Cache files are useful in many ways; they make browsing the Internet easier and much better. The cache is stored in the directory hard drive(in cache memory), but over time it can accumulate too much. And this will lead to a decrease in browser performance, that is, it will work noticeably slower. In this case, clearing the cache is necessary. Let's see how we can do this.
To make your web browser work better and sites to display correctly, you need to clear your cache. This can be done in several ways: manually clearing the cache, using web browser tools or special programs. Let's look at these methods using an Internet browser as an example. Opera.
You can learn more about how to clear the cache in browsers such as Yandex browser, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox.
Another option is to find the folder with browser cache files on your computer and delete its contents. However, it is better to use this method only if you cannot clear the cache using the standard method, since there is a certain risk. You can accidentally delete the wrong data, which will ultimately lead to incorrect operation of the browser or even the entire system as a whole.
An excellent method for removing cache files is to install and use special software tools. One of the well-known solutions for such purposes is CCleaner.
Nowadays, cache memory is fading into the background. Previously, all reading devices were much slower, and a tool such as a cache significantly speeded up the process of accessing system files. Cache memory is the storage location where the most important system files accessed by RAM are located.
At the moment there are many programs that still work with the cache. The main disadvantage of using this tool is the clogging of disk space. The number of cache files is constantly increasing, and accordingly the computer begins to work slower. It is necessary to clear the cache from time to time. Let's look at several options for clearing the system cache.
When surfing the Internet, a user visits many Internet pages. In the final form, we see a domain name in the address bar of the browser, but initially the browser accesses the IP address and, thanks to the DNS service, converts it into a text name. To speed up this process, all visited sites and their addresses are saved on the system disk.
To clear DNS, press the Win+R combination and type cmd in the input line. A command line will open, where you need to enter ipconfig /flushdns and press Enter, after which the DNS list will be cleared.
This is the file that stores all the image thumbnails. These are not original photographs, but sketches that take up much less space, but over time they can take up quite a lot of free space. This file is hidden, so it cannot be deleted in standard mode.
To delete a file, you need to enable showing hidden files, and then find the thumbnails.db file in the search. After deletion, the file will reappear. To prevent it from being created again, you need to do the following:
You can remove accumulated garbage from your computer using the built-in cleaning utility. To do this, you need to go to My Computer and select the local drive that you want to clear the cache. For example, take Disk C, press RMB, go to Properties.
In the pop-up window you will see a Disk Cleanup button, click there. In a couple of minutes the cache will be cleared.
For deeper cleaning of system files, there are various utilities, one of which is CCleaner. The program has an interface in Russian and is very easy to use.
After opening the utility you should:
You can download CCleaner from the official website at this address - https://www.ccleaner.com/ccleaner.
Read how to speed up your laptop.
Cache memory began to be used in the earliest versions of Windows. This system storage allows you to temporarily store information that may be needed by the computer's RAM. Access to data located in the cache is much faster than access to data on an external memory module.
Most often, files containing the results of calculations and operation of system programs are stored in cache memory. In addition, the system saves files here with information about current processes and the operation of all components.
Cache memory allows you to organize quick access to popular files. However, what to do if there are too many such files? Each video is perceived by the computer as important and is saved in this folder. As a result, the computer's cache memory becomes a real dump, where documents and multimedia files that are unnecessary and have lost their value are stored.
If the computer starts to freeze, then perhaps the problem is in the CACHE and before you run out and buy more RAM and an even more powerful processor, you should try clearing your cache.
To clear the cache of your personal computer, you can use standard Windows tools or resort to third-party programs.
Standard Windows cleaning is an effective but painstaking option that is not suitable for all PC users. The entire process of clearing the cache using built-in tools is divided into 3 stages:
First things first.
The DNS cache is used to store a record of the computer's requests to various servers. When a specific server is contacted again, the cache entry is retrieved, thereby avoiding unnecessary requests. We update DNS if it is necessary for all data on the site to be updated.
To clear the DNS cache, open the command prompt.
There are several ways to do this. The simplest of them is: Click Start – All Programs – Accessories – Command Prompt
After selecting, a DOS window will open in which you can enter all kinds of commands.
Enter the key - ipconfig /flushdns , which is designed to clear the computer's DNS cache.
!On Windows 7, the command line should be run as Administrator.
The first step has been successfully completed. Next we need to clear the thumbnails cache. This cache option is a file that contains saved thumbnails of pictures on computers. Thanks to this, after re-accessing the folder with pictures, their loading is much faster. This type of cache memory is not particularly important, and if desired, it can be completely disabled.
To clear the thumbnails cache, use the system Disk Cleanup utility. To call it, press Start – All Programs – Accessories – Utilities – Disk Cleanup
In this program you need to select the disk on which the operating system is located. In our case, this is drive C, select it from the list and click OK.
That's it, thumbnails cache is cleared. If you think that this is an unnecessary luxury for a computer, then you can turn it off at any time.
To do this, let's go to My computer and in the tab Service select an item Folder properties.
A dialog box will open in which you can configure the appearance of folders, associate files with programs, and configure the operation of offline files.
We are interested in the tab View . We go to it and in the list of options we find the item: Don't cache thumbnails . Mark it with a checkmark and click OK .
Now thumbnails cache will no longer be saved on the computer.
It's time to move on to the main thing - clearing your computer's cache memory. You can clear your computer's cache using the built-in operating system program.
To do this, you need to go to the system32 system folder and run the rundll32.exe program or do something a little differently.
Create on desktop Label , the path to which will be “%WINDIR%\system32\rundll32.exe”.
The first parameter in this case points to the system directory. Having specified the path, the shortcut should be saved and named under a name convenient for you. After this, clearing the cache on your computer can be considered complete.
In order to automate cache clearing, third-party developers have created several system utilities that will allow you to clear your computer's cache in a few clicks, as well as configure and optimize it.
If you find it easier to understand lessons in video format, then you should simply watch the following video.
Among such programs are:
Each of the programs has its own cleaning algorithm, but in general their action is the same. How clear computer cache Using CCleaner we will consider further.
CCleaner is a lightweight and functional program that is designed to remove unnecessary files and clean up system folders as quickly and painlessly as possible. If you wish, you can download the Portable version and run the software without installing it on your computer. After the program has been downloaded, open it and go to the Cleaning tab, which is usually selected by default.
In the dialog menu Windows , which is located in this tab, you can choose which elements on the computer should be cleaned and which ones can be left. The settings can be left as default.
Click Analysis and wait for the indicator to fill to 100%.
After the scanning process is completed, the program will provide a complete list of found files and once again ask the user which of them should be deleted. If you need to delete everything, click Cleaning.
All unnecessary data on the computer has been deleted. At the same time, the cache of browsers and other third-party applications was deleted.
By the way, there is a separate one. If you regularly use this browser, then it is advisable for you to read this article.
Now you will know how to clear computer cache in case of slow loading or problems with navigating the Internet, you will no longer be bothered by unnecessary files and saves.
When we touched on browser cache in one of our articles about it, I had to take a time out. It turned out that not all modern browsers are so accommodating regarding the placement of the cache and its size according to user requirements. Modern browser fashion believes that the cache should be there and of the size that seems best to the browser itself. However, a solution was found.
A cache, in relation to a browser, is a directory with files on the hard drive where the program stores elements of the pages being viewed. For example, drawings and scripts are stored there. When the page is refreshed, the browser will no longer download this data from the Internet, but will simply take it from the hard drive, which is accessed at a significantly higher speed than the Internet. Therefore, the browser data caching technology itself is very effective.
However, this technology also has a negative side. The cache folder is located on the system disk. In addition, as a rule, it is created for each user separately - in the user profile. More users in the system means more cache directories. This is bad if the disk capacity is small. Therefore, you can tell the browser a different location for the cache folder (for example, on a second hard drive, or even on external storage).
A secondary goal is to limit the size of the browser cache folder. But you should experiment with this parameter only in severe disk space saving mode!
Many system cleaning utilities are very fond of clearing browser cache folders. Of course, this allows them to show effective results compared, for example, with a built-in disk cleaning program.
Hence, many users have developed the habit of clearing their browser cache almost every day. But this is not only an unnecessary procedure, but also harmful.
As mentioned above, using a cache, the browser speeds up the loading of website pages, which makes working with it more convenient. It is also worth remembering that the cache is automatically updated and cleared if the specified volume is exceeded. That is why cleaning it manually is simply useless. The next day it will appear again and will be exactly the same as the day before. At the same time, it will never exceed the limit specified in the settings.
Moreover, clearing your browser cache daily will slow down page loading in the future. The computer will be forced to load the data that was reserved to speed up page loading again, loading the channel, significantly increasing page loading time and wasting system resources on actions that could not have been performed. As a result, your online experience will suffer.
But there are situations in which clearing the cache is still necessary. For example, if a site began to display content incorrectly. This happens when the webmaster has changed the template, display styles or site scripts, and the user has old versions of them in the cache. In this case, everything may go wrong and the site will not be displayed correctly. In this case, it is enough to reload the page with the Ctrl-F5 combination and then the browser will update the cache of this particular site, deleting old data and loading new data in its place.
Advice:
Use the Ctrl-F5 combination on your keyboard to refresh the cache only for the site that is open in the current browser tab. This will also save data for other sites.
It is also worth clearing the cache if you visited some sites and would not want any of your work colleagues or family members to find out about it (since data about this site will be recorded in the cache, visit history).
In other cases, there is simply no need to clear the cache, because it is a waste of time. If the cache takes up too much disk space, you can change the limits so that the maximum cache size does not exceed the specified value.
Everything turned out to be difficult here. You will need to find the shortcut that you use to launch this browser. Typically, most users do this as a shortcut on the desktop or Quick Launch panel. Open the shortcut properties using the right mouse button and enter the following phrase in the “Object” field after chrome.exe:
--disk-cache-dir=d:chrome_cache --disk-cache-size=104857600
Please note that there are actually two hyphens before the keys, and this is not a typo by the author. The first key specifies the location of the browser cache directory. In the example given, this is drive D and the directory right at the root of the drive. The second key sets the maximum size of the cache directory in bytes. Those. if you need to give the browser 100 MB, then you will need 100*1024*1024= 104857600 bytes, as in the example I gave.
How difficult everything is... However, we have already dismantled the most difficult browser. Then things will get easier - all other browsers are quite cooperative.
This browser doesn't hide cache settings too far. The above applies to the latest version of the browser today, number 10. In the settings, open "Browser Options". IN "General" there is a section "Observer's Journal" → "Options" → "Temporary Internet files".
By button "Move" you can send the cache folder to the desired location.
As for Firefox, the shortest path to its cache looks like this. In the main menu of the browser we find "Settings", and in it the point "Additional". Now "Net" → "Cached Web Content". Here you can clear your browser cache and limit its size in megabytes.
But setting the location of the cache folder will be a little more difficult. First we write in the address bar about:config. In the window that appears, click on the only button.
The settings window now appears. We are looking for a parameter in it . He most likely won't be there. You will have to create: right mouse button and select from the menu "Add".
Parameter name browser.cache.disk.parent_directory
The value is the path to the folder on the disk.
In the address bar we write: opera:config
In the settings we find the User Prefs section. Among the parameters we are looking for Cache Directory4. There is no typo with the number 4. In the value we indicate the desired path.
And the cache size and its cleaning are arranged quite civilly. In the normal settings section.
So, today we learned how to limit the size of the browser cache and specify its storage location. But this knowledge should be used wisely. Don't make the cache too small, as this will negate the benefits of page caching. Don't make it too large, as this will waste disk space without improving browser performance. If there is no disk space saving mode, then allow the browser to determine the size itself, otherwise specify 100-200 MB. Also, to save space on the system partition, you can place the cache folder on another disk or partition.
We'll teach you how to clear the cache on your phone in just one minute, simple instructions! To begin with, you should know that the cache on Android is data that applications create during their execution. They are necessary for faster operation of these programs. For example, image viewers create thumbnails of images so that they can be displayed immediately in the future, rather than loading the processor each time to create miniature copies. In the case of browsers, a cache is needed so that in order to display a site that was previously opened in the application, it does not load data that usually does not change (for example, images).
Although the cache stores useful data that allows the applications that created it to run faster and consume less power, it can sometimes cause one significant inconvenience to the user - leading to a lack of storage space. This is understandable, because over time a lot of corresponding files may appear, and some of them will be of an impressive size.
For example: if, say, 25 applications are installed on the device and are used regularly, then after a month the cache will most likely grow to 7 gigabytes, and possibly more. If the device has only 32 gigabytes of storage, then having such a large amount of relevant data will become a problem. As a result, you will need to clear the Android cache.
In general, clearing the cache in Android is completely safe, with only one exception - you can lose unsaved information in running applications. Therefore, before clearing the cache, you need to save all the information that is important to you in already running applications.
The cache in the Android operating system is divided into three types:
Dalvik-Cache is data created by the Dalvik virtual machine. It stores optimized application files that are needed for faster program execution. Those, in turn, are located on a special section that is invisible to a user who does not use special applications.
In the system cache The data of programs that are built into Android is stored. During operation, the system creates files in which it records information that can be reused.
The application cache is a storage of data that was created by third-party applications (for example, downloaded from the Play Market). It may contain: thumbnails of pictures, images downloaded in the browser, game files, etc.
The system and application cache can be cleared in two ways: using the built-in utility and using one of the special programs that are available in the Play Market.
Deleting the cache using the built-in utility is a safer way to get rid of the corresponding data. The system is guaranteed not to harm files that are necessary for the operation of programs and the system, as well as user information. When working with third-party applications, in turn, you should be more careful.
Now let's move directly to the question of how to clear the cache on an Android phone.
To delete the corresponding data without using third-party software you will need:
After a few seconds (the exact time depends on the volume of accumulated files), the mentioned window will disappear, and the “Available” value will increase by a number equal to the number of megabytes/gigabytes that was previously indicated in “Cache Data”.
Now about how to clear the cache on Android for only one specific application. To do this you will need to perform the following series of actions:
After a few seconds, the cache data of this application will be deleted.
After deleting application data, you may need to log in again (for example, in the case of social network clients). Therefore, before cleaning, make sure that you have access details for the account you want to connect to through the application.
One of the most popular applications that allows you to clear the cache on Android is. This program can be downloaded for free from the Play Market. It's easy to use:
This application can be configured to clear the cache at a specified time.
There are also other programs for clearing the cache, for example,
