How to Force Reload Webpage Without Cache in Google Chrome for Mac

Need to force refresh a webpage without loading it from cache in Google Chrome? We’ll show you how a few ways to reload a webpage without cache in Chrome for Mac and Windows.

For some quick background, web browsers will cache websites you visit in order to speed up return visits. This is a good thing and generally not a problem for most users, but web developers and web designers in particular will frequently need to reload a webpage without using that stored cache so that they can check differences and perform other development related tasks. Additionally, sometimes even non-web workers will need to reload pages without cache for various reasons. While most modern browsers are pretty intelligent at cache management, you can also force refresh pages without using cache.

Note this is intended to just force the currently active webpage to reload without using cache, and specifically in the Chrome browser. This is not intended to reload all cache or dump all cache from the browser, though you can clear all web cache in Chrome by following these instructions if you need to.

Force Refresh Without Cache in Chrome for Mac with a Keyboard Shortcut

Forcing a webpage to reload without cache in Chrome for the Mac is accomplished with a keystroke, or with a menu item:

• Command + Shift + R

Sometimes it can be helpful to open a new Incognito browsing window to visit the site in question, and then use force refresh from there.

Force Reload Webpage Without Cache via Menu in Chrome for Mac

Another option to force refresh a webpage from Chrome on the Mac is through the menu items of Chrome:

1. Hold down the SHIFT key on the Mac Keyboard
2. Click the “View” menu and choose “Force Reload”

Whether you use the Menu based approach or the keystroke approach to refreshing cache does not matter, both tricks work the same.

Force Refresh Without Cache in Google Chrome for Windows

You can force refresh webpages without cache in Chrome for Windows with another keystroke too, this should be helpful to users who use Chrome on a PC as well as on a Mac, though do note the keyboard shortcut is different between the two operating systems:

• Control + Shift + F5

If the cache seems stuck or the refresh trick does not seem to be working as expected, it is sometimes helpful to open a new incognito window with the webpage in question and then force the refresh from there.

Obviously this is for Chrome, but you can reload webpages without cache in other web browsers too. For Mac you can learn how to ignore cache in other browsers here if you’re interested, including tips for Safari, Firefox, and Camino.

If this was helpful to you, you might appreciate browsing through other Chrome tips and tricks too.