Clearing Your Browser's Cache and Cookies

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When you run into technical issues, clearing your cache and cookies is always the first troubleshooting step we suggest. A lot of problems are caused by too much data being built up in your browser, and clearing it out can help things run smoothly again. Think of it like an oil change for your browser. Here you will find instructions for our three most popular browsers.

 

Chrome

We recommend Chrome since it typically offers the smoothest experience on our site. There may still be times when it's helpful to clear cache and cookies, however. You can do this in just a few clicks.

  1. In Chrome, click the ellipsis menu chromemore.png in the upper right.
  2. Click More tools and then Clear browsing data.
  3. At the top of the pop-up that appears, choose a time range. To delete everything, select All time.
  4. Check the boxes next to "Cookies and other site data" and "Cached images and files."
  5. Click the blue Clear data button.

Screenshot of Google clear browsing data

Screenshot of Google clear data

Depending on the amount of data stored in your browser, this may take a few minutes to complete. Once it's finished, refresh your browser to continue working.

 

Firefox

While we recommend Chrome, Firefox is another browser that typically works well with our site. If you're having trouble with Chrome, even after clearing its cache, we suggest giving Firefox a try. To clear cache and cookies in Firefox:

  1. Click the menu button ffmenu.png in the upper right corner and select Options.
  2. Select the Privacy & Security panel in the left menu.
  3. Scroll down to the section titled Cookies and Site Data, then click the Clear Data button.
  4. Check the boxes next to Cookies and Site Data and Cached Web Content.
  5. Click the Clear button.

Screenshot of Firefox clear data 1

Screenshot of Firefox clear data 2

Screenshot of Firefox clear data 3

Depending on the amount of data stored in your browser, this may take a few minutes to complete. Once it's finished, refresh your browser to continue working.

 

Safari

Safari is the default browser for most Mac users. While we still recommend using either Chrome or Firefox to minimize technical glitches, you can follow these steps to clear your cache and cookies in Safari to see if that helps.

  1. Click the Safari menu in the top row of your browser, then click Preferences.
  2. Select the Advanced icon on the page that appears.
  3. At the bottom of the screen, check the box that says Show Develop menu in menu bar.
  4. You will now see a new option in your Safari menu bar titled Develop. Click this, then click the Empty Caches option.

There is no confirmation or alert dialog notifying you that Safari browser caches have been cleared or emptied; it all happens behind the scenes. Reload the site to reflect the newly cleared cache.

Screenshot of Safari clear data 1 width=

Screenshot of Safari clear data 2

Screenshot of Safari clear data 3

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