Google Chrome - Cache issues

Written by Christopher Lee

Last published at: November 8th, 2022

What are the different refresh\reload process supported by Google Chrome and how is cache involved?

  1. Refresh/Reload button
    • Classic and most commonly used, fine for 98% of uses
    • Uses local cache (if not expired) to reduce bandwidth usage and speed up user access
    • Keyboard commands:
      • Windows: Ctrl + r / F5
      • macOS: Command + r
  2. Force Reload
    • Forces browser to ignore local cache and request page from host completely
      • Does not clear existing page cache
      • Good to try if having issues with data not loading on a page (ie missing images / missing folder/file in Google Drive)
    • Keyboard commands:
      • Windows: Ctrl + Shift + r / Ctrl/Shift + F5
      • macOS: Command + Shift + r
  3. Delete Cache


Delete

What is the cache?

In the context of a web browser like Chrome, the cache is the locally stored copy of a webpage.