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What Is Cache Memory? How Does It Work? Why Should You Clear Cache Regularly?

23
Jan

Cache memory (cache storage) helps speed up data access, thereby improving the loading speed of websites, images, videos, audio, and other data. However, cache can sometimes cause computers or mobile devices to run slower. This article will help you understand what cache memory is, how it works, and why you should clear cache regularly.

1. What Is Cache Memory?

Cache is a temporary storage used to store frequently accessed data and resources such as web pages, images, JavaScript and CSS files, videos, audio files, text documents, and other data. When you access a resource on the internet, your browser downloads these resources from the server. However, if you access the same resource multiple times, re-downloading it can take more time and consume more network bandwidth.

To improve user experience, cache is used to store these resources on your device. When you revisit the same resource, the browser retrieves it from the cache instead of downloading it again from the server, resulting in faster loading times. Cache memory is used by many applications and operating systems, including web browsers, operating systems, and mobile applications.

2. How Does Cache Memory Work?

When you visit a website or access an online resource, your browser downloads the necessary resources from the server and stores them in the cache on your device. The next time you visit the same website or resource, the browser uses the cached data to load it faster without requesting it again from the server.

Cache memory is organized by priority, with frequently accessed and popular resources stored at the top. When the cache becomes full, less frequently accessed resources are removed to make room for newer and more frequently used data.

Some browsers allow users to clear cache at any time. This can be useful when encountering issues with outdated resources or when you want to reload the latest versions from the server. In summary, cache memory works by storing frequently accessed resources on your device to reduce page load times and improve browsing speed.

3. Why Should You Clear Cache Regularly?

Cache is a temporary storage saved on your device to reduce loading times for websites, applications, and other resources when you revisit them. However, cache can sometimes cause the following issues:
  • Outdated data: Cache stores older versions of websites, applications, or resources. If the data has changed on the server, you may not see the latest content.
  • Website loading errors: Cache can cause website loading issues, especially when a website has been updated or when your network configuration has changed.
  • Security concerns: Cache may store sensitive information such as passwords, cookies, or browsing history. If someone gains access to your device, they may access this information.

For these reasons, clearing cache periodically is necessary to ensure you are viewing the most up-to-date content and to protect your personal information.

4. How to Clear Cache?

Cache should be cleared periodically, but it does not need to be done daily. Below are quick and simple instructions for clearing cache.

4.1 How to Clear Cache on Desktop Web Browsers

4.1.1 How to Clear Cache on Google Chrome

  • Step 1: Open the Menu and click the three vertical dots. Select History > History.
  • Step 2: Click Clear Browsing Data.
  • Step 3: Select the time range and types of data you want to delete.
  • Step 4: Click Clear Data to complete the process.

4.1.2 How to Clear Cache on Firefox

  • Step 1: Click the three-line menu, go to Library > History > Clear Recent History.
  • Step 2: Choose the time range and data types to delete.
  • Step 3: Click Clear Now to remove cached data.

4.1.3 How to Clear Cache on Safari

  • Step 1: Go to the History tab in the Menu and select Clear History.
  • Step 2: Choose the time range. To delete all data, select All History.
  • Step 3: Click Clear History. Note that Safari does not allow selecting data types and will remove history, cache, and cookies together.

4.1.4 How to Clear Cache on Microsoft Edge

  • Step 1: Click the three-dot menu and select History > Clear History.
  • Step 2: Select the data types you want to delete under Clear browsing data.
  • Step 3: Click Clear to delete data. You can enable “Always clear this when I close the browser” for automatic cache removal.

4.2 How to Clear Cache on Mobile Browsers

4.2.1 How to Clear Cache on Google Chrome (iOS & Android)

  • Step 1: Open Chrome, tap the three-dot menu, and select History.
  • Step 2: Tap Clear Browsing Data.
  • Step 3: Choose the time range and data types such as History, Cookies, and Cache.
  • Step 4: Tap Clear Data to finish. The steps are similar on both iOS and Android.

On iOS, Chrome does not allow selecting a time range. After confirming the deletion, tap OK to complete the process.

4.2.2 How to Clear Cache on Mozilla Firefox (iOS & Android)

  • Step 1: Tap the three-dot menu and select History.
  • Step 2: Tap Clear Browsing History at the bottom of the screen.
  • Step 3: Confirm the popup by tapping OK.

4.2.3 How to Clear Cache on Safari (iOS)

  • Step 1: Open Settings on your device.
  • Step 2: Find and open Safari.
  • Step 3: Tap Clear History and Website Data.
  • Step 4: Confirm by tapping Clear History and Data.

Note that you do not need to clear cache daily, as browsers can automatically overwrite cached data. Cache clearing is only necessary when the browser becomes slow or websites do not display updated content correctly.

4.3 How to Clear Cache on WordPress

4.3.1 Clearing Cache Using WordPress Cache Plugins

If you are using a caching plugin on WordPress, you can usually find a “Clear Cache” or “Purge Cache” button in the plugin’s dashboard to clear cached data.

4.3.2 Clearing Cache by Editing the functions.php File

If you are not using a cache plugin, you can clear cache by modifying the functions.php file in WordPress.

Hoàng Linh

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