This is aninformation page. It is neither anencyclopedia article nor one ofWikipedia's policies or guidelines; rather, its purpose is to explain certain aspects of Wikipedia's norms, customs, technicalities, or practices. It may reflect differing levels ofconsensus andvetting.

Shortcuts WP:BYCWP:BYC WP:BYPASSWP:BYPASS WP:REFRESHWP:REFRESH

This page in a nutshell: Bypassing your cache means forcing yourweb browser to re-download a web page from scratch, which can often solve website display glitches. It is also required after installinguser scripts. Bypassing your cache is simple, safe, and causes no permanent changes.

To speed things up and conservecommunications bandwidth, browsers attempt to keep local copies of pages, images, and other content you've visited, so that it need not be downloaded again later. Occasionally thiscaching scheme goes awry (e.g. the browser insists on showing out-of-date content) making it necessary tobypass the cache, thus forcing your browser to re-download a web page's complete, up-to-date content. This is sometimes referred to as a "hard refresh", "cache refresh", or "uncached reload". The rest of your cache is not affected.

When you encounter strange behavior, first try bypassing your cache. In most cases you can use the simple instructions shown to the right, or see the complete browser-specific instructionsbelow. If this is not enough, you can try performing a "purge" of Wikipedia's server cache (see instructionsbelow). If problems persist, report them atWikipedia:Village pump (technical).

If you are editing templates, you may need to wait a few minutes before bypassing your browser cache in order to see the change in a page with the transcluded template.

In unusual circumstances, it may be worthclearing the entire cache (of your local browser).

This sectionneeds expansion. You can help bymaking an edit requestadding to it.(July 2022)

• Tap "More" (three dots in the top right)
• Select "History"
• Choose "Clear browsing data"
• Select "Cached images and files"
• Choose your time range
• Tap "Clear data"

(e.g. Mobile Safariand Brave, Chrome, Firefox, Opera, et. al.)^[1]

• Click the Reload button on the navigation toolbar.

• If that is insufficient, one can try to add the following to the end of the page’s url(either manually or by using a JavaScript-basedbookmarklet).^[2]

?nocache=1

OnWindows andLinux, use one of the following:

• Hold theCtrl key and press theF5 key.
• Hold the⇧ Shift key and press theF5 key.
• Hold theCtrl key and the⇧ Shift key, then press theR key.
• Hold theCtrl key and click theReload button on the navigation toolbar.
• Hold the⇧ Shift key and click theReload button on the navigation toolbar.

OnmacOS:

• Hold both the⌘ Cmd and⇧ Shift keys and press theR key.
• Hold the⇧ Shift key and click theReload button on the navigation toolbar.
• Hold theCtrl key and click theReload button on the navigation toolbar.

OnChromeOS:

• Hold the⇧ Shift key and click theReload button on the navigation toolbar.

Use one of the following:

• Hold theCtrl key and press theF5 key.
• Hold theCtrl key and click the "Refresh" button on the toolbar.

These instructions work forFirefox,SeaMonkey, and other related browsers.

On Windows and Linux, use one of the following:

• Hold both theCtrl and⇧ Shift keys and then pressR.
• Hold the⇧ Shift key and click theReload button on the navigation toolbar.
• Hold theCtrl key and press theF5 key.

On macOS, use one of the following:

• Hold both the⌘ Cmd and⇧ Shift keys and then pressR.
• Hold the⇧ Shift key and click theReload button on the navigation toolbar.

For version 4 and newer:

• Hold down the⇧ Shift key and click theReload toolbar button

or

• Use keyboard shortcut⌥ Opt+⌘ Cmd+R to clear cache.

For version 3 and older:

• Hold down the⌘ Cmd key and pressR. This kind of "regular" reload will usually bypass the cache.

To clear the cache:

1. Go to the "Tools" menu (the three horizontal ellipsis on the upper right of the browser) and click on "History" (Shortcut:Ctrl+H).
2. Click on "Clear browsing data…" (Shortcut:Ctrl+⇧ Shift+Del).
3. Select the types of data you want to clear, and include "Cached images and files" option.

If you would like to keep the data in your cache but test Wikipedia without using it, you can use the private browsing option.

To disable the cache:

1. Open Developer Tools (F12,Ctrl+⇧ Shift+I orTools ▸ Developer Tools).
2. Click on the horizontal ellipsis on the upper right corner of the Dev Tools interface and select "Settings" (Shortcut:F1).
3. Check the "Disable Cache" check-box.

 Note: This method only works if the developer console remains open. Browser extensions are available for download that force the cache to be disabled at all times.

To completely clear the cache inInternet Explorer 9 and later versions:

1. Click "Tools" (the Gear-shaped button on the top-right section of the browser), point to "Safety" and click "Delete Browsing History…" (keyboard shortcut:Ctrl+⇧ Shift+Del).
2. Select "Temporary Internet Files" at the top, and click "Delete". (If Wikipedia is in your list of favorites, you may need to turn off the "Preserve Favorites website data" at the top of the dialog box.)
3. Internet Explorer will now silently delete the items you have chosen. Once finished, the notification bar appears at the bottom of the screen, stating that the selected browsing history has been deleted.

To change cache settings (not recommended for most users):

• SelectTools ▸ Internet Options ▸ Temporary Internet files ▸ Settings… to make advanced configuration changes to the cache.

To completely clear the cache:

• Click the "Open menu" button (three stacked, horizontal bars in the upper right corner). Select "Options", then the "Privacy & Security" section. Go to the "Cookies and Site Data" subsection and click the "Clear Data..." button. Make sure the box for "Cached Web Content" is checked and click "Clear", (be sure the "Cookies and Site Data" box is unchecked if you do not want to clear this data as well).
• In versions of Firefox that display a single, orange "Firefox" button: click the "Firefox" button and click "Options". Select the "Advanced" section, and go to the "Network" tab, and click the "Clear Now" button. Then click "OK".
• When Firefox displays a menu bar, from the "Edit" or "Tools" menu, choose "Preferences" or "Options". Select the "Advanced" section, and go to the "Network" tab. Click the button called "Clear Now". Then click "OK".
• In SeaMonkey and later versions of Netscape, chooseEdit ▸ Preferences…, expand the "Advanced" section and choose "Cache". Click on the "Clear Cache" button.

If you would like to keep your data in your cache and test Wikipedia with an empty cache, you can use Private Browsing mode.

To disable caching in Firefox (not recommended for most users):

1. ChooseTools ▸ Options… (orEdit ▸ Preferences in the Linux version).
2. Choose "Advanced" at the top.
3. Choose the "Network" tab.
4. Change the cache size to 0 (zero).

To disable caching in SeaMonkey (not recommended for most users):

1. ChooseEdit ▸ Preferences…
2. Expand the "Advanced" item near the left bottom.
3. Choose "Cache" item.
4. Change the "Size" value to 0 (zero).

To completely clear the cache:

• Use keyboard shortcut⌥ Opt+⌘ Cmd+E to instantly clear all caches

Alternatively:

1. From the "Safari" menu, choose "Preferences..." (Shortcut:⌘ Cmd+,)
2. Click on the "Advanced" tab
3. Check the box at the bottom next to "Show Develop menu in menu bar"
4. Close preferences and clickDevelop ‣ Empty Caches

TheWikimedia servers cache a version of articles. When improperly displayed content is contained in atemplate or othertranscluded page, bypassing your own cache might not be enough. You may need topurge the server cache of old page versions.

The server can be instructed to refresh its cache of a page's contents with theaction=purge web address parameter. Add this to the end of the address. For example, to purge this page, visit one of the following:

• //en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Bypass_your_cache&action=purge
• //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Bypass_your_cache?action=purge

For pages you think may need to be purged on a regular basis, include{{purge}}, which provides readers with an easily-accessible purge link. Don't put this on article space pages.

• Cache manifest in HTML5
• Wikipedia:Purge

• Wikipedia information pages
• Wikipedia FAQs
• Wikipedia features
• Wikipedia how-to

• Wikipedia semi-protected project pages
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