Technical Anshu
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🌐 Browser Cache

Clear Browser Cache in Chrome Edge and Firefox Without Losing Passwords

The browser cache is often the biggest single junk pile on a home PC — but one wrong checkbox signs you out of everything. Here is the per-browser method that takes the space and keeps your logins.

✍️ Technical Anshu🪟 Windows 10 / 11⏱️ 6 minute read
🎥 The full cleanup routine is shown live in this video — every folder, every setting

Open the clear-data dialog carelessly and you trade a gigabyte of cache for an afternoon of password resets and two-factor prompts. The trick is knowing that cache, cookies and passwords are three separate things wearing one dialog. This guide clears only the first — in Chrome, Edge and Firefox.

Clear browsing data — the three checkboxes that matter (example)
Cached images and files [tick] safe — frees space Cookies and site data [tick] signs you OUT of sites Passwords / saved logins [never tick] unless you mean it Shortcut in every Chromium browser: Ctrl + Shift + Delete
👆 Cache, cookies and passwords are three different things — only the first is space junk
1

Cache, Cookies and Passwords Are Not the Same Thing

The clear-data dialog mixes three very different boxes, and the space you want lives in only one of them.

  1. Cached images and files — copies of website pieces stored so pages load faster. Deleting frees real space (often 500 MB to 4 GB) and pages simply re-download what they need. This is the box you want
  2. Cookies and site data — where websites remember that you are signed in. Clear this and you will be logged out of most sites and lose shopping carts and site preferences
  3. Passwords — your saved logins. Clearing cache never touches these, but one wrong tick in this dialog deletes them. Keep it unticked, always
2

Chrome — Clear the Cache Only

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete
  2. Set Time range to All time
  3. Tick only Cached images and files
  4. Leave Cookies unticked if you want to stay signed in, and never tick Passwords on the Advanced tab
  5. Click Delete data

First visits to heavy sites will feel a touch slower for a day — the cache is rebuilding, by design.

3

Microsoft Edge — Same Dialog, Same Rule

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete
  2. Tick Cached images and files only
  3. There is also a useful setting: Settings → Privacy → Clear browsing data → Choose what to clear every time you close the browser — set the cache there if you want it automatic, and leave cookies out of it
4

Firefox — Cache Without the Logout Surprise

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete
  2. Tick Temporary cached files and pages (in older versions simply "Cache")
  3. Leave "Cookies and site data" and "Saved logins" unticked
  4. Under Settings → Privacy and Security you can also see the exact size the cache is using before you clear it
5

When Clearing the Cache Is the Actual Fix

Space is only half the story. A corrupt or stale cache is the correct first suspect when:

  1. A website shows an old version, a broken layout or a login loop on this PC but works fine on your phone
  2. One site misbehaves while every other site is fine — a per-site problem is rarely your internet
  3. An office web app was updated and your screen still shows the old screens

For a single stubborn site, do not nuke everything: in Chrome and Edge, open the site, press Ctrl + Shift + R for a hard reload that bypasses the cache for that page.

🎥 Watch the Full Cleanup in the Video

See every cleanup location opened live on a real PC, in the same safe order, step by step.

▶️ Watch Full Video
❓ Frequently Asked Questions

If I clear the cache, will websites forget my passwords?

No. Saved passwords live in their own store and are untouched by clearing cached images and files. You will only lose passwords if you deliberately tick the Passwords box in the clear-data dialog — keep it unticked.

Will clearing cookies sign me out of everything?

Yes, from most sites — cookies are how sites remember your signed-in session. That is why this guide clears cache only. Clear cookies deliberately when a site's login is genuinely stuck, and expect to sign in again.

How much space does the browser cache really take?

On an actively used PC, typically 500 MB to several GB across all browsers — Chrome alone can hold multiple GB. Check before clearing: each browser shows the cache size in its clear-data dialog or storage settings.

This guide is based on the Technical Anshu cache and temp cleanup video • Stuck on a step? Ask in the video comments — you will get a reply 🙏