Clear your Internet Explorer cache through Settings in three steps

Open Internet Explorer and select the gear icon in the top right corner. Click Internet Options. In the window that opens, find the Browsing history section and click the Delete button. A new dialog appears with checkboxes — make sure Temporary Internet files and website files is checked, then click Delete again.

The cache clears immediately. You may see a brief loading bar. Once it finishes, close the Internet Options window and your cache is gone. The next time you visit a website, Internet Explorer will download fresh copies of images, scripts, and other files instead of using stored versions.

If you want Internet Explorer to never store cache files in the future, return to Internet Options, click the Advanced tab, scroll down to the Security section, and check the box labeled Empty Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed. This runs the cache-clearing process automatically each time you shut down the browser.

Key Takeaways

  • The fastest way to clear cache is through the gear icon menu, then Internet Options, then the Delete button under Browsing history.
  • Make sure the Temporary Internet files and website files checkbox is selected before you click Delete, or other file types will clear instead.
  • You can set Internet Explorer to clear the cache automatically every time you close the browser through the Advanced tab in Internet Options.
  • Clearing cache frees up disk space and forces websites to load fresh versions of images and scripts, which can sometimes fix display problems.

What gets deleted when you clear the cache

Internet Explorer stores cached files in a folder on your hard drive. These are copies of images, stylesheets, JavaScript files, and other content from websites you visit. The browser keeps them so that the next time you return to that site, it can load the page faster by using the local copy instead of downloading everything again.

When you clear the cache, you remove all those stored files. Websites will load slightly slower the first time you visit them after clearing, because the browser has to download everything fresh. On subsequent visits to the same site, the cache rebuilds and pages load quickly again.

Clearing cache does not delete your browsing history, saved passwords, or cookies — those are separate. If you want to remove those too, the Internet Options dialog has separate checkboxes for each type of data.

When to clear your cache

Clear your cache if a website looks broken, images won't load, or a page displays outdated information. Sometimes the cached version of a file conflicts with the current version on the server, and clearing forces a fresh download that fixes the problem.

You may also want to clear cache before selling or giving away your computer, since cached files can contain images and data from sites you visited. Clearing cache also frees up disk space, though the amount varies depending on how long it has been since you last cleared it and how many sites you visit regularly.

If you share a computer with other people, clearing cache removes evidence of which websites you visited, though it does not remove your browsing history — that requires a separate step.

The difference between cache, cookies, and browsing history

Cache is the folder of website files stored on your computer. Cookies are small text files that websites use to remember information about you, like login status or shopping cart contents. Browsing history is the list of URLs you visited, which appears in the back button dropdown and the history menu.

Internet Explorer lets you delete each one separately. If you clear only the cache, your browsing history and cookies remain. If you want to remove all three, check all three boxes in the Delete Browsing History dialog before clicking Delete.

Some people clear cache regularly but keep cookies, so websites still remember them. Others clear everything to remove all traces of their browsing. The choice depends on what you want to remove and what you want to keep.

Clearing cache on older versions of Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer 9 and earlier use a slightly different menu layout. Open the browser, click Tools in the menu bar (or press Alt if the menu bar is hidden), then select Internet Options. The rest of the steps are the same — find Browsing history, click Delete, check Temporary Internet files, and click Delete again.

If you are using Internet Explorer 6, 7, or 8, the process is nearly identical, though the dialog boxes may look different. The key is finding the Internet Options menu and the Delete button under Browsing history.

Internet Explorer 11 is the final version Microsoft released. If you are running an older version, consider updating to the latest release, since older versions no longer receive security updates.

Why Internet Explorer is no longer supported

Microsoft ended support for Internet Explorer in June 2022. The browser no longer receives security updates or bug fixes. If you still use it, you are exposed to security vulnerabilities that newer browsers have patched.

Microsoft now recommends using Edge, its newer browser, which has a similar cache-clearing process. If you need to switch browsers, Edge can import your bookmarks, history, and saved passwords from Internet Explorer automatically.

If you must continue using Internet Explorer for compatibility with an older website or application, clearing cache regularly is more important than ever, since the browser will not receive patches for newly discovered security problems.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will clearing cache delete my saved passwords?

No. Passwords are stored separately from cache. If you want to remove saved passwords, return to Internet Options, click the Content tab, and click Settings under AutoComplete. You can clear passwords from there without touching your cache.

How much disk space does cache usually take up?

Cache size varies widely depending on your browsing habits. Light users might have 50 to 100 megabytes. Heavy users can accumulate several gigabytes over months or years. Clearing it frees that space, though the amount depends on how long since you last cleared it.

Can I clear cache for only one website instead of all websites?

Internet Explorer does not have a built-in option to clear cache for a single site. You must clear all cached files at once. If you need to clear cache for one site only, you can delete the Temporary Internet Files folder manually through Windows File Explorer, though this is more complicated.

What if the Delete button does not work?

Close all Internet Explorer windows and try again. Sometimes the browser locks cache files while it is running. If it still does not work, restart your computer and try once more. If the problem persists, your antivirus software may be blocking the deletion — check your security software settings.

Does clearing cache speed up my computer?

Clearing cache frees up disk space and may make your hard drive slightly faster if it was nearly full. However, the performance gain is usually small. Clearing cache is more useful for fixing website display problems or freeing up space than for speeding up your overall system.