Managing Your Browser Cache
Typically, when you go to a Web page online, your browser program saves information from the Web page such as text or images on your computer. Your browser does this so the next time you visit the same site, it can use some of the stored, or cached, files instead of having to download each of the files all over again. By using these saved files, your browser is able to display Web pages faster because it usually takes less time to find files in the browser cache than it does to download them from the Internet.
In some cases, however, it may take more time to find a file on your computer than it takes to download it from the Internet. This happens when there are so many files saved in the cache that your browser has to take a long time to find the ones it needs. In these cases, it becomes necessary to manage your browser cache in order to improve your browsing speed.
To get the most benefit from your browser’s caching abilities and in turn maximize your browsing speed, you should adjust your browser settings to best match your computer and your Internet connection. Depending on which browser you use, you can adjust the amount of your computer’s disk space the browser can use to cache files and whether or not your browser should use files from the cache or from the Internet when you return to a page.
As an example of how you can adjust these settings to improve your browser’s performance, suppose that you have a faster than average computer and are using a dial-up connection. In this scenario, you will want to store a large number of files in your cache because your computer will be able to find them more quickly than it will be able to download them. A cache size of 50-60MB (50,000-60,000KB) is suggested in this case. In contrast, if you have a slower computer and are using a broadband connection, you will want to limit the size of your cache and rely more on your Internet connection. Try setting the cache size to about 10MB (10,000KB).
Instructions to adjust the size of your browser’s cache and to clear the cache are included below. If you have questions about managing your browser cache, you can find detailed instructions in the help section of the GoBigWest homepage.
Internet Explorer 6
- To clear the cache, go to Tools and then Internet Options. Select the General tab and click Delete Files.
- To adjust cache size, go to Tools and then Internet Options. Select the General tab and click the Settings button. Adjust the Amount of disk space to use by using the slider bar or by typing in a size.
Firefox and Netscape 8 for Windows
- To clear the cache, go to Tools and then Options. Select Privacy and click on the Clear button to the right of Cache.
- To adjust cache size, go to Tools and then Options. Select Privacy. Click the word Cache if it is not already selected and type a size in the provided text box.
Safari
- To clear the cache, go to the Safari menu and click Empty Cache.
(Safari does not include the ability to adjust the cache size)
Firefox for Macintosh
- To clear the cache, go to the Firefox menu and click Preferences. Select Privacy and click on the Clear button to the right of Cache.
- To adjust cache size, go to the Firefox menu and click Preferences. Select Privacy. Click the word Cache if it is not already selected and type a size in the provided text box.
