Clear the Cache in Firefox

There are several reasons why you may want to delete the cached files that Firefox stores, including privacy concerns and technical problems. Privacy issues will relate to the fact that the files are stored locally, which means the files can be accessed and the images viewed by someone other than yourself. Technical issues can arise with cached files. For example, if you experience difficulties with certain websites, sometimes clearing the cached files can solve it.

Firefox makes it simple to delete any files that are being stored in the cache. This page will show you how to clear the cache in Firefox versions 2, 3 and 3.5.

For more information about CACHE click here Before you follow this tutorial you must read the terms of our disclaimer.

After opening Mozilla Firefox (if you don't have it open already). On the menu bar at the top of your screen, select TOOLS, click on OPTIONS from the pull down menu, see fig 1.1 below:

Firefox Version 2 This is the Firefox Options dialogue box, click on the PRIVACY icon (labeled A in fig 1.2) and then click on the CACHE tab (labeled B in fig 1.2). You have the option of changing the amount of disk space Firefox uses for its cache, the value is in MB (Megabytes). The default value is 50MB, this is about right for most users, change if required. Click the CLEAR CACHE NOW button to delete any files that are in the cache. Then click the OK button (fig 1.2).

Firefox Version 3 and 3.5

Below is the Firefox version 3 Options dialogue box. In Firefox version 3.5 the Privacy icon will appear different, but the rest of the options dialogue box is the same.

First click on the ADVANCED icon (labeled A in fig 1.3) and then click on the NETWORK tab (labeled B in fig 1.3).



Firefox gives you the choice of changing the amount of you hard drive's storage it takes up with its cached files. The default setting in Firefox version 3 is 5MB, if you visit a lot of web pages on a regular basis then you may want to increase the amount of space.

Click the CLEAR NOW button to delete the files currently stored in the cache.

Finally, click the OK button (fig 1.3).