Clear Cache in WordPress: Comprehensive Guide to Optimizing Speed & Performance

Table of Content

What is the term cache clearing? And why is that getting recommended on your WordPress Dashboard?

We got you! Not so familiar with technical WordPress terms and still figuring out everything on your own must be a huge hectic. Today, we have come up with quick and easy ways to delete Cache from your WordPress site to help you out with the same.

Whether it’s getting recommended due to server cache, browser cache, web hosting Cache, security risk plugins, or particularly from CDN. Stay calm; we’ll make you complete a step-by-step process for each.

Let’s start with ‘What is WordPress Cache’ and ‘Why Do You Need To Clear Cache Files in WordPress?’

What is WordPress Cache?

According to a recent web analytics report by HubSpot, an ideal website that posts new content daily will likely get 15,001 to 250K website visitors monthly. Here are a few other web visitors statics for 2023:

  • 0.5% of the online website gets 10M+ visitors per month
  • 11% of online website gets 250,001-10M visitors per month
  • 23.2% of the online website gets 50,001-250K visitors per month
  • 19.3% of online website gets 15,001-50K visitors per month
  • 46% of online website gets 1,001-15K visitors per month

With the help of tools like SEMrush, you can get the website traffic data of your website. Once a person visits your website, the server loads and stores the web data files so that next time, the browser takes less time to load and improves user experience. 

This storing of web data, including its web content, CSS, JS, and PHP scripts, concludes in expanding cache files on a particular server/browser/CMS such as WordPress. 

Then why would you want to clear the cache? Let’s check out; cache cleaning is crucial when it comes to making business site owners and visitors stay updated with the content, such as offers, pop-ups, and blogs, the developer recently added. 

Due to cache, the page loading speed also slows down, which also affects the SEO of the WordPress site; if the site’s Cache flushes out on time, it can result in broken links, poor web layout, and Google ranking.

Quick WordPress Cache Fact:

According to recent statistics by Marketing Dive, 53% of mobile users switch to competitors’ websites because of a slow loading speed of more than 3 seconds, resulting in a 7% loss in conversion every month. 

Why Do You Need to Clear Cache in WordPress?

You may need to clear the WordPress cache when you want your users to get access to the recent site’s file copies and clear heavy HTML, CSS, and JS scripts.

1. Reduce Site Load Speed with WordPress Cache Cleaning

Website speed and performance can be improved by purge cache. Static cached website load faster than dynamic database queries, leading to quicker and better website performance.

2. Reduce the Load on Hosting Server with WordPress Cache Cleaning

As these cache files simultaneously affect the WordPress hosting services, too, it’s essential to balance it with cache purge ideas. If you are using personal hosting, this is a plus, but if you’ve chosen shared hosting, you better make sure the web’s Cache is cleared. 

3. Reduce BandWith with WordPress Cache Cleaning

You need to clear your WordPress cache to reduce the bandwidth for your web visitors. Without proper website cache cleaning practices, even if the user has visited your web before, they’ll need to request dynamic data from the server host, increasing the bandwidth requirement. 

Clean Your Web Browser Cache

‘Let’s check on another device.’ is the first approach we all take when the current Chrome browser doesn’t reflect the recent changes we’ve made on the website.

Rather than this, you better go for; ‘How to clear my browser cache?’. The current method we are about to show will help clear your browser cache, Purge saved files, and push the WordPress website to load the latest files with the updated content. 

Clear Cache in Google Chrome 

Steps to Follow for Flush Cache from Chrome:

  • Step 1: Tap on the top right corner, three dots present on the Chrome profile
  • Step 2: Go to More Tools, then Clear Browsing Data
  • Step 3: Select ‘Cookies and other site data’ – then the time range you want to purge the web cache.
  • Step 4: Once this procedure is completed, you’ll need to refresh the WordPress web, and all the latest PHP scripts will be loaded as your site’s most recent WordPress version.

Are you looking for an even quicker way to clean your Cache from Google Chrome? Here you can go for a clear cache Chrome extension, including Clean Cache and Super History & Cache Cleaner.

Clear Cache in Safari

Method 1 To Remove Cache from Safari Browser:

  • Step 1: Launch Safari browser on your Mac
  • Step 2: Select Preferences > Safari
  • Step 3: Switch to Privacy Tab
  • Step 4: Under Cookies and Website Data, Tap on Manage Website Data
  • Step 5: From there, you can choose a specific website to delete previous details from or even go for the “Remove All” option.

Method 2 To Remove Cache from Safari Browser:

  • Step 1: Launch Safari browser on your Mac
  • Step 2: Select Preferences > Safari
  • Step 3: Switch to Advanced Tab
  • Step 4: Check the Show Develop menu in the menu bar option.
  • Step 5: Then, from the top menu bar, Tap on Empty Caches from the Develop dropdown.

Clear Cache in Mozilla Firefox

  • Step 1: Launch Firefox, navigate to Privacy & Security from settings
  • Step 2: After scrolling down in History, next to Firefox will – select use custom settings from History
  • Step 3: When redirected to the following options, tick the box for “Clear history when Firefox closes.”
  • Step 4: Now, from the settings – check the Cache box
  • Step 5: Finally, once you are done, click OK

Clear the Cache in WordPress Web Hosting

As your website gets hosted online on particular hosting providers, caching its backend is vital for reducing the server load and handling network congestion seamlessly.

Clear Cache in WP Engine 

Let’s first go for a quick intro! WP engine is the most preferred managed WordPress hosting provider, with over 1.5 million sites across 150 countries. It is well known in this sector for its robust database and outstanding customer services, which is a bit more pricey than other hosting providers but still worth it. 

The Pros of Using the WP Engine for WordPress Include:

  • 60-day money-back guarantee
  • High Performance and scalability 
  • Excellent loading speed (CDN is a plus)
  • 24/7 chat, call, and support team
  • Effective WordPress environment

What’s the Best Way to Delete Cache from WP Engine?

  • Step 1: Log in to your WP Engine Portal
  • Step 2: Tap on the environment name
  • Step 3: Select Caching
  • Step 4: We suggest you select all the following options. Still, you may choose one of them as per your preference:

Clear All Caches: This cache button lets you clear page, network, and object caches. Your website will be slower until the pages become a newly cached website.

Clear Page Cache: Purge the dynamically generated version of your WordPress web pages.

Clear Network Caches: Flush the global Cache of CDN, Global Edge Security, and advanced network.

Clear Object Cache: If enabled, it clears stored query results.

Clear Cache in Bluehost

Bluehost is another popular WordPress hosting provider with 2 million+ WordPress websites hosted on it; it is the most preferred platform for beginners creating a web for the first or second time. 

Bluehost WordPress hosting plans start from basic $2.95/mo* to pro pricing of $13.95/mo*. The point to consider before moving to Bluehost is that it is preferred for small businesses or startups, not established ones driving a high volume of traffic/sales, because of its ‘ONLY US SERVERS’ and ‘POOR BACKUP OPTIONS.’

The Pros of Using Bluehost for WordPress Include:

  • Free SSL certificate
  • Free Content Delivery Network (CDN)
  • One Free Domain Name (for the first year only)
  • Build unlimited websites on a single hosting plan
  • One of three providers recommended by WordPress.org

What’s the Best Way to Delete Cache from BlueHost?

To clean the Cache from your hosting of Bluehost, navigate to the steps mentioned below:

  • Step 1: Login to your BlueHost c-panel.
  • Step 2: Navigate to ‘File Manager.’
  • Step 3: ‘Delete All Files’ in ‘Cache Folder.’
  • Step 4: Refresh the server to reflect changes After finishing the purge cache procedure.

Clear Cache in SiteGround

Another WordPress web hosting provider with multiple offers for individuals and small companies depending on the budget and business needs. It also offers personally tailored WordPress hosting, a pricier than standard hosting but improved WP setup, management, and security environment. 

The Pros of Using SiteGround for WordPress Include the following:

  • Test Changes and New Content in Private
  • One-Click Installation and Automatic Updates
  • Speedier WordPress Website
  • Protect the Site Against Hacks & Exploits
  • Easy WordPress Migration Support

Two Methods to Clean Cache in SiteGround

1. Manually Clear Cache Via SiteGround cPanel:

To clear WordPress cache using cPanel, which is purging Cache manually (without a plugin)- here are the steps you can follow:

  • Step 1: Login to the SiteGround account
  • Step 2: On the left column of the Speed Section, Choose Caching Options

Clear Dynamic Cache in SiteGround:

  • Step 1: Login to the SiteGround account
  • Step 2: Go to Dynamic Cache Options
  • Step 3: Tap Flush Clean for the Website You Want

Clear Memcached Cache in SiteGround:

  • Step 1: Login to the SiteGround Site Tools
  • Step 2: Navigate to Speed > Caching > Dynamic Cache.
  • Step 3: Switch to Dynamic Tab and tap on Flush Cache under Actions

2. Delete Cache Using SG Optimizer WordPress Caching Plugin

SG Optimizer is the best WordPress cache plugin personally developed by SiteGround developers to clear your WordPress site’s Cache hosted in their hosting/domain. 

Its setup procedure is relatively straightforward:

  • Step 1: In WordPress Dashboard, move to the Plugins section 
  • Step 2: Tap on Add New, and search for SG Optimize
  • Step 3: After installing and activating it, tap on the clear cache button of Purge SG Cache; that will automatically clear the SiteGround cache.

Clear Cache in Hostinger

Hostinger’s Hosting Plans have an in-built Cache Manager supporting all frameworks, including WordPress, HTML, and Laravel, so the WordPress admin or the website developer won’t need to manage Cache on different platforms.  

Hostinger offers a one-click WordPress installation, making it one of the most popular web hosting service providers globally. Their premium plans start with a small penny of $2.99/mo with three other hosting plan offerings to pick the best as per the business needs. 

The Pros of Using the Hostinger for WordPress Include the Following:

  • Free Domain
  • Free Website Migration
  • 24/7 Customer Support
  • Weekly Backups
  • SSD Storage of 50GB, 100GB, and 200GB

What’s the Best Way to Delete Site Cache from Hostinger?

  • Step 1: Login to your WordPress Hpanel.
  • Step 2: Redirect to the Manage option under Websites.
  • Step 3: Search for Cache Manager  → Automatic cache toggle.
  • Step 4: After that, Hostinger will clear the WordPress Cache every 30 minutes.

Clear Your WordPress Cache Without a Plugin

 It is possible to do so, but before that, you’ll need to learn how to manually clear the WordPress cache that loads to a new version of your site without creating havoc in the backend and affecting the current WordPress theme.

There are different types of cache cleaning ways in WordPress without plugins too. Here are the most preferred and secure ways to do so.

Purge the Cache of Your Local Browser

The issue might be about something other than WordPress but the local Cache. For this, you should clear the browser’s Cache first. There are multiple ways you can do that so; to remove your site’s Cache as per the browser, you may navigate to the links mentioned below:

  • Clear the Cache in Google Chrome 
  • Clear the Cache in Safari
  • Clear the Cache in Mozilla Firefox

Clear WordPress Cache Via FTP

Clean WordPress cache quickly and easily! For this procedure, you’ll need to access the FTP server to access the WordPress files, and if that’s possible, you may install FTP plugins for WordPress, such as File Manager. 

If you have domain details, including; Host, UserName, Password, and Post, you can access the web FTP files via FileZilla, WinSCP, and Cyberduck.

Once on the FTP server, redirect yourself to; /public-html/wp-content. You’ll get to see a folder named ‘CACHE’ there – you need all the files included. Make sure you delete cache files, not the content or Cache folder itself, and take a backup before making any changes.

Perform WordPress Caching Using SSH

SSH (SecureShell) is an additional WordPress feature offered by web hosting plans only. You can get redirected to this SSH environment from Websites →. Manage and search for SSH Access – if it is unable, you may enable it from there too. 

After it’s completed, you can clear the WordPress cache using WP-CLI:

  • Step 1: Log in to your WordPress web via SSH.
  • Step 2: Navigate your website’s home directory to cd ~/sites/example.com.
  • Step 3: Run the command of wp cache flush in WP-CLI to flush your Cache

Clear Cache in Your WordPress Site with a Cache Plugin

Using cache plugins is a practice you can think about when you don’t want to make any manual changes in web files or don’t want to dive into technical terms. The caching plugin also allows you to clear your cache whenever you want with just a click of a single button.

Clear Cache with LiteSpeed Plugin

LiteSpeed is one of the top WordPress caching plugins offering multiple website optimization features, making it an all-in-one site acceleration solution.

With LiteSpeed, your site can operate the best SEO practices that make a higher PageSpeed score, an exceptional user experience, a single site, and Multisite (Network) support.

WordPress Theme Compatibility of LiteSpeed

  • Avada Theme
  • Elegant Themes
  • Divi Theme

Plugins Compatibility of LiteSpeed 

  • WooCommerce
  • bbPress
  • Yoast SEO
  • ClassicPress
  • Contact Form 7

Features of LiteSpeed

  • Image Optimization (Lossless/Lossy)
  • Clear Java Cache, CSS, and HTML
  • Caching of WordPress REST API calls
  • Schedule purge for specified URLs
  • Database Cleaner and Optimizer

Steps to Purge Cache with LiteSpeed Cache Plugin:

First Enable Caching in LiteSpeed:

  • Step 1: Log in to your WordPress Dashboard
  • Step 2: Install and activate the plugin named LiteSpeed Cache by LiteSpeed Technologies.
  • Step 3: After that, you’ll see LiteSpeed Cache on the left-hand side menu; navigate to Cache mentioned under it.
  • Step 4: Set the Enable Cache option to ON, causing the plugin to begin Cache clean your site content.
  • Step 5: To go for additional settings, you can scroll down and customize the setting as per your need. Once you are done, tap on Save Changes to ensure your customizations have been saved.

Delete All Cache in LiteSpeed:

  • Step 1: Log in to your WordPress Dashboard
  • Step 2: Click the Toolbox < LiteSpeed Cache in your navigation menu.
  • Step 3: Tap on the Purge All button. Once you finish, you’ll see a message stating, “Purged all caches successfully.

Clear Cache with WP Super Cache Plugin

WP Super Cache is the best WordPress plugin with 2 million+ active installs per Themeisle research. But why is the wp super Cache plugin so famous and preferred by these many WordPress users? 

WP Super cache is the largest free WordPress resource site, or free WordPress cache plugin that creates a static HTML copy of every page. 

These practices result in generating quick web page copy. Currently, the visitor is on rather than the entire website. 

WordPress Theme Compatibility of WP Super Cache

  • Astra Theme
  • Avada Theme
  • Elegant Themes
  • Divi Theme

Plugins Compatibility of WP Super Cache

  • WooCommerce
  • bbPress
  • Yoast SEO
  • ClassicPress
  • Contact Form 7

Features of WP Super Cache

  • Reduces the Server load
  • Optimize Web performance
  • Improved user experience
  • Better SEO visibility
  • CDN integration

To Delete All Cache in WP Super Cache:

  • Step 1: Log in to the WordPress admin panel.
  • Step 2: Install and activate the plugin named WP Super Cache bY Automattic.
  • Step 3: You can access the WP Super Cache dashboard by hovering on settings; there, you’ll see WP Super Cache.
  • Step 4: ‘Delete Cache’ button in the ‘Delete Cached Pages
  • Step 5: WP Super Cache will delete all cached files from your WordPress.

Clear Cache with W3 Total Cache Plugin

W3 Total Cache is one of the best WordPress cache plugins. If you want to clear your website’s Cache without any additional technical terms, these WordPress plugins are best for you. 

W3 Total Cache WordPress plugin helps with compressing page size before any web visitor’s browser load the page, which can improve multiple website aspects:

User Experience:

Websites that load faster can reduce 70% of customer bounce rate to the competitors. Therefore, these practices will increase traffic/conversion rate and ad revenue per thousand impressions.

Search Engines:

Websites with faster-loading pages are ranked higher by all search engines.

WordPress Theme Compatibility of W3 Total Cache

  • Astra Theme
  • Avada Theme
  • Elegant Themes
  • Divi Theme
  • Custom Theme Templates

Plugins Compatibility of W3 Total Cache

  • WooCommerce
  • Cloudflare Free CDN
  • bbPress
  • Yoast SEO
  • ClassicPress
  • Contact Form 7

Features of W3 Total Cache

  • 10x improvement in overall site performance
  • CDN management with WordPress, custom theme files, and media library
  • Accelerated Mobile Pages Support
  • Secure Socket Layer Support
  • Minify CSS, JavaScript, and HTML

To Flush Cache in W3 Total Cache:

  • Step 1: Log in to your WP panel.
  • Step 2: Click the Dashboard < Performance in your navigation menu.
  • Step 3: Tap on the Empty all cache button. Once you finish, you’ll see a message stating, “Purged all caches successfully.”

Clear Cache with WP Fastest Cache

Most of us look for zero hassle, one-tap cache cleaning, and a free version when using a plugin for the first time; if you are also looking to clean WordPress Cache with the same terms – WP Fastest Cache is another popular choice.

This is undoubtedly one of the best free WordPress clear cache plugins because it does its job perfectly. WP Rocket, WP-Optimize, and LiteSpeed Cache are also available if you are looking for a paid version. 

WordPress Theme Compatibility of WP Fastest Cache

  • Astra Theme
  • Avada Theme 
  • Elegant Themes 
  • Divi Theme
  • Custom Theme Templates

Plugins Compatibility of WP Fastest Cache

  • WooCommerce
  • Cloudflare Free CDN
  • bbPress
  • Yoast SEO
  • ClassicPres

Features of WP Fastest Cache

  • Cache images and files
  • Combine JS Plus
  • Defer Javascript
  • Enable Gzip Compression
  • Generating Static HTML files from Dynamic WordPress Blog

Clear Cache with Cloudflare CDN

Cloudflare is a content delivery network with centres around the world. Cloud cache stores static content of web pages and more than 35 file extensions by default.

Cloudflare allows writing personalized page rules to cache HTML content for specific URLs directly in the administrative control panel.

You can also create custom cache keys allowing you to cache a different version of a page based on browser language, cookie, or any arbitrary HTTP request header. 

Clear Cache in Cloudflare:

  • Step 1: Log in to your Cloudflare account.
  • Step 2: In the left sidebar, click Websites
  • Step 3: Then tap on the domain name you want to purge the Cache from.
  • Step 4: In the left sidebar, click Configuration > Caching.

On the Caching Configuration page, under Purge Cache, there are cache-clearing options available:

Clear The Entire Cloudflare Cache At Once:

  • Step 1: Click Purge Everything
  • Step 2: To confirm, click Purge Everything again.

To Selectively Clear the Cache:

  • Step 1: Click on Custom Purge
  • Step 2: In the text box, type the complete URL (you can also type multiple URLs) from which you want to clear the Cache, and then click Purge.

FAQs About Clear Cache in WordPress

What happens if I delete the cache in WordPress?
Clearing the cache in WordPress will generate updated copies of the site's files and show the updated version to users. This is why clearing your WordPress cache regularly is important so visitors always see the newest content.
How do I clear my cache automatically in WordPress?
To automate the caching process in WordPress, you can install caching plugins such as:
  • LiteSpeed Plugin
  • WP Super Cache Plugin
  • W3 Total Cache Plugin
  • WP Fastest Cache
  • WP-Optimize
Where is the cache stored in WordPress?
WordPress stores your webpages cached files under a file directory in /wp-content/cache.
Does deleting the cache affect anything?
You can consider clearing the cache file as "deleting junk files" from your browser/web hosting/WordPress, which helps to maintain a clean web directory making, but you can't completely rely on it making storage spaces.
What is the default cache in WordPress?
By default, the WordPress cache is non-persistent, storing data for only a single page load. The objects in the cache get discarded once the request is over. This is why using a persistent caching tool is recommended.

Still, Figuring Out the Easiest Way to Clear Your Cache in WordPress?

We unlocked multiple doors for you, from explaining the WordPress caching term to the various benefits you and your website visitors can get by cache cleaning. So, ‘what happens when you clear cache?’ – just kidding, there is no examination here. 

Let us help you with a quick recap; first, you can clear your browser cache without plugin options to purge the Cache manually; last and least, you can go with multiple WordPress caches with a pretty straightforward plugin option. 

Top of all, even if you don’t want to step into any of these terms, you may get connected with our dedicated team of WordPress developers. They’ll analyze, strategize, and determine the best way to cache your WordPress site! To get your estimate Get in Touch With Us Today!

author
Jigar Shah is the Founder of WPWeb Infotech - a leading Web Development Company in India, USA. Being the founder of the company, he takes care of business development activities and handles the execution of the projects. He is Enthusiastic about producing quality content on challenging technical subjects.

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