When you use Google Chrome, it generally saves cookies and certain website information in its cache . At present, you may have seen that when you enter a website, it asks for your permission to save the service cookies in your browser in order to access it, however, on many occasions this information is saved automatically , even if you do not accept them. conditions, or it is saved precisely because you have accepted them to use the site. In the case of the latter, it is more complicated because it does not ask for your permission, but this information is saved by default.
If you have noticed that you have some problems on the webs that are related to the format, the load or there has been an incident that has been solved, but it still appears the same to you, you can delete this information from your browser. So we tell you how you should do it.
How is it stored?
Just by browsing the internet on your computer, smartphone or tablet, you are already caching the basic content of the visited websites to improve the browsing experience , although this can lead to the opposite situation on some specific occasions, that the computer becomes slower or some pages may not work.
You are not aware of the saving process because the process is all done in the background . Although it might sound like a good thing, and it makes Chrome easier for you to navigate, your computer may slow down if there is a lot of content in this memory and it may even show outdated information instead of loading new content. In fact, these are the two main reasons why you will act as an emergency to eliminate it on certain occasions, although it is best to do it with a certain frequency as a preventive measure.
If you have noticed that a website does not show recent changes or is giving you an outdated version and you do not know what to do, you can clear the cache . Although before we recommend that you try Control + F5 to refresh the page and see if the problem is not solved in this way.
What happens if you delete it?
The cache remembers parts of the web pages you browse, such as images, so that when you visit them again they open faster. If you have entered a website for the first time, you may have realized that it took much longer (especially those with many images, videos and other graphic resources) than the following times.
This is because it saves this data so that later you can navigate faster through the sites. Therefore, if you delete it, you may find that some websites may seem too slow because certain content has to be reloaded in your browser.
If you have realized that your browser is giving you problems with certain websites, or with all of them, it may be that deleting stored data such as the cache will help you solve some web problems, such as those related to the format or the load . Therefore, if you finally decide that you want to remove it from your Chrome browser, we will tell you how to do it.
In the computer
Open Chrome on your computer. In the upper right , give the 3 points that you will find, which mean More. There, give More tools. More options will appear, among which are Clear browsing data. Select this option.
You will find a new screen, continue in the basic option . In time , you can select last hour, last 24 hours, last 7 days, last 4 weeks and forever. Choose the option you prefer depending on the time interval you want to make disappear, although if you want to solve your problems and have no problem with it, it is best to “do it forever”.
The 3 checked boxes will appear, including deleting cached files and images (which is the one you are interested in) . If you want not to delete all browsing data, uncheck the other options, otherwise leave it as is. Remember that the next time Chrome can save your deletion preferences, so if you want to delete it, always make sure that the box indicated above is activated.
If you go to advanced settings , you will find the option to delete in the same periods of time, but you will also find other options such as deleting passwords and other login data and others. In addition, you will see more information about it before taking the final step, which is where you must press to delete cache from the basic or advanced settings. If once you have made your selection, you press Clear data, these will automatically disappear.
From Chrome settings
If instead of giving More tools, you give Settings , you will find a new screen in which you will find different browser options. You will have to give in this case privacy and security . There, you will go to Clear browsing data. The screen from before will appear. The recommended thing, as we have said, is that you must press the 3 options to delete the cache and browsing data, but this will depend on your preferences. Also, if you want more peace of mind, you can make everything disappear in Advanced Settings.
Remember that later you will have to log into the sites again, some will take a little longer to load, you will have to save passwords again, etc., but it is good to clean your computer of these data from time to time.
On mobile devices
Once you know how it works, why it is saved, what happens if you delete it and how to do it on your computer, we are going to tell you how you should delete it on your smartphone or tablet. It is recommended that you perform this action at least every 2 months, or with a certain frequency, to ensure that you access current information and that your mobile devices do not slow down. In any case, you can do it whenever you need it.
On Android
It is also important that you know how to delete it on Android, that’s why we tell you how to do it step by step. Finally, the final screen where the cache is cleared is very similar from all the devices from which it is accessed, so you will not have problems with it.
- Open the Google Chrome app on your smartphone or tablet.
- At the top right, click on More (which are the 3 points you find).
- Go to History
- Then Clear browsing data.
- At the top, choose the desired time interval.
- If you want to delete all data, select All periods.
- Check all the boxes, although if you only want to delete this memory specifically you can click on “Cached files and images”.
- Tap ‘Clear data’.
On iPhone and iPad
We also tell you how to delete it in Chrome from these mobile devices, bearing in mind that if you do, the browser may close the session from your Google account. To ensure that you can log back in, it is recommended that you update your recovery email and phone number.
The steps to erase it on your Apple devices are very simple:
- Open the Google Chrome app.
- At the bottom, it gives the 3 points that symbolize More.
- Go to History
- Later Clear browsing data.
- Make sure “Cached files and images” is selected. You can also get rid of other data such as cookies, but this is optional depending on your preferences.
- You accept.
How to disable it
If you are doing something that requires disabling the Chrome cache, something that we do not recommend that you do by default, or for a long time, we will tell you how to do it if it is what you really need.
- Open your browser.
- Click on the right button of your mouse.
- Select inspect.
- On the right, the Chrome console will open.
- Give Network .
- Check the Disable cache box .
- Keep the console open so that the cache is not activated again while you work with the browser.
- When you finish the task, uncheck the box or close the console.