How to Clear Your Browser Cache in Internet Explorer

Understanding Browser Cache and Why You Might Want to Clear It

Your browser cache is a storage area on your computer where Internet Explorer saves copies of web pages, images, videos, and other files you visit online. When you return to a website you've been to before, your browser loads these saved files from your cache instead of downloading them fresh from the internet. This speeds up your browsing experience significantly — loading a cached page can be 5 to 10 times faster than downloading it again.

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However, over time your cache can grow quite large. A typical user's cache might accumulate several hundred megabytes to several gigabytes of data. This can slow down your computer's overall performance and consume valuable hard drive space. Additionally, your cache contains a record of websites you've visited, which some users prefer to remove for privacy reasons.

Your cache may also contain outdated versions of websites. If a website updates its design or content but your cache still holds the old version, you might see an outdated page instead of the current one. Clearing your cache ensures you're viewing the most recent version of websites the next time you visit them.

Internet Explorer stores cache files in a folder on your hard drive, typically in a location like C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files. The actual location depends on your Windows version and how your computer is set up.

Practical takeaway: Clearing your cache periodically — perhaps monthly or whenever your computer feels sluggish — can improve browsing speed and free up storage space. Most users find that clearing cache every 30 to 90 days provides a good balance between performance and convenience.

Clearing Cache in Internet Explorer 11 (Current Version)

Internet Explorer 11, the most recent version of the browser, makes cache clearing straightforward through the Settings menu. To begin, open Internet Explorer and look at the top-right corner of the window where you'll see a gear icon. Click this icon to open a dropdown menu with various options.

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From the dropdown menu, select "Internet options" — this will be near the bottom of the list. A window titled "Internet Options" will appear with several tabs across the top, including General, Security, Privacy, Content, Connections, Programs, and Advanced. You'll want to click on the "General" tab, which should already be selected by default.

Under the General tab, you'll see a section labeled "Browsing history" near the top. This section contains several buttons, including one that says "Delete." Click the Delete button to open the Delete Browsing History dialog box. This dialog allows you to choose what types of data you want to remove.

In the Delete Browsing History dialog, you'll see checkboxes for different types of data: Temporary Internet Files and website files, Cookies and website data, Download history, Browsing history, Form data, and passwords. To clear just your cache, check the box next to "Temporary Internet Files and website files" — this is what Internet Explorer calls your cache. You can check additional boxes if you want to remove other types of data as well.

You'll also notice a time range selector at the bottom of the dialog showing options like "All time," "Last hour," "Last 24 hours," "Last 7 days," "Last 4 weeks," or "Last 3 months." Select the timeframe you want to clear. Choose "All time" to clear your entire cache, or pick a specific period if you only want to remove recent data.

Practical takeaway: The quickest method for IE 11 users is: Gear icon → Internet options → General tab → Delete button → Check "Temporary Internet Files and website files" → Select timeframe → Delete. This entire process takes less than one minute.

Clearing Cache in Internet Explorer 10 and Older Versions

Internet Explorer 10 and earlier versions use a slightly different interface, though the basic concept remains the same. If you're using IE 10, the process is almost identical to IE 11, with the main difference being the location of the gear icon and menu options.

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To access the cache clearing function in IE 10, click the gear icon in the top-right corner of your browser window. From the dropdown menu, select "Internet options." This opens the same Internet Options dialog you'd see in IE 11. Navigate to the General tab and look for the "Browsing history" section. Click the Delete button to proceed with clearing your cache using the same steps described in the previous section.

For Internet Explorer 9 and earlier, the process differs slightly. You can still use the gear icon (or in very old versions, the Tools menu at the top), but the dialog boxes may have different layouts. In IE 9, you might see options called "Delete browsing history" or similar phrasing. The fundamental steps remain consistent: access settings, find the option to delete temporary files, and confirm your selection.

An alternative method for older IE versions involves using the Tools menu directly. Click "Tools" in the menu bar at the top of Internet Explorer, then select "Internet Options." This bypasses the gear icon and takes you directly to the Internet Options dialog. From there, follow the same General tab procedures as described above.

Another option in older IE versions is to use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Delete, which opens the Delete Browsing History dialog directly without needing to navigate through menus. This shortcut works in IE 10 and some earlier versions, though its availability depends on your specific version.

Practical takeaway: Regardless of which IE version you use, the essential steps are: access Internet Options (through gear icon or Tools menu), go to General tab, click Delete in the Browsing history section, select Temporary Internet Files, and confirm. The specific appearance may vary, but the fundamental process is consistent across versions.

Scheduling Automatic Cache Clearing in Internet Explorer

Rather than manually clearing your cache periodically, Internet Explorer offers the option to automatically delete certain browsing data when you close the browser. This hands-off approach ensures your cache doesn't accumulate excessively without requiring you to remember to clear it yourself.

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To set up automatic cache clearing, return to the Internet Options dialog by clicking the gear icon and selecting "Internet options." In the General tab, look for the "Browsing history" section. Below the Delete button, you'll see a checkbox that says "Delete browsing history on exit." Click this checkbox to enable the feature.

Once you've checked "Delete browsing history on exit," you can click the "Settings" button next to it to choose which types of data should be deleted automatically. A dialog box appears with options including Temporary Internet Files, Cookies, Download history, and other data types. Check the boxes for the types of data you want automatically removed each time you close Internet Explorer.

This automatic deletion approach provides consistent privacy protection. Users who value privacy may want to enable automatic deletion of cookies, browsing history, and temporary files. Users primarily concerned with freeing up hard drive space might focus only on temporary internet files. You can customize the settings to match your specific needs and concerns.

One consideration: if you enable "Delete browsing history on exit," your cache will be cleared every single time you close Internet Explorer, even if you only meant to close one window. Some users find this inconvenient because they lose the speed benefit of cached files on their next browsing session. For these users, manual clearing on a schedule (such as once per month) might be preferable.

Practical takeaway: Enable "Delete browsing history on exit" in Internet Options if you want automatic cache removal. This requires no ongoing effort but means your next browsing session will load pages slightly more slowly since nothing is cached. Choose this option if privacy matters more to you than speed.

Understanding What Gets Deleted and What Remains

When you clear your cache using the methods described above, Internet Explorer removes specific categories of data while leaving other important information untouched. Understanding this distinction helps you clear your cache confidently without accidentally removing something you need.

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Temporary Internet Files (the actual cache) include all the webpage components your browser has saved — HTML files, images, JavaScript files, CSS stylesheets, videos, and other media. When you clear this, you're removing these downloaded copies, which frees up disk space and removes evidence of websites you've visited. Your bookmarks, saved passwords (unless you specifically select to delete them), browser settings, and installed extensions remain completely unaffected.