The Internet Explorer cache is a temporary location where files and images related to web pages opened by the web browsers are stored. This is done to make navigation and web surfing faster, as Internet Explorer does not need to retrieve the same information from the internet every time a web page is visited. It is possible to modify Internet Explorer cache settings such as disk space in use, etc, through the tab settings in Internet Explorer. For security reasons, it is important to clear the Internet Explorer cache and remove viruses hiding in the files. The Internet Explorer cache is useful but it may take up a considerable amount of disk space.

Internet Explorer cache

When you browse the Web, your browser makes web pages in a cache, i.e. it stores the pages, images and other files on your PC.

This saves time every time you return to this page because the browser no longer has to download it - it is already on the hard disk. This therefore speeds up your browser but takes up disk space on your machine.

Cache Levels in Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer consists of 4 levels of cache.
To change these settings, pull down the Tools menu, then Internet Options.
In the Temporary Internet Files, click Settings.

• Each time you visit the page: When you visit a Web page, Internet Explorer verifies whether a copy of this page is cached. If the copy is in the cache and matches the page on the Web, Internet Explorer will display the updated version in the cache.
• Each time you start Internet Explorer: When you visit a Web page, IE checks the cache for a copy of this page from the current session. If there is no page in the cache from the last session, IE will load the page from the Web.
• Automatically: IE saves the pages you visit and counts how many times you visit them.
• Never: Pages are always loaded from the cache instead of the internet.

Change the size of Internet cache

To change the size of the Internet cache, pull down the Tools menu, then Internet Options.

• In the Temporary Internet Files, click Settings.
• In the "Temporary Internet Files Folder", increase or decrease the disk space to use.
• Then click OK. Your changes are validated.

Clear the internet Cache

• Sometimes your Internet cache can hide a virus or harmful bug. In these circumstances you should empty the cache.

First method: manually

See Empty the cache of Internet Explorer

Second method: using a software

• Use Download CleanUp! to empty your Internet cache.
• You can also use the software CCleaner.

See also

For all browsers: Clear Internet cache

See also

Knowledge communities.

• Forum
• IE forum
• Internet forum
• Windows forum

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