Are you having problems browsing the internet? You may have some nasties in your browser history and cache. Here’s how to clear them and restart with a clean slate.
Internet Explorer
- With your browser open, go to Tools > Safety, then click ‘Delete browsing history’.
- Select the data you want to remove. It’s best to check the boxes next to ‘Browsing history’, ‘Cached images or temporary internet files’, ‘Cookies’, ‘Download history’, ‘Saved form data’ and ‘Saved passwords’.
- Click ‘Delete’.
Microsoft Edge
- Click on the three lines at the top right-hand corner of your browser. This is called the ‘Hub’.
- Go to ‘History’.
- Select ‘Clear all history’ > ‘Show more’. From here you can choose the data you want to remove.
- Select the same data types as above.
- Click ‘Clear’.
Google Chrome
- Click the Chrome menu on the top right-hand side of your browser or go to Chrome in top menu, then click ‘Preferences’.
- Go to ‘History’ and click ‘Clear browsing data’.
- A menu will appear that gives you the option for how much history you want to delete, from ‘the last hour’ to ‘the beginning of time’. If you want to clear your entire history, click ‘the beginning of time’.
- Here you can also check the data you want to clear. I recommend that you select ‘Browsing history’, ‘Download history’, ‘Cookies’, and ‘Cached images and files’.
- Once you’ve selected what you want to delete, click ‘Clear browsing data’.
Firefox
- Go to the top menu and click ‘History’ > ‘Clear recent history’.
- A menu will appear with options for the time range you wish to delete, as well as the type of data you wish to remove.
- Check the boxes next to ‘Browsing & Download history’, ‘Cookies’, ‘Cache’ and ‘Active logins’.
- Click ‘Clear Now’.
Safari
- Click on ‘Safari’ at the top left-hand side of the browser.
- Go to ‘Clear history and website data.
- Select your desired time range to clear.
- Click ‘Clear history’.
- Quit Safari and once you reopen it, your cache will also be cleared.
There you have it. Your browser should now be free from nasties and unnecessary data that can bloat it and reduce its performance.
Related articles:
Hide your browser history
How to set your browser homepage
Best free internet browsers
