Recently, one of our readers asked us how to clear cache in WordPress? Your web browser, server, and caching plugins installed on your website can all serve cached content which can make it difficult for you to see the changes you made to your site right away. In this article, we will show you how to properly clear your cache in WordPress.
What is Cache and When Do You Need to Clear Cache?
Caching solutions store a static version of your website. This allows WordPress to skip running the heavier PHP scripts and improves your website performance.
There are many different type of caching solutions available. The most popular ones are WordPress caching plugins like WP Super Cache and W3 Total Cache.
These plugins offer an easy to use interface for controlling what to cache, when to expire cached content, and cleaning up cache on demand.
Managed WordPress hosting providers like WPEngine also run their own caching solutions, so that you don’t have to install a caching plugin.
If you are using a CDN service like MaxCDN, then they would also serve cached copies of static content.
If you’re using a web application firewall like Sucuri or CloudFlare to improve your WordPress security, then they also have their own cache to speed up your site and reduce downtime.
Lastly, your browser may also store cached versions of pages on your computer.
The purpose of caching is to speed up your website and improve the overall user experience. However, sometimes this causes you to not see the changes you make right away which can be frustrating. In that case, you will need to clear caches to see your changes.
Having said that, let’s take a look at how to clear your cache in WordPress.
Step 1: Clear Your Browser Cache
First, you need to clear your web browser cache. Most web browsers can store static content like stylesheets, JavaScript, images from a website to make your subsequent visits faster.
However, sometimes web browsers may fail to realize that a web page has changed. Instead of fetching a fresh copy, they may still reload the page from the cached version store on your computer.
Here is how you will clean your browser cache in Google Chrome. First you need to click on the menu icon and then select More Tools » Clear Browsing Data.
This will bring up a popup where you can select the content you want to remove. Make sure that cached images and files is checked and then click on ‘Clear browsing data’ button.
You have successfully cleared your browser cache, and you can now try visiting your website.
If you are still not seeing the changes you made, then move on to the next steps in this article.
For other web browsers see their respective documentations on how to clear browser cache.
Step 2: Clear Cache in Your WordPress Caching Plugin
If you are using a WordPress caching plugin on your site, then you need to clear your plugin cache. Most caching plugins allow you to easily do that from the plugin’s settings page.
Clear Cache in WP Super Cache
WP Super Cache is the most popular WordPress caching plugin. It allows you to clean or purge all cached content with a single click.
You need to visit Settings » WP Super Cache page and click on ‘Delete Cache’ button.
That’s all, WP Super Cache will now delete all cached files from your website.
Clear Cache in W3 Total Cache
W3 Total Cache is another popular WordPress caching plugin. It also makes it super easy to clear cache with one click.
Head over to Performance » Dashboard page and click on ’empty all caches button.
W3 Total Cache will now delete all cached content for your site.
Clear Cache on WPEngine
WPEngine is a managed WordPress hosting provider. They run their own caching solution, so their customers don’t need to install a caching plugin.
If you are unable to notice changes take effect immediately, then you can easily clear WPEngine cache from your WordPress admin area.
You need to click on the WPEngine menu item in the admin bar and then under ‘General’ settings click on purge all caches button.
WPEngine will now purge all stored cache for your WordPress site.
Clear Cache in Sucuri
If you’re using a web application firewall like Sucuri to protect your website, then they also have their own layer of caching.
You can clear the cache from your Sucuri plugin by going to Sucuri » WAF menu in your WordPress admin area.
We hope this article helped you learn how to clear cache in WordPress. You may also want to see our guide on how to boost WordPress speed and performance.
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Great Article! I have a question. After updating plugins do I have to clear out all my caches again? Thanks!
Hi Ann,
It is not necessary as most caching plugins are setup to automatically purge cache at regular intervals. However, you can also go ahead and manually clear cache if you find something missing.
Thank you for the helpful post! Clearing my browser cache fixed issues for me, but Is it correct to say that any repeat visitors to my site could run into issues from not clearing their own browser cache? I would like to universally clear cache so that it’s dummy proof and doesn’t require my users to go in and fix it themselves. Is that possible in any way?
Thanks for this awesome suggestions and listings, I think super cache one the best cache plugin I have ever used.
And it is working like a .
I love it
Thanks for your useful article! What does the CLEAR CACHE button on the Publish menu in the WordPress admin section do?
It amazes me that most important question has been ignored. How to clear cache saved in other peoples’ browsers? I.E. people who visit you wordpress website and maybe have no idea how to clear icache or that they need to do it. Thousands of plugins but not one which would add some version parameter to all website urls therefore forcing browsers to request them as new files.
I have also been looking for a way to do the same. Have realised that if we do not enable the cache at all it will work but impact the performance of the website.
Hi, how do I clear cache if I don’t have a cache plugin – taken over a community group site and presumably previous webmaster used then deleted a cache plugin without clearing the cache first?!
Hi!
I use Fastest Cache and I was wondering what is the difference between
CLEAR CACHE OF THIS PAGE
DELETE CACHE
DELETE CACHE AND MINIFIED CCS/JS
Can you tell me please?
Thanks in advance and thanks for this post!
Esther
Hi Esther,
Clear cache of this page, removes the cached files for the page you are currently viewing. Delete cache, deletes cached files and the last deletes everything including minified CSS/JS.
So,
when I make changes in a specific page and someone else can’t see them, I should just use “clear the cache” of that page; but if I make changes to a couple of pages or more, I should either clear cache of each separately or use “delete cache”, which would let them see the changes in the whole site. Is this right?
Thanks again for your patience!
Hi Esther,
Most caching plugins will automatically clear the cache for a page when you make changes those pages. You will only need to use those features if you are working on your website’s theme or adding some new plugin and those changes are not showing up on your website.
When I try to install WP Super Cache, I get the message that says “Plugin not allowed on our system due to performance, security, or compatibility concerns. Contact support with any questions”. But at the bottom there’s a check to tell me that it is “compatible with your version of wordpress”. This is the same with W3 Total Cache. What is wrong?
Hi Cherisa,
Some WordPress hosting companies block caching plugins because they have their own caching installed on their servers. Please contact your hosting provider to confirm.
Similar problem here. Nothing happens when you click on my menu on mobile devices.
Any help is appreciated.
Thank you!
Damn just what I need.
I feel so stupid that I had people from my web host just to clear this mess.
Anyway,
how you set this website gone from comment form. this is awesome. I want to have things like this in my blog pencaricerah.com.
Do you have the tutorial? Are you using the default comment form 7?
Not using a plugin but my CSS changes are not showing in Chrome until the cache is cleared. How do I ensure that my website visitors get the new styling without asking them to clear their browser’s cache.
NB: Its only on Chrome.
Thanks.
Looking for the same answer, Whenever making change in CSS it’s not showing till hard refresh and it’s not suggestible to ask visitor to do hard refresh. So, How we can serve new css changes to the visitors? How to clear all the cookies/browser cache file.
As of now I am using W3 Total Cache plugin, Even after clicking on Performance > Dashboard > Empty All Caches it’s not showing new changes until hard refresh. Can you please suggest some good method for wordpress? I am not using any version css version number as well as GT Matrix suggesting to remove query string I have removed using function.php
Waiting for some positive feedback.
thank you for this. but
i am not using a cache plugin,
and i only enabled wordpress built in cache ,
i placed this code into my wp-config.php
/* WordPress Cache */
define( ‘WP_CACHE’, true );
define(‘ENABLE_CACHE’, true);
define(‘CACHE_EXPIRATION_TIME’, 360000);
would you mind pleaseee tell , how to flush this cache please ?
I do not have a plugin installed, but I am having trouble. If I install one now, after the fact, will that help?
Dear Admin I want you to post some tutorial regarding advertisement on website for beginners who have less tariffs in their site.
By the way I love your work.
Hi Rohan,
Thanks for the feedback. We will try to cover it more in future. Meanwhile, have you checked our guides on optimizing Adsense revenue in WordPress and best Ad management plugins for WordPress?
This is very useful and nice articles.
It would be great if you could show how to clear the cookie of another 2 popular browsers: Firefox & Safari.
Thanks but how frequently which should clear caches . Also would be better if you can mention sequence of caches to be clear. So we can take note of it point by point
Good read. Didn’t know about the Sucuri caching. Also, recommending adding a tip for the browser cache. CTRL + SHIFT + R usually works just as well by forcing a refresh that bypasses cache and keeps you having to dump your browser cache, every time.
This is a valuable article. I learned much about the role of cache, how to optimize its use and maintenance measures. Thank you.