{"id":1028,"date":"2024-05-07T11:49:48","date_gmt":"2024-05-07T11:49:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kb.shortpixel.com\/docs\/how-to-clear-wordpress-cache\/"},"modified":"2025-08-27T08:36:44","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T08:36:44","password":"","slug":"how-to-clear-wordpress-cache","status":"publish","type":"docs","link":"https:\/\/kb.shortpixel.com\/knowledge-base\/article\/how-to-clear-wordpress-cache\/","title":{"rendered":"How to clear WordPress cache"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Caching is a complex and interesting process, but to save some time, we will forgo deep details or complex workflows and KISS<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cache<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

noun: <\/em>cache<\/strong>; plural noun: <\/em>caches<\/b> – a collection of items of the same type stored in a hidden or inaccessible place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

verb: cache<\/strong>; 3rd person present: caches<\/strong>; past tense: cached<\/strong>; past participle: cached<\/strong>; gerund or present participle: cacheing<\/strong>; gerund or present participle: <\/em>caching<\/em> – store away in hiding or for future use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In our case, cached data<\/strong> is the information from a website or app that is stored on your device\/plugin\/hosting\/CDN\/etc. to speed up browsing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why clear the cache?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Security\/privacy <\/strong>– if your computer is also used by another person, they can see your activities on the internet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Troubleshooting<\/strong> – sometimes the cache can cause problems because something has changed, but the browser\/plugin\/CDN is not up to date and loads the old information. This can cause the page to load slowly, return errors, not respond properly, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In what order?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The correct order for clearing your cache is determined by the information workflow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. CSS\/JS optimization components (ShortPixel Adaptive Images, Autoptimize, Asset CleanUp, Perfmatters, your theme, etc.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Cache plugins (WP Rocket, Cache Enabler, Swift Performance, W3 Total Cache, etc.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Hosting\/Server (Kinsta, WP Engine, Varnish, etc.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. CDN (Cloudflare, bunny.net, etc.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, etc.)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Examples<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    1. CSS\/JS<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    ShortPixel Adaptive Images<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Go to S<\/strong>ettings \u2192 ShortPixel AI<\/strong> and press the button “Clear CSS cache<\/strong>“.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Autoptimize<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    On your WordPress Toolbar, hover over  Autoptimize<\/strong> and click on Delete Cache<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    2. Cache plugins<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    SiteGround Optimizer<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    On your WordPress Toolbar, click on Purge SG Cache<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    WP Rocket<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    a. Clear cache on the whole site<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

    Go to Settings \u2192 WP Rocket \u2192 Dashboard<\/strong> tab and press the Clear cache<\/strong> button.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Another way is via\u00a0the WordPress Toolbar. Hover over the WP Rocket menu link and you will see a\u00a0dropdown menu.\u00a0Click on the Clear cache\u00a0<\/strong>link.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/figure><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
    b. Clear cache on specific post\/page<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

    There are two ways to clear the cache for specific posts\/pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Visit the Pages <\/strong>or Posts<\/strong> section in WordPress and hover over the table row of a page or post to see the Clear this cache <\/strong>link.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Another way to do this is on the Edit<\/strong> screen of a post or page. The Clear cache <\/strong>button can be found in the Publish<\/strong> meta box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/figure><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

    Cache Enabler<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    You can clear the cache manually via the WordPress Toolbar (1) or via the Save Changes<\/strong> button (2) on the Cache Enabler settings page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    3. Hosting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    SiteGround<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Click the <\/strong>“Purge SG Cache<\/strong>“ <\/strong>button on the WordPress Toolbar. If you can\u2019t see the button, you need to install the plugin SG Optimizer<\/strong>. You should also contact SiteGround support to make sure you actually have the caching layers enabled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Alternatively, you can log into your SiteGround control panel and clear the server cache from there: https:\/\/www.siteground.com\/kb\/clear-site-cache\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    WP Engine<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    1. Log into the WordPress admin dashboard.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Click on the WP Engine<\/strong>\u00a0menu.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Go to the Caching<\/strong> tab.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    4. Click\u00a0Clear all caches<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Bluehost<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

      On your WordPress Toolbar, hover over Caching<\/strong> and then select P<\/strong>urge All<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      4. CDN<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Flush an image \/ all images from ShortPixel’s CDN<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

      If you are using ShortPixel Adaptive Image<\/a> or Autoptimize<\/a> (with the option to optimize images with ShortPixel) and need to flush one of the images cached in the CDN<\/strong>, you can simply follow these instructions: How to flush an image\/all images from ShortPixel CDN?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      If you are using ShortPixel Adaptive Images<\/a> and need to flush all the images<\/strong> from the cache of our CDN, you can also follow these instructions: How to flush an image\/all images from ShortPixel CDN?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      If you are using Autoptimize<\/a> (with the option to optimize images with ShortPixel)\u00a0and need to flush all images<\/strong> from the cache of our CDN, you can also follow these instructions: How to flush CDN cache for Autoptimize<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Flush CDN cache for Cloudflare<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

      Information taken from <\/em>Purging cached resources from Cloudflare<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Purging by single-file through your Cloudflare dashboard<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      1. Log into Cloudflare and select the site with the resources to purge.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      2. Click the\u00a0Caching<\/strong>\u00a0app.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      3. In the\u00a0Purge Cache<\/strong>\u00a0pane, click\u00a0Custom Purge<\/strong>.The\u00a0 Custom Purge<\/strong>\u00a0dialog box appears.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      4. Select\u00a0URL<\/strong>\u00a0in the\u00a0Purge<\/strong>\u00a0by<\/strong>\u00a0field.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      5. Enter the appropriate value(s) in the text box, using the format type shown in the example.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      6. Perform any additional instructions to complete the form.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      7. Review your entries.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      8. Click\u00a0Purge<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
        Purge everything through your Cloudflare dashboard<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

        Reminder: It is highly recommended to perform single-file purges for technical reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        1. Login to Cloudflare and select the site with the resources to purge.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        2. Click the\u00a0Caching<\/strong>\u00a0app.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        3. In the\u00a0Purge Cache<\/strong>\u00a0pane, click\u00a0Purge Everything<\/strong>.A warning dialog appears.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        4. If you agree, click\u00a0Purge Everything<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

          5. Browsers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

          Google Chrome<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

          Chrome \u2013 Windows<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
            \n
          1. On your computer, open Chrome.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          2. Click the button with the 3 dots in the top right corner.
            <\/figure><\/li>\n\n\n\n
          3. Click\u00a0<\/em>More tools<\/strong> \u2192 <\/em>Clear browsing data<\/strong>.
            <\/figure><\/li>\n\n\n\n
          4. Select a Time range at the top. To delete everything, select\u00a0All time<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          5. Check the box next to\u00a0Cached images and files<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          6. Click on Clear data<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
            \"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

            For more information, please visit the following page: Clear cache & cookies<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Chrome \u2013 Android<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
              \n
            1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Chrome app.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            2. Tap the button with the 3 dots in the top right corner.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
            3. Tap on\u00a0History\u00a0\u2192\u00a0Clear browsing data<\/strong>.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
            4. Select a Time range at the top. To delete everything, select\u00a0All time<\/strong>.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
            5. Check the box next\u00a0Cached images and files<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            6. Tap\u00a0Clear data<\/strong>.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

              For more information, please visit the following page: Clear cache & cookies<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Chrome \u2013 iPhone\/iPad<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

              If you clear your cache or cookies, your browser may log you out of your Google Account. To make sure you can log back in, update your recovery phone number<\/a> and email address<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                \n
              1. On your iPhone or iPad, open the Chrome app.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              2. Tap the button with 3 dots at the bottom.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              3. Tap\u00a0History\u00a0\u2192\u00a0Clear browsing data<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              4. Make sure there is a check mark next to Cached Images and Files<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              5. Tap\u00a0Clear browsing data<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                For more information, please visit the following page: Clear cache & cookies<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                Mozilla Firefox – Windows<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
                  \n
                1. Click the Menu button and select\u00a0Options<\/strong>
                  <\/figure><\/li>\n\n\n\n
                2. Select the\u00a0Privacy & Security<\/strong>\u00a0panel.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                3. On the\u00a0Cookies and Site Data<\/strong>\u00a0section, click on\u00a0Clear Data<\/strong>\u2026<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                  \"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

                  4. Remove the check mark in front\u00a0of\u00a0Cookies and Site Data<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  5. With the\u00a0Cached Web Content<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>check marked, click the\u00a0Clear<\/strong>\u00a0button.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  6. Close the\u00a0about:preferences<\/em>\u00a0page. Any changes you’ve made will automatically be saved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    <\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                    For more information, please visit How to clear the Firefox cache | Firefox Help<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    Microsoft Edge – Windows<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
                      \n
                    1. Open Microsoft Edge and then select Settings<\/strong>\u00a0\u2192<\/em> Privacy, search, and services<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                      \"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
                      \"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

                      2. Under Clear browsing data<\/strong>, select Choose what to clear<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                      3. Under\u00a0Time range<\/strong>, choose a time range.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                      4. Select\u00a0Cached images and files<\/strong>, and then select\u00a0Clear now<\/strong>.

                      <\/figure><\/p>\n\n\n\n
                        <\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                        For more information, please visit View and delete browser history in Microsoft Edge<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                        Opera – Windows<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

                        Press Ctrl+Shift+Del<\/strong> to open your Clear browsing data options. Make sure Cached images and files<\/strong> is selected and then click on Clear data<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                        \"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

                        For more information, please visit How to clear cache, cookies and other history data in browser | Opera<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                        Safari – macOS<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

                        You can clear the cache through the developer menu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          \n
                        1. Select the first item Safari<\/strong> in the main menu and from the drop-down the item Preferences…<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        2. A popup opens. Click on the tab Advanced<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        3. Check the option Show Develop menu in menu bar<\/strong> at the bottom. Now you should see a new menu item in the main menu named Develop<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        4. If you click on the menu item Develop<\/strong> you can select Empty Caches<\/strong>\u00a0from the submenu items.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        5. Reload the site.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                          Internet Explorer – Windows<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
                            \n
                          1. Close all Internet Explorer windows.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          2. Open a new Internet Explorer window, and then click on\u00a0Tools \u2192<\/em>\u00a0Internet Options<\/strong>\u00a0(if you don’t see this, press the Alt key to show the menu bar).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          3. In the General<\/strong> tab, under Browsing History<\/strong> section, click Delete<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          4. In the Delete Browsing History<\/strong> window, select the check box for Temporary Internet Files and website files<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          5. Click on\u00a0Delete<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                            Caching is a complex and interesting process, but to save some time, we will forgo deep details or complex workflows and KISS. The cache noun: cache; plural noun: caches – a collection of items of the same type stored in a hidden or inaccessible place. verb: cache; 3rd person present: caches; past tense: cached; past participle: […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"doc_category":[56],"glossaries":[],"doc_tag":[],"class_list":["post-1028","docs","type-docs","status-publish","hentry","doc_category-other-questions"],"blocksy_meta":[],"year_month":"2026-04","word_count":1345,"total_views":"1828","reactions":{"happy":"0","normal":"0","sad":"0"},"author_info":{"name":"admin","author_nicename":"admin_mdli53m5","author_url":"https:\/\/kb.shortpixel.com\/author\/admin_mdli53m5\/"},"doc_category_info":[{"term_name":"General questions","term_url":"https:\/\/kb.shortpixel.com\/knowledge-base\/category\/other-questions\/"}],"doc_tag_info":[],"knowledge_base_info":[],"knowledge_base_slug":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kb.shortpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/docs\/1028","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kb.shortpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/docs"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kb.shortpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/docs"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kb.shortpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kb.shortpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1028"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/kb.shortpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/docs\/1028\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2180,"href":"https:\/\/kb.shortpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/docs\/1028\/revisions\/2180"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kb.shortpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1028"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"doc_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kb.shortpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/doc_category?post=1028"},{"taxonomy":"glossaries","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kb.shortpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/glossaries?post=1028"},{"taxonomy":"doc_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kb.shortpixel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/doc_tag?post=1028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}