If you can’t see the changes you’ve made to your website, the cause can be outdated WordPress cache files. To help you solve this issue, we will show you how to clear cache using WordPress plugins. Let’s start by exploring how cache works!
Whenever you visit a website, your browser will download static content, such as HTML, Javascript, CSS, and image. The data is then stored as cache files in your local storage. So when you revisit the same website, it will load faster as you already have parts of the content in your device.
In other words, your browser would create fewer requests to the server, and you don’t have to download the website content all over again. That’s why caching is an excellent way to improve site performance.
You can also set the time range for the content to be stored in the cache file. For example, if you set the expiry time of images to one year, all cached images will be automatically cleared after one year. Keep in mind that setting a longer interval might prevent you from seeing the updated version of the site.
It also applies to webmasters, especially when making changes for websites. New static content might not show up since the browser is still displaying the stored data. In this case, the cache should be cleared manually.
How to Clear Cache in WordPress?
One of the most common ways to leverage web cache is by using plugins. So, in this section, we’ll show you how to clear cache using three popular WordPress caching plugins. Make sure you’ve installed and activated the plugins beforehand.
Clear Cache with WP Super Cache
WP Super Cache is one of the most popular caching plugins. It has a wide array of caching features – including cache scheduler and automatic cache compression. With this plugin, you can clear cache files by following these steps:
From your admin dashboard, go to Settings -> WP Super Cache.
Press the Delete Cache button located under the Delete Cached Pages section.
Clear Cache with W3 Total Cache
W3 Total Cache is known for its customization and bandwidth-saving features. Popular blogs like Mashable also use it. Here’s how to clear WordPress cache using this plugin:
Navigate to Performance -> Dashboard from your WordPress admin area.
Click the empty all caches button located at the top of the page.
Clear Cache with WP Fastest Cache
WP Fastest Cache is another popular caching plugin known for its variety of features and intuitive dashboard. When you publish a new page or post, this plugin will delete all cache files. But just in case, you can manually delete them:
Access your WordPress dashboard.
Go to WP Fastest Cache and select the Delete Cache tab.
Press the Delete Cache button.
Summary
Caching is a great way to improve site performance. However, an outdated cache file can prevent you and your visitors from seeing the updated version of the website. In this tutorial, you’ve learned how to clear WordPress cache using three popular caching plugins.
Domantas leads the content and SEO teams forward with fresh ideas and out of the box approaches. Armed with extensive SEO and marketing knowledge, he aims to spread the word of Hostinger to every corner of the world. During his free time, Domantas likes to hone his web development skills and travel to exotic places.
Thanks very much. I had changed my website URL (i.e. to include www) in WP Settings\General and I couldn't access the WP website front-end and back-end. So I went as far as resetting the URL in PHPmyadmin (DB\Options) and I had access to the admin Dashboard but the front end wasn't displaying and kept diverting to the old domain URL. After I searched again, I found this article of yours and when I checked, WP Super Cache plugin wasn't installed in my WP site so I installed it and deleted cache and finally my WP website front-end display is now displaying.
Thanks again.
Domantas G.
Replied on August 05 2017
Hey, Sure. It should not affect your SEO rankings at all.