Browsers often keep a copy of pages on the local computer in a cache so that they do not have to repeatedly download them. This is by design, but can cause issues if there is a misconfiguration somewhere, either on the computer itself, the server or even in between the two (in a proxy).
You can force a reload of web page(s) and bypass the cache to refresh possibly outdated or corrupted files in the following ways:
- Hold down the Shift key and left-click the Reload button
- Press "Ctrl + F5" (Edge)
- Press "Ctrl + Shift + R" (Chrome and Firefox)
- Press "Command + Shift + R" (MacOS – no IE on mac so this works on all browsers on the Mac)
This will force a complete page reload without using any files from your local computer, thus guaranteeing that you have the very latest of everything needed to correctly display. Note that you do not have to completely delete all the files in your cache for this to be a helpful step.
Note that cached cookies are a different issue that can be diagnosed by using an Incognito window.
Clearing Cache and Cookies
Almost all browsers, including on mobile devices, allow you to clear cache and cookies for a specific site by clicking the site icon in the browser address bar:
