How to Clear Cache: Browser, WordPress and Server Cache (Step by Step)

To clear cache, hard-refresh the page first: in Chrome or Edge, press Ctrl + Shift + R (or Cmd + Shift + R on a Mac). If it still looks old, open your browser’s clear browsing data screen, tick the cached images and files option, and confirm. Below are the steps for every browser, plus what to purge when the old page stays.

That last part matters more than most guides admit. Your browser is only one of five places a stale copy of a page can come from. If you run the website, clearing your own browser often changes nothing for your visitors, because the old page is sitting in a WordPress plugin, the server or a CDN.

So this guide is split in two. The first half is the quick browser fix, for Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge on desktop and mobile. The second half covers the layers only a host can explain, and how to tell which one is holding the old page. If you want the theory behind it, read our explainer on page caching, Redis full-page cache and FastCGI caching.

TL;DR

Short on time? Here is the whole guide in a few lines:

• Seeing one stale page? Do a hard refresh first. In Chrome and Edge that’s Ctrl + Shift + R on Windows and Linux, Cmd + Shift + R on a Mac.
• Still stale? Clear cached images and files in your browser. Leave cookies unticked unless you want to be logged out everywhere.
• Still stale in a private window? The browser is not the problem. Purge your WordPress cache plugin, then the server page cache, then the CDN or edge cache.
• Admins see the change, visitors don’t? That is the classic sign of a page or edge cache, because those caches skip logged-in users.
• Site moved to a new server? Flush your DNS cache as well.
• On xCloud: Sites → your site → WordPress → Caching → Purge Cache clears the site cache, and the edge cache too when Edge Full Page Cache is on. The Edge settings also have their own Purge Cache button.

Where the old copy lives	Who sees it	How to clear it
Browser cache	Only you, on that device	Hard refresh, or the browser’s clear-data screen
WordPress plugin cache	Every logged-out visitor	The plugin’s purge button in wp-admin
Server page cache (Nginx FastCGI, LiteSpeed, xSpeed)	Every logged-out visitor	Your hosting dashboard
Object cache (Redis)	Every visitor, indirectly	Your hosting dashboard or the object-cache plugin
CDN or edge cache	Visitors near each edge location	The CDN or hosting dashboard
DNS cache	Only you, after a server move	One command in a terminal

How to Clear Cache in Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge

Every browser hides the option in a slightly different place, but the idea is the same. Pick a time range, tick the cache box, and confirm. In Chrome on a computer, Ctrl + Shift + Delete (Cmd + Shift + Delete on a Mac) opens the right screen directly, according to Google’s Chrome keyboard shortcuts.

Clear Cache in Google Chrome (Windows, Mac, Linux)

1. Open Chrome and click the three-dot menu at the top right.
2. Click Delete browsing data.
3. Pick a time range, for example Last hour or All time.
4. Tick Cached images and files. Untick Cookies and other site data if you want to stay logged in.
5. Click Delete data.

A shortcut from Google’s own help page: type Delete browsing data into the address bar and pick the action that appears.

Clear Cache in Chrome on Android

1. Open Chrome and tap More (the three dots next to the address bar).
2. Tap Delete browsing data, then More options.
3. Tick Cached images and files.
4. Tap Delete data.

Clear Cache in Chrome on iPhone and iPad

1. Open Chrome and tap the three-dot menu.
2. Open the option to delete browsing data.
3. Set the time range. It starts at 15 minutes, so widen it if the problem is older.
4. Tick Cached images and files and confirm.

Clear Cache in Safari on Mac

1. Open Safari and choose Safari → Settings.
2. Click Privacy, then Manage Website Data.
3. Select the site that looks wrong and click Remove, or click Remove All.

Apple notes that removing website data can sign you out of those sites, so remove only the site that looks wrong when you can.

Clear Cache in Safari on iPhone and iPad

1. Open Settings → Apps → Safari.
2. Tap Clear History and Website Data, pick a time frame, and tap Clear History.

To keep your history and only remove stored site data, go to Settings → Apps → Safari → Advanced → Website Data, tap Remove All Website Data, then Remove Now.

Clear Cache in Firefox

Firefox has renamed this screen and its checkboxes more than once, so follow Mozilla’s own how to clear the Firefox cache page for the labels in your version. The idea is the same as in the other browsers:

1. Open Firefox Settings and go to the privacy section.
2. Open the option to clear browsing data.
3. Tick only the cached files option and leave cookies unticked to stay logged in.
4. Confirm.

Clear Cache in Microsoft Edge

1. Click Settings and more (the three dots), then Settings.
2. Open Privacy, search, and services and find Clear browsing data.
3. Click Choose what to clear next to Clear browsing data now.
4. Pick a time range and tick Cached images and files.
5. Click Clear now.

Microsoft’s Edge help page points out that cached files are stored only on your device, so you don’t need to turn off sync to clear them.

Hard Refresh vs Clearing Cache vs Clearing Cookies

These three get mixed up constantly, and picking the wrong one either fixes nothing or logs you out of every site you use.

Action	What it does	When to use it	Side effect
Hard refresh	Reloads one page and asks the server for fresh copies of its files	One page looks old or broken	None
Clear cache	Deletes stored images, CSS and scripts for all sites in the time range	Many pages look wrong, or a hard refresh didn’t help	Sites load a little slower on the next visit
Clear cookies	Deletes logins, carts and site preferences	Login loops, a stuck session, privacy	You are logged out everywhere

Hard refresh shortcuts:

• Chrome and Edge on Windows or Linux: Ctrl + Shift + R (or Shift + F5)
• Chrome and Edge on Mac: Cmd + Shift + R
• Safari: these shortcuts don’t apply. Check the page in a private window, or remove the site’s data as in the Safari steps above.

Both shortcuts come from Google’s Chrome shortcuts list and Microsoft’s Edge shortcuts list, where they are listed as “reload the current page, ignoring cached content”. In other browsers, check the browser’s own shortcut list.

If you only remember one line: cache is files, cookies are you. Clear the cache when the page is wrong, and clear cookies when your login is wrong.

Still Seeing the Old Page? The 4 Other Caches Between You and the Server

Here’s the part that trips people up. A page can be cached at five stops on its way to you, and your browser is the last one. Clearing it does nothing about the four stops before it.

Think of it like a newspaper. The printer, the depot, the delivery van and your doorstep can each hold yesterday’s copy. Throwing away the one on your doorstep doesn’t help if the van is still carrying the old edition.

The one-minute test: open the page in a private or incognito window, where you are logged out and your browser cache is empty.

• The private window shows the new version: it was your browser. You’re done.
• The private window still shows the old version: a site cache is serving it. Keep reading.
• You see the change while logged in, but the private window doesn’t: that’s a page cache or edge cache. Both skip logged-in users on purpose, which is why the site owner is often the last person to notice.

That last pattern is the one we see most often on WordPress sites. In our support knowledge base, the recurring case looks like this: a theme, plugin or Elementor update goes out, the admin sees the new design, and logged-out visitors get old or unstyled pages. Page builders write new CSS files when you save, and a cached page can still point at the old file names, which no longer exist. Our doc on troubleshooting caching issues in WordPress walks through that case step by step.

Symptom	Most likely layer	Clear this first
Only you see the old page	Browser	Hard refresh, then the browser cache
Everyone sees the old page, logged-in admins see the new one	Plugin or server page cache	The site’s purge button
Old page in one country, new in another	CDN or edge cache	The CDN purge
Unstyled page or 404s on CSS files after a builder update	Page cache pointing at deleted CSS files	Purge the page cache, then regenerate the builder’s CSS
Old site or “site can’t be reached” after a server move	DNS	Flush DNS
Old menu or widget data while the HTML is current	Object cache	Purge the object cache

How to Clear WordPress Plugin Cache

Most WordPress sites run a caching plugin, and each one has its own purge button. Clear the plugin first, because it often sits in front of the server cache. Here is where the button lives in the common ones.

xSpeed Cache

xSpeed Cache is the free caching plugin from WPDeveloper, the team behind xCloud. On xCloud it is switched on by default when you create a new WordPress site on a server that supports it (Nginx or OpenLiteSpeed), and you can turn it off in the site-creation wizard. It handles both page and object caching.

You can purge it from the xCloud dashboard (covered below) or from its own xSpeed Cache menu inside wp-admin. The xSpeed Cache setup doc shows each screen.

xSpeed Cache also has a built-in MCP server, so an AI assistant like Claude or ChatGPT can clear and preload pages for you once it’s connected, as covered in our xSpeed Cache launch post.

LiteSpeed Cache

LiteSpeed Cache works with LiteSpeed and OpenLiteSpeed servers. To purge everything, open LiteSpeed Cache → Toolbox in the WordPress sidebar and click Purge All.

To clear a single page, open it while logged in as an admin, hover over the LiteSpeed icon in the admin bar and click Purge This Page.

To stop stale pages after updates, open LiteSpeed Cache → Cache, turn on Purge All On Upgrade and click Save. The cache then clears whenever WordPress core, a theme or a plugin is updated.

W3 Total Cache

Go to Performance → Dashboard in the WordPress sidebar and click Empty All Caches.

WP Super Cache

Go to Settings → WP Super Cache and click Delete Cache on the Easy tab.

Running two caching plugins at once? Turn one off. Two page caches fighting over the same pages is a common cause of the broken-layout symptom above, and it makes purging unpredictable.

How to Clear Server Page Cache and Object Cache

The server page cache stores finished HTML pages, so the server can answer without running PHP or the database. On Nginx this is usually FastCGI cache. On LiteSpeed it is LSCache. The object cache, usually Redis, stores database query results instead of whole pages.

Most hosts clear these from a dashboard, not from WordPress. If your host gives you SSH access only, check their docs before deleting cache folders by hand, because the path and the safe way to do it vary from one setup to another.

On xCloud

1. Open Sites and select your site.
2. Go to WordPress → Caching.
3. On a site running xSpeed Cache, click Purge Cache in the Clear xSpeed Cache panel. Because xSpeed handles page and object caching, this clears both.
4. On a site using xCloud’s Full Page Caching and Redis Object Caching instead, the same page shows two purge buttons: Purge Cache in the Clear Page Cache panel for the page cache, and Purge Cache in the Redis Object Cache panel for the object cache.
5. If Edge Full Page Cache is on, the page-cache Purge Cache button in step 3 or 4 clears the edge cache as well. You don’t need a second purge.

The page-cache button shows Cache Purged Successfully. Changes will be applied soon. The Redis button shows Redis Object Cache Purged Successfully. Changes will be applied soon. The site can feel a little slower for a few minutes while the cache rebuilds.

Two details from the docs worth knowing. On Nginx servers, click Re-sync Nginx Configuration after you change xSpeed’s exclusion rules in WordPress. On sites using xCloud’s Nginx Full Page Caching, xCloud installs the Nginx Helper plugin with purging turned on, so editing a post clears that post’s cached page, the homepage and the related archives. You mostly need a manual purge after theme, plugin or design changes. The how caching works in xCloud doc explains the FastCGI and Redis layers in more detail, and advanced Redis object caching for WordPress goes deeper on the object cache.

How to Clear CDN Cache

A CDN keeps copies of your pages and files on servers around the world, so a visitor in Tokyo is served from Tokyo, not from your origin server. Each of those copies has to expire or be purged before visitors see a change, which is why “old page in one country, new in another” points at the CDN.

Every CDN has a purge option in its dashboard, usually with two choices:

• Purge everything: clears the whole site. Use it after a redesign or a theme change.
• Purge by URL: clears only the pages you list. Use it after editing one post, so the rest of the site stays fast.

Purges are not instant. Allow a few minutes for them to reach every location before you decide it didn’t work.

Edge Full Page Cache on xCloud

xCloud’s Edge Full Page Cache stores your HTML at the network edge, closer to visitors. To clear it, click Purge Cache on your site’s Caching page: when Edge Full Page Cache is on, that one button clears both the site cache and the edge cache. The Edge Full Page Cache settings also have a separate Purge Cache button for the edge alone, and the xCloud Cloudflare Edge Cache helper plugin adds one to the WordPress admin bar. Cart, checkout and My Account pages are excluded from Edge Caching automatically.

The catch worth knowing: theme, plugin and page-builder updates do not purge the standard edge cache automatically. That is exactly the “admin sees it, visitors don’t” case from our support knowledge base. After a design change, press Purge Cache yourself, wait 2 to 5 minutes for the purge to spread across all locations, then check in a logged-out private window. Sites on the Cloudflare Enterprise add-on use the Purge Cache button in the Cloudflare Enterprise settings instead. For how the edge layer works, read edge page caching: how does it work.

How to Flush DNS Cache

DNS cache stores which server your domain points to. You need to flush it after you move a site to a new server or change DNS records, when your own device keeps loading the old server.

On Windows: open Command Prompt as an administrator and run:

ipconfig /flushdns

On macOS: open Terminal and run:

sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

On Linux with systemd-resolved: run:

sudo resolvectl flush-caches

Flushing only fixes your device. Other visitors’ networks follow the record’s TTL, so a DNS change can take time to reach everyone.

The Right Order to Clear Cache

Work from the layer you control most cheaply to the layer that affects everyone. Check the page after each step, so you know which layer was actually at fault.

1. Hard refresh the page.
2. Open a private window. If the page is fresh there, clear your browser cache and stop.
3. Purge the WordPress plugin cache.
4. Purge the server page cache and object cache from your hosting dashboard.
5. Purge the CDN or edge cache, then wait a few minutes.
6. Flush DNS only if the site recently moved servers.

Long-term, the fix is fewer manual purges. Let your plugin purge on publish, keep a sensible expiry on static files (our guide on leveraging browser caching on WordPress covers the headers), and run one page cache, not two.

Manage Every Cache Layer From One xCloud Dashboard

If you run WordPress sites, most of the layers above live in one place on xCloud. Here is what you get today, and where the limits are.

✅ xSpeed Cache switched on by default for new WordPress sites on supported servers, covering page and object caching, with a one-click Purge Cache in the dashboard.

✅ Nginx FastCGI page cache and Redis object cache as an alternative, with separate purge buttons for the page cache and the object cache.

✅ Edge Full Page Cache with URL and cookie exclusion rules, plus a purge button in the dashboard and in wp-admin.

✅ WooCommerce cart, checkout and account pages excluded from Edge Full Page Cache automatically.

❌ Theme, plugin and builder updates don’t purge the standard edge cache for you. You still need to press Purge Cache after a design change.

❌ Edge Full Page Cache needs a Cloudflare integration on the domain, and it is not available on standard staging environments.

❌ Your visitors’ browser and DNS caches are outside any host’s control. Headers decide how long browsers keep files, but nobody can clear a visitor’s device for them.

👉 Try it on your next site: create a WordPress site on xCloud and xSpeed Cache is switched on by default in the site-creation wizard.

Clear the Right Cache and Stop Guessing

Most “it’s still showing the old version” problems come down to clearing the wrong layer. Start with a hard refresh, use a private window to rule your browser in or out, then purge the site caches from the plugin outward to the CDN.

This week, try the private-window test the next time a change doesn’t show. It takes ten seconds and tells you whether the fix is on your device or on the server. If you’re stuck on a site hosted with us, reach out to our support team.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Will clearing cache delete my passwords or log me out?

Clearing only cached images and files will not log you out or delete saved passwords. You get logged out when you also tick cookies and site data. Untick that box if you just want to see the newest version of a page.

Is a hard refresh the same as clearing cache?

No. A hard refresh reloads one page and asks the server for fresh copies of its files, while clearing cache deletes stored files for every site in the time range you pick. Try the hard refresh first, because it is faster and keeps everything else in place.

Why do I still see the old page after clearing my browser cache?

Because another copy is being served before your browser even gets involved. A WordPress cache plugin, the server page cache or a CDN edge cache can still hold the old HTML. Open the page in a private window: if it is still old there, purge the site caches, not your browser.

Why do logged-in admins see my changes but visitors do not?

Page caches skip logged-in users, so you see the live page while visitors get the cached copy. Purge the site cache and the edge cache, then check the page in a private window while logged out.

Does clearing cache hurt my website or SEO?

No. Purging only removes temporary copies, never your posts, files or database. The site may feel slightly slower for a few minutes while the caches rebuild, and that has no lasting effect on rankings.

How do I clear the cache on an xCloud WordPress site?

Go to Sites, open your site, then WordPress and Caching, and click Purge Cache. If Edge Full Page Cache is on, that same button clears the edge cache too, and the Edge Full Page Cache settings keep a separate Purge Cache button for the edge alone. Then hard-refresh the page in a logged-out private window to check.