How to hard refresh your browser and clear your cache

(A German version of this article is available.)
 
To speed up browsing, web browsers store copies of website data on your computer as a set of files called a cache. When you load a website, you often see a local copy of elements from the site (such as images) that have been pulled from your cache.
 
Normally, when the browser loads a website and detects a change, it fetches a new version of the site from the remote web server and replaces the cache. But the process isn't perfect, and sometimes your browser ends up with a local copy of the website data that doesn't match the latest version on the server. As a result, the website of your ConfTool installation may look incorrect.
 

To fix this, you need to force the web browser to discard what it already has in its cache and download the latest version of the website. Many people call this a "hard refresh".

Important: Clicking the "Refresh" arrow in your browser's address bar is not a hard refresh.
 

1. Hard Refresh
 
Performing a hard refresh is easy. The commands vary depending on the browser and the operating system you are using:
 

Browser	Windows / Linux	macOS
Chrome	- Hold down the Ctrl key and press the F5 key. - Or hold down the Ctrl key and the Shift key and then press R. - Or hold down the Ctrl key and click the Reload button.	- Hold down the Cmd ⌘ key and the Shift ⇧ key and then press R. - Or hold down the Shift ⇧ key and click the Reload button.
Firefox	- Hold down the Ctrl key and press the F5 key. - Or hold down the Ctrl key and the Shift key and then press R.	- Hold down the Cmd ⌘ key and the Shift ⇧ key and then press R. - Or hold down the Shift ⇧ key and click the Reload button.
Edge	- Hold down the Ctrl key and press the F5 key. - Or hold down the Ctrl key and click the Refresh button.	- Hold down the Cmd ⌘ key and the Shift ⇧ key and then press R.
Safari	Safari is not available for Windows or Linux.	- Hold down the Option ⌥ key and the Cmd ⌘ key and then press R.      This is the command "Reload Page from Origin".

 
Mobile browsers (iOS and Android): There is no shortcut to force a hard refresh.
Please clear the cache of your browser instead, as described below.
 
After you perform a hard refresh, the website should go blank and take a little longer than usual to reload.
That is because the browser is downloading all the data and images of the site again.
Now you should see the current version of your ConfTool installation.

2. Clear the Cache
 
A hard refresh forces a single page to reload without relying on the cache. It does not clear your cache or your cookies.
 
If a hard refresh does not solve your problem, please clear your browser's cache.
 
Please note: Please delete only the cached files – that is, the stored images and style sheets (CSS files).
Do not delete your cookies: they keep you logged in, so deleting them would log you out of ConfTool and of all other websites, and saved site settings would be lost.
Clearing the cached files alone is sufficient to fix display problems.
 
A quick way to get there: In Chrome, Firefox and Edge you can open the dialog directly with Ctrl + Shift + Del (Windows/Linux) or ⌘ Cmd + Shift + ⌫ Backspace (macOS).
Then continue with the last steps of the instructions below.
 
Chrome (Windows, Linux and macOS)

• Click the menu icon (three dots) in the top-right corner of the screen.
• Select History, then History again.
• Click Clear browsing data.
• Check Cached images and files only. Please leave Cookies and other site data and Browsing history unchecked.
• From the Time range drop-down, choose All time.
• Click Clear data.
• Close and restart Chrome for the clearing to take full effect.

Firefox (Windows, Linux and macOS)

• Click the menu icon (three lines) in the top-right corner of the screen.
• Select Settings.
• Click Privacy & Security.
• Scroll down to Cookies and Site Data and click Clear Data.
• Check Temporary cached files and pages only. Please leave Cookies and site data unchecked.
• Click Clear and confirm.
• Close and restart Firefox for the clearing to take full effect.

Edge (Windows, Linux and macOS)

• Click the menu icon (three dots) in the top-right corner of the screen.
• Select History.
• Click Clear browsing data.
• Check Cached images and files only.
  Please do not select all boxes: this would also delete your cookies, your saved passwords and your form data.
• From the Time range drop-down, choose All time.
• Click Clear now.
• Close and restart Edge for the clearing to take full effect.

Safari (macOS)
Safari does not offer an option to delete the cached files only – the entry "Manage Website Data" in the settings would also remove your cookies.
Please use the Develop menu instead:

• Click Safari in the top bar and select Settings.
• Open the Advanced tab and enable Show features for web developers (in older versions: Show Develop menu in menu bar).
• Close the settings. In the top bar, open the new Develop menu and select Empty Caches.
  Alternatively, hold down the Option ⌥ key and the Cmd ⌘ key and then press E.
• Reload the page.

Safari for iOS
On iOS it is not possible to delete the cached files without the cookies.
If you follow the steps below, you will be logged out of the websites concerned.

• From the Home screen, open the Settings app.
• Open the Safari settings (on newer iOS versions: Apps, then Safari).
• Swipe to the bottom of the menu and tap Advanced.
• Tap Website Data.
• Swipe to the bottom of the menu and tap Remove All Website Data.

Chrome for iOS and Android

• In the Chrome app, tap the menu icon (three dots).
• Tap Delete browsing data (or Clear browsing data, depending on the version).
• Check Cached images and files only. Please leave Cookies and site data unchecked.
• From the Time range list, select All time.
• Tap Delete data.

Still not working?
ConfTool also stores some settings for the duration of your session.
If the display is still not correct after a hard refresh, please log out and log in again.
If the problem persists, please contact the organizers of your event.