One of the most common frustrations for people updating and managing their website can be solved with cache management. If you ever make changes to your site and you know it's uploaded properly but the changes are not being reflected in your browser, try clearing your cache.

What is a cache?

A cache is a temporary storage area where frequently accessed data can be stored for rapid access. Once the data is stored in the cache, it can be used in the future by accessing the cached copy rather than re-fetching or recomputing the original data.

This can create a problem when updating files on websites because the cache may include a backup of out-of-date files. On Magento websites, front-end changes (such as updates to .css files or images) that are not being reflected when viewing the site can usually be corrected by clearing the cache of the browser you are using to view the site.

If you are making back-end changes to a Magento site (such as updates to .phtml or .xml files, or installing an extension) and clearing your browser's cache is still not reflecting the changes in your browser, try refreshing Magento's cache system. This is not the same as your browser's cache. This is a separate cache system that Magento keeps on your server to speed up the rendering of the site.

How do I refresh my browser's cache?

On most Windows browsers, such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome, you may access the browser's cache management by pressing Ctrl+Shift+Delete. On Safari 4.x, click on the gear icon in the upper-right corner of the screen and select "Reset Safari."

How do I refresh Magento's cache?

To refresh Magento's cache system, log in to your admin panel and navigate to System > Cache Management. In the Cache Control box, there's a drop-down menu labeled All Cache. Select "Refresh," then click the orange Save Cache Settings button in the top right corner of the screen. This will force Magento to build a new cache of the site using all the current files on the server, and should thus reflect any changes you have made.