Internet Explorer - 6 Most Common IE Cache Questions

This article will answer some of the most common questions related to IE cache. In no particular order, here are the questions and answers to the most commonly asked IE cache-related questions.

1. What is IE cache?

IE caches elements of a webpage that you visit onto your hard drive so that the next time you visit that page, the elements of that page can be retrieved straight from your hard drive rather than from the website server. Simply put, IE cache is the temporary storage of internet files (web page elements such as buttons, logos, images) onto you hard drive so that the next page visit to previously visited pages is faster.

2. How do you change IE cache settings?

To chance IE cache settings, first open IE. Click Tools -> Internet Options. The section called "Temporary Internet Files" in the "General" tab has a button called "Settings", click it. You can set how often to store the version of the pages you visit, how much space you want to give to temporary internet files on your hard drive, and other related options.

3. How does IE cache effect performance?

The performance for any page that you have already visited is greatly improved thanks to IE cache. The reason for this is there is no need for a web request to the server the page is hosted on to get the different page elements, which takes time. The elements are already on your computer so IE simply uses the elements from your local hard drive and this makes loading pages you have already visited much faster.

4. Where is the IE cache stored?

The IE cache is usually stored in your profile folder. Usually under Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files. If you were to navigate to this folder, you will likely see hundreds if not thousands of small files. This is where the IE cache is stored and where IE gets the page elements from when you load a webpage you have already visited.

5. How do you view the IE cache?

One way to view the IE cache is to use Windows Explorer to navigate to the Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files folder under you profile folder. Another way to view the IE cache is through the Internet Options window where you modify the settings from the above part of this tutorial (Step 2). There is a button called "View Files" which will open that folder mentioned above with all the temporary internet files.

6. How do you delete the IE cache?

In IE, click Tools -> Options. Under the "General" tab, click "Delete files". In the window check mark "Delete all offline content" and click OK. This will delete all of your temporary internet files and clear the IE cache.