How to Clear Cache in WordPress (3 Simple Ways)

Is your WordPress site not showing your latest updates? Or maybe it's running slower than usual?

These problems are often caused by cached files. While caching speeds up your website, it can sometimes serve outdated content or create unexpected issues.

The good news? Clearing the cache is an easy fix.

If you are wondering how to clear your cache in WordPress, you are in the right place. In this step-by-step tutorial, we will show you several ways to clear caches from your WordPress site.

So, let's get started!

What is Cache in WordPress?

Cache in WordPress is a temporary storage system that saves copies of your website's files, pages, or data. It's used to make your website load faster for visitors. Instead of processing every request from scratch, cached files are served directly to reduce the load on your server.

There are different types of caching:

Browser Cache: Stores website files like images and scripts on the visitor’s device. This speeds up loading when they revisit your site.
Plugin Cache: Created by caching plugins in WordPress to optimize performance.
Server Cache: Saves data on the server to quickly deliver pre-processed information to users.

Now if you're wondering why you should clear the cache from your WordPress site, let us explain it in the next segment!

When and Why Should You Clear Cache in WordPress?

Caching helps speed up your website, but there are times when you need to clear it. Here are the main reasons and situations:

When You Update Your Website: If you make changes like editing a page, updating plugins, or changing the theme, the cache might still show the old version. Clearing it ensures visitors see the latest updates.

When Troubleshooting Errors: Sometimes, cached data can cause issues like broken layouts or incorrect content. Clearing the cache can fix these problems and help you identify the real issue.

After Installing or Updating Plugins: New plugins or updates may not work properly if old cached files are still in use. Clearing the cache ensures everything works as expected.

When You Change Website Settings: If you make changes to settings like your site's navigation or widgets, these updates might not reflect due to cached data.

When Website Speed Drops: If your site becomes slow, it could be due to outdated cached files. Clearing the cache can help improve loading times.

Clearing the cache is a quick way to make sure your site is running smoothly and visitors see the correct content.

How to Clear Cache in WordPress – 3 Different Methods for You

So, here we are. Now we will show you how to clear cache in WordPress in 3 different methods. Here they are:

Clear Browser Cache
Clear Cache Using a Plugin
Clear WordPress Cache Using Hosting Server

Now let's get into the details!

Method 01. Clear Browser Cache

Clearing your browser cache ensures that you're viewing the most up-to-date version of your website. Here's how you can do it for different browsers:

(i) Google Chrome

If you are using Google Chrome as your web browser, follow these steps to clear the cache from your browser:

Open Chrome and click on the three-dot menu in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings -> Privacy and Security -> Clear Browsing Data. You can also use the Ctrl + Shift + Delete (Windows) or Command + Shift + Delete (Mac) shortcut to open the caching interface.
Choose a time range (e.g., “Last 24 hours” or “All time”).
Check the box for Cached images and files.
Click Clear Data.

Well, if you are not a Google Chrome browser user, we have also got you covered. Follow the below steps to clear the cache from Mozilla Firefox. Microsoft Edge, and Safari browsers.

(ii) Mozilla Firefox

Open Firefox and click on the menu button (three lines) in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy & Security.
Under the Cookies and Site Data section, click Clear Data.
Select Cached Web Content and click Clear.

(iii) Microsoft Edge

Open Edge and click on the three-dot menu in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy, search, and services.
Under Clear browsing data, click Choose what to clear.
Check the Cached images and files and click Clear now.

(iv) Safari (Mac)

Open Safari and click on Safari in the top menu.
Go to Preferences > Privacy.
Click on Manage Website Data and select Remove All.

Once you clear the browser cache, refresh your website to ensure all the latest changes are visible.

Method 2. Clear Cache Using a Plugin

In this segment, we will show you how to clear WordPress cache using

LiteSpeed Cache,
WP Fastest Cache, and
W3 Total Cache.

Let's get started with our first choice – LiteSpeed Cache!

(i) Clear WordPress Cache Using LiteSpeed Cache Plugin

The LiteSpeed Cache plugin is a popular caching tool for WordPress that helps improve your site’s performance. Clearing the cache with this plugin is simple and takes just a few steps. Let's do it!

To install the plugin, go to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Plugins -> Add New Plugin, and type the plugin name in the search box. Then install and activate the plugin from the search result.

After installing the plugin, you'll see a new option named “LiteSpeed Cache” on the left sidebar. Now choose the Toolbox menu, and the LiteSpeed Cache Toolbox window will appear.
There are various types of cache you can purge, from page cache to CSS/JS cache. Choose which type of cache purge you want to perform

If you want to clear your WordPress cache entirely, choose Purge All. Note that it won’t delete critical data on your WordPress website, you can go ahead and clear the cache.
However, if you only want to empty the cache from certain parts of your site, scroll down to the Purge By section. From there, input your content using a category, tag, or URL.

In addition to accessing your WordPress dashboard, you can also flush the WordPress cache of a specific page by visiting it – just keep in mind that you need to log in as an administrator. Simply hover over the LiteSpeed icon on your admin bar and choose Purge this page.

(ii) Clear WordPress Cache Using WP Fastest Cache Plugin

WP Fastest Cache is a user-friendly caching plugin that can improve your website’s speed and performance. Clearing the cache with this plugin is quick and straightforward.

Follow these steps:

After installing and activating the plugin, you will see a “Fastest Cache” option on your left sidebar. click on that option. It will open the WP Fastest Cache Options page.
From there, tick the box next to the Cache System setting. Once you enable the caching, the plugin will regularly clear your cache.

If you want to clear cache files whenever a post or a page is published, simply check the New Post and Update Post settings.

Whichever option you choose, don't forget to hit the Submit button.

To manually clear your WordPress site's cache:

Go to WP Fastest Cache and select the Delete Cache tab.
From there, press the Delete Cache button.

Meanwhile, choose the Delete Cache and Minified CSS/JS button if you have just edited CSS or JavaScript files.
At the bottom of the page, you will find the Timeout Rules setting. Simply click Add New Rule to set an expiry time.
A pop-up window will appear. There, you can configure the condition of pages or posts you want to cache and how often you would like to delete them. Click Save to add the rule.

That's it!

(iii) Clear WordPress Cache Using W3 Total Cache

W3 Total cache is our last but not least pick to flush WordPress cache. So, if you are a W3 Total Cache plugin user, follow these easy steps to clean your WordPress site cache.

After installing and activating the plugin, navigate to your WordPress Dashboard -> Performance -> Dashboard.
There you'll find an option “Empty All Caches“. Hit that button if you want to clear all caches from your site.

Now if you want to clear the Database cache, Object, Cache, Browser Cache, or even any specific page cache, you can do that as well from the Settings tab.

Also Check: 7 Best WordPress Caching Plugins Compared for 2024.

Method 03: Clear WordPress Cache Using Hosting Server

Many hosting providers offer server-level caching to improve website performance. Clearing this cache ensures that the most recent changes to your site are visible.

Here’s how you can clear the cache using Hostinger and cPanel.

(i) Clear WordPress Cache Using Hostinger

If you are a Hostinger user, log in to your Hostinger control panel and follow these steps:

From the Hostinger account, click on the Websites and choose a site whose cache you want to clear if you have launched several sites using the same Hostinger account. Click on the Dashboard option.

Now navigate to Advanced -> Cache Manager and you'll be redirected to a new interface.
Toggle the Automatic cache option, so the system can clear the cache every 30 minutes.
Once toggled on, you'll see a popup message showing your updated cache status.

(ii) Clear WordPress Cache Using cPanel

You can flush the WordPress cache using cPanel easily. Follow these steps to get your job done!

You will be redirected to a new interface. From this screen, navigate to My Files -> Iscache.
Select all files and delete them. That's all!

That's all!

Based on this blog post, we have prepared a video tutorial on clearing WordPress cache. Check it out to get a better understanding of how each of these steps works!

How to Clear Cache in WordPress – Ending Note

Clearing the cache in WordPress is essential to ensure your website functions smoothly and displays the latest changes.

Regularly clearing the cache helps avoid common issues like outdated content or slow website performance. It also ensures your visitors have the best experience when browsing your site. So, clear your site cache using any of the methods that we have shown in this article.

Want to know how WordPress object caching works? Check out our blog on WordPress object cache and know everything about it!

Now if you want to share any feedback related to this article, do it using our comment box below. We would appreciate your efforts.

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How to Clear Cache in WordPress (3 Easy Ways for Beginners)