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School of Medicine IT

Cache Issues

Sometimes you make changes to a page, click Update, and… nothing appears to change. In most cases, this is caused by caching.

Caching temporarily stores a saved version of a webpage to improve performance and load speed. Because of this, you may see an older version of a page even though new changes have been saved.

Note: Even if you don’t see your recent changes right away, visitors to your site are likely seeing the updates.

Common Signs of a Cache Issue

You may be experiencing a cache issue if:

  • You click Update, but the page looks unchanged.
  • Someone else sees the update, but you don’t.
  • You see changes in one browser but not another.
  • The issue resolves itself after some time.

How to Fix It

There are a few techniques you can use to force the browser to display the most recent changes.

1. Refresh the Page

Sometimes a simple refresh resolves the issue.

  • Windows: Ctrl + F5 – or – Control + Shift + R
  • Mac: Command + Shift + R

2. Clear the WordPress URL Cache

In the black admin bar at the top of the screen, click Clear URL Cache. Then refresh the page.
Site admin top bar, circling "Clear URL Cache"

3. Empty Cache and Hard Refresh

1. Right-click anywhere on the web page and select Inspect.

Menu option that appears after right-clicking in the browser window with option to "Inspect" highlighted.

2. Right-click on the refresh/reload button in the browser toolbar. Choose Empty Cache and Hard Reload.

Screenshot of "Empty cache and hard refresh" pop up.

4. Clear Your Browser Cache

Clearing your cache forces the browser to download the most current version from the server.

Google Chrome

  1. Click the three dots (⋮) in the top right.
  2. Select Settings → Privacy and Security.
  3. Click Clear browsing data.
  4. Select Cached images and files.
  5. Click Clear data.
  6. Reload your page.

Microsoft Edge

  1. Click the three dots (⋯).
  2. Select Settings → Privacy, search, and services.
  3. Under “Clear browsing data,” click Choose what to clear.
  4. Select Cached images and files.
  5. Click Clear now.

Safari

  1. Click Safari in the top menu.
  2. Select Settings → Advanced.
  3. Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
  4. From the top menu, click Develop → Empty Caches.
  5. Reload your page.

5. Try a Private/Incognito Window

Open the page in an incognito/private window; this ignores most existing browser cache.

 

After completing these steps, your updated content should be visible. If the issue persists, contact the Web Team for support.