This is an
information page. It is not one of
Wikipedia'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 of
consensus and
vetting. |
This page in a nutshell: Bypassing your cache means forcing your web browser to re-download a web page from scratch, which can often solve website display glitches. It is also required after installing user scripts. Bypassing your cache is simple, safe, and causes no permanent changes. |
Bypass your cache — Simple instructions |
---|
In most Windows and Linux browsers:
In Apple Safari:
In Chrome and Firefox for Mac:
|
See full instructions below |
To speed things up and conserve communications 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 this caching scheme goes awry (e.g. the browser insists on showing out-of-date content) making it necessary to bypass 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 instructions below. If this is not enough, you can try performing a "purge" of Wikipedia's server cache (see instructions below). If problems persist, report them at Wikipedia: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 worth clearing the entire cache (of your local browser).
This section needs expansion. You can help by
adding to it. (July 2022) |
(e.g. Mobile Safari and Brave, Chrome, Firefox, Opera, et. al.) [1]
?nocache=1
On Windows and Linux, use one of the following:
On macOS:
On ChromeOS:
Use one of the following:
These instructions work for Firefox, SeaMonkey, and other related browsers.
On Windows and Linux, use one of the following:
On macOS, use one of the following:
For version 4 and newer:
or
For version 3 and older:
To clear the cache:
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:
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 in Internet Explorer 9 and later versions:
To completely clear the cache in Internet Explorer 8:
To completely clear the cache in Internet Explorer 7:
To completely clear the cache in older versions of Internet Explorer:
To change cache settings (not recommended for most users):
To completely clear the cache:
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):
To disable caching in SeaMonkey (not recommended for most users):
To completely clear the cache:
Alternatively:
The Wikimedia servers cache a version of articles. When improperly displayed content is contained in a template or other transcluded page, bypassing your own cache might not be enough. You may need to purge the server cache of old page versions.
The server can be instructed to refresh its cache of a page's contents with the action=purge
web address parameter. Add this to the end of the address. For example, to purge this page, visit one of the following:
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.
This is an
information page. It is not one of
Wikipedia'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 of
consensus and
vetting. |
This page in a nutshell: Bypassing your cache means forcing your web browser to re-download a web page from scratch, which can often solve website display glitches. It is also required after installing user scripts. Bypassing your cache is simple, safe, and causes no permanent changes. |
Bypass your cache — Simple instructions |
---|
In most Windows and Linux browsers:
In Apple Safari:
In Chrome and Firefox for Mac:
|
See full instructions below |
To speed things up and conserve communications 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 this caching scheme goes awry (e.g. the browser insists on showing out-of-date content) making it necessary to bypass 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 instructions below. If this is not enough, you can try performing a "purge" of Wikipedia's server cache (see instructions below). If problems persist, report them at Wikipedia: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 worth clearing the entire cache (of your local browser).
This section needs expansion. You can help by
adding to it. (July 2022) |
(e.g. Mobile Safari and Brave, Chrome, Firefox, Opera, et. al.) [1]
?nocache=1
On Windows and Linux, use one of the following:
On macOS:
On ChromeOS:
Use one of the following:
These instructions work for Firefox, SeaMonkey, and other related browsers.
On Windows and Linux, use one of the following:
On macOS, use one of the following:
For version 4 and newer:
or
For version 3 and older:
To clear the cache:
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:
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 in Internet Explorer 9 and later versions:
To completely clear the cache in Internet Explorer 8:
To completely clear the cache in Internet Explorer 7:
To completely clear the cache in older versions of Internet Explorer:
To change cache settings (not recommended for most users):
To completely clear the cache:
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):
To disable caching in SeaMonkey (not recommended for most users):
To completely clear the cache:
Alternatively:
The Wikimedia servers cache a version of articles. When improperly displayed content is contained in a template or other transcluded page, bypassing your own cache might not be enough. You may need to purge the server cache of old page versions.
The server can be instructed to refresh its cache of a page's contents with the action=purge
web address parameter. Add this to the end of the address. For example, to purge this page, visit one of the following:
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.