By ShowMeStepByStepPublished Updated
Based on a video by ProgrammingKnowledge2.
When a website acts weird - blank pages, images that won't load, forms that won't submit, a layout that looks broken - the fix is almost always the same: clear Chrome's cache. It's also the first thing any support line tells you to do.
This walkthrough is based on a tutorial from ProgrammingKnowledge2. Six steps, one minute, and the site will start behaving again.
Chrome on Android. Different menu path: tap the three dots in the top right, History, then "Clear browsing data." The choices are the same (time range + what to clear), and the keyboard shortcut isn't available on mobile.
Chrome on iPhone. Same as Android: three dots, History, Clear Browsing Data. Note that on iPhone, "Clear All Cookies" will sign you out of every site you're logged into, including Gmail and Google Drive. If you only want to fix one misbehaving site, use the next variation instead.
Clear cache for one specific site only. Hold Shift and click Reload in the address bar (or press Ctrl+F5 on Windows / Cmd+Shift+R on Mac). This forces Chrome to bypass cache for the current page only without wiping everything else. The cleaner approach when one site misbehaves but you want to stay logged into the others.
Clear cache but keep cookies (don't lose logins). In the Clear Browsing Data dialog, check "Cached images and files" only and uncheck "Cookies and other site data." You get the cache benefit without losing every saved login. This is the right setting most of the time.
Test in Incognito instead of clearing. Ctrl+Shift+N opens an Incognito window that doesn't use your normal cache or cookies. If a site works fine in Incognito, you've confirmed the problem is cache-related without nuking anything. Then come back and do a targeted Ctrl+F5 reload of just that site.
Only if you also clear cookies. Cache and cookies are separate categories in the Clear Browsing Data dialog. Uncheck "Cookies and other site data" before clicking Clear Data and your saved logins stay intact. Most people clear both by accident on the first try and then have to log back into everything.
Don't, unless something is broken. The cache exists to make pages load faster — clearing it forces Chrome to re-download images, scripts, and stylesheets you've already seen. Routine "spring cleaning" of the cache slows your browser down. Clear it when a specific site misbehaves (broken layout, stale content, login loops) and not on a schedule.
Cache stores copies of website files (images, scripts, CSS) so Chrome doesn't have to re-download them every time you visit. Cookies store small text records about your session: who you're logged in as, your shopping cart, your preferences. Clearing cache makes pages load slower next visit. Clearing cookies logs you out and resets every site's memory of you.
Most of it is cache, but a lot of it is service-worker storage for "installed" web apps (Gmail, Slack web, YouTube Music) that pre-load content for offline use. You can see the breakdown at chrome://settings/cookies/detail or visit chrome://settings/clearBrowserData and switch to the Advanced tab. If you genuinely need to free space, "Cached images and files" is safe to clear; "Hosted app data" might log you out of installed web apps.
With Chrome open, click the three vertical dots in the top-right corner of the window - just to the right of your profile icon. That opens Chrome's main menu.
If you can't find them, the three dots are sometimes called the 'kebab menu'. Same thing.
Tip
If you want to skip the whole menu route entirely, jump to step 6 - the keyboard shortcut does all of steps 1 and 2 in one keystroke.
In the menu that opened, hover over 'More tools' to expand its submenu. Inside, click 'Clear browsing data...'.
A dialog titled 'Clear browsing data' will open in the center of your window.
Tip
Notice Chrome shows 'Ctrl+Shift+Del' next to the option - that's the shortcut. Worth remembering after you've done this once or twice.
In the dialog, make sure you're on the 'Basic' tab (not 'Advanced'). Click the 'Time range' dropdown and choose 'All time'. Anything shorter leaves older cached files in place.
Chrome will show the size of the cache right underneath the checkboxes - often a few hundred megabytes, which tells you why websites have been feeling sluggish.
Tip
'Last hour' or 'Last 24 hours' can be useful if you know when the website started misbehaving - targets only the bad cache entries without flushing everything.
You'll see three checkboxes: Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, and Cached images and files.
For cache issues, uncheck 'Browsing history' and 'Cookies and other site data'. Leave only 'Cached images and files' checked. Clearing cookies logs you out of every site you're signed into - don't do it by accident.
Tip
If the problem is an individual website loading wrong, clearing just that site's cache in Developer Tools (F12 > Application tab > Storage) is even more targeted.
Click the blue 'Clear data' button in the bottom-right corner of the dialog. Chrome takes a few seconds to empty the cache, and the dialog closes on its own when it's done.
That's it. Reload the misbehaving website and it should work normally now.
Tip
The next page load on any site will be a touch slower than usual - that's Chrome rebuilding its cache as you browse. Back to normal speed after a minute or two of regular use.
Now that you know the menu route, skip it next time. Press Ctrl+Shift+Delete on Windows or Linux, or Cmd+Shift+Delete on Mac. The Clear browsing data dialog opens immediately, from anywhere in Chrome.
Same options, same buttons - just one keystroke instead of four clicks.
Tip
The same shortcut works in Firefox and Edge too. Different dialog, same idea. Worth committing to muscle memory.
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Quick reference
5 questions, answers, and one-line explanations. Tap to expand.
1.What's the keyboard shortcut for the Clear Browsing Data dialog?
Answer: Ctrl+Shift+Delete
Ctrl+Shift+Delete on Windows, Cmd+Shift+Delete on Mac. Opens the dialog from anywhere in Chrome. Same shortcut works in Firefox and Edge.
2.Where does the Clear Browsing Data option live in the menu?
Answer: More tools > Clear browsing data
Three-dot menu in the top right, hover More tools, click Clear browsing data.
3.To fix cache issues without losing your logins, which box stays checked?
Answer: Cached images and files only
Clearing cookies logs you out of every site. Leave only Cached images and files checked.
4.Which time range fully clears cache?
Answer: All time
All time. Anything shorter leaves older cached files behind. Last hour helps only when you know exactly when the bad cache started.
5.What's the after-effect of clearing the cache?
Answer: Pages load slightly slower at first
Next page load on every site is a touch slower while Chrome rebuilds its cache. Back to normal after a minute of browsing.
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