Clearing the cache on your Windows 10 computer can help improve its performance and free up storage space. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to clear various types of caches on your Windows 10 system.
Clearing Browser Cache
Web browsers store temporary files, cookies, and other data to speed up your browsing experience. However, over time, this cache can become bloated and cause issues. Here’s how to clear the cache on popular web browsers:
Google Chrome:
- Open Chrome and click on the three-dot menu in the top-right corner.
- Select “More tools” > “Clear browsing data.”
- Choose the time range and the types of data you want to clear.
- Click “Clear data.”
Mozilla Firefox:
- Launch Firefox and click on the menu button (three horizontal lines).
- Select “Options” > “Privacy & Security.”
- Scroll down to the “Cookies and Site Data” section and click on “Clear Data.”
- Check the boxes for the data you want to clear and click “Clear.”
Microsoft Edge:
- Open Edge and click on the three-dot menu.
- Go to “Settings” > “Privacy, search, and services.”
- Under “Clear browsing data,” click on “Choose what to clear.”
- Select the data you want to clear and click “Clear now.”
Clearing Windows Store Cache
If you’re experiencing issues with the Windows Store or its apps, you can try clearing the cache using the following steps:
- Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
- Type “wsreset.exe” and press Enter.
- Wait for the process to complete, and the Windows Store cache will be cleared.
Clearing System File Cache:
To clear the system file cache, you can use the Disk Cleanup utility built into Windows:
- Open File Explorer and right-click on the drive you want to clean (usually C:).
- Select “Properties” and click on the “Disk Cleanup” button.
- After the utility calculates how much space you can free up, check the box next to “Temporary files.”
- Click “OK” and then “Delete Files” to confirm.
Clearing DNS Cache:
If you’re experiencing network issues, clearing the DNS cache might help:
- Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
- Type “ipconfig /flushdns” and press Enter.
- Once the command is executed, the DNS resolver cache will be cleared.
Clearing Thumbnail Cache:
To clear the thumbnail cache, follow these steps:
- Open File Explorer and click on the “View” tab.
- Check the box for “Hidden items.”
- Navigate to C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer (replace YourUserName with your actual username).
- Delete all files in this folder.
By following these steps, you can effectively clear various caches on your Windows 10 computer, which can help improve performance and resolve certain issues.
