will not touch cookies. Our full guide to hard refreshing Chrome explains where it falls short.

3. Clear one site's data from the address bar#

Chrome has a per-site option, it is just hidden two clicks deep.

1. Open the site that is giving you trouble.
2. Click the View site information icon to the left of the address.
3. Click Cookies and site data, then Manage on-device site data.
4. Click the trash icon next to the site, then Done, and reload.

This removes that site's cookies and stored data, so you will be signed out of that one site. Every other site is untouched. We walk through all the one-site options, including the ones in Settings, in how to clear cache and cookies for one site in Chrome.

4. Clear one site from Chrome Settings#

If you would rather not open the site first, use Settings. Go to Settings, then Privacy and security, then Site settings, then View permissions and data stored across sites. You can paste chrome://settings/content/all into the address bar to jump straight there.

Search for the site's name, open it and click Delete data. The same page shows how much each site has stored, which is a quick way to spot the one that has grown to hundreds of megabytes.

5. DevTools: Empty Cache and Hard Reload#

This one is for developers and anyone comfortable with DevTools.

1. Press F12, or Command+Option+I on a Mac, to open DevTools.
2. Right-click (or long-press) the reload button next to the address bar.
3. Choose Empty Cache and Hard Reload.

The menu only appears while DevTools is open. It clears cached files and reloads in one step, which is stronger than a plain hard reload. For a full per-site reset, the Application panel has a Clear site data button that also removes storage and service workers. Our DevTools clear site data guide covers each checkbox.

While you are in DevTools, the Network panel has a Disable cache checkbox. It only works while DevTools stays open, which makes it handy for testing and useless for everyday browsing.

6. Use a one-site cleaner extension#

The address-bar method works, but it is several clicks, it always clears cookies, and it gives you no record of what it removed. That gap is why we built Cleaner, a free Chrome extension. (For a fair look at the other options, see our clear cache extension comparison.)

You open it on the broken site and pick a fix. Fix broken page clears that site's cache and service workers and keeps you signed in. Sign out & reset also clears cookies and storage for a login problem. It reloads the page and shows a receipt, such as "Removed 34 cookies + 12.3 MB". Alt+Shift+D runs it from the keyboard.

Every other tab and site stays exactly as it was. That is the whole point.

Clear cache in Chrome on Android and iPhone#

On phones, Chrome's per-site controls are limited, so the full method is the usual route.

Android

1. Tap the three-dot menu, then History.
2. Tap Delete browsing data.
3. Pick a time range and tick Cached images and files.
4. Tap Delete data.

iPhone and iPad

1. Tap the three-dot menu, then Settings.
2. Tap Privacy and security, then Delete browsing data.
3. Tick Cached images and files and confirm.

On Android you can also open a site's settings from the icon in the address bar to clear its stored data. Labels shift slightly between Chrome versions, so if a word does not match, look for the closest one.

Mistakes that make clearing cache backfire#

Ticking every box by habit. The default selection often includes cookies. That signs you out of everything, and many people then blame Chrome for "logging them out". Our guide on why Chrome keeps logging you out has the full list of causes.

Choosing "All time" for a problem that started today. "Last hour" or "Last 24 hours" fixes most fresh problems and keeps the rest of your cache warm.

Clearing cache to speed Chrome up. An empty cache makes pages load slower, not faster, until it fills up again. If Chrome feels slow, the cause is usually tabs, extensions or memory. See why Chrome is so slow.

Expecting cache to fix a login problem. Login loops live in cookies. Clearing cache alone will not touch them.

Which method should you use?#

Match the tool to the size of the problem:

1. One page looks wrong: hard reload.
2. One site is still broken: clear that site only, from the address bar or with a one-site cleaner.
3. Many sites are broken, or you want a clean slate: Delete browsing data, cache only.
4. You are testing your own site: DevTools with Disable cache or Clear site data.

If you clear a single site more than once a month, a one-click tool saves real time. Cleaner is free, has no account and runs entirely in your browser.