A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Clear Shopify Cache
Managing a Shopify store requires regular maintenance. One critical task is clearing your cache to prevent major problems. For example, your Shopify store may not reflect recent updates or not work correctly on key browsers, such as Chrome, Safari, or Firefox.
You must also clear the cache if you’re troubleshooting an issue, implementing a store update, or optimizing your store speed.
In this article, we will walk you through everything you must know about cache, why it’s important to clear it, and how to do so across different browsers:
What is a Cache?
A cache is a temporary storage area in your browser that saves copies of web pages, images, and other content. If you store these files locally, the cache speeds up the loading process and provides a quick speed score.
For example, when you revisit a website, your browser retrieves the cached data instead of downloading it again. This leads to faster loading times. However, although caching is beneficial, it can sometimes cause issues, particularly when you make changes to a website.
In addition, cached content may prevent the latest updates from displaying correctly, leading to outdated information being shown.
Why Should You Clear Shopify Cache?
Clearing your Shopify cache can resolve a variety of issues and improve the performance of your Shopify store. Unfortunately, Spotify doesn’t automatically clear the cache. But it’s a wise idea to clear your cache on all browsers: Firefox, Google, and Safari.
Here are the 7 main reasons why you should clear your Shopify cache:
1. Store Updates
When you make changes to your Shopify store—i.e., updating themes or adding new products—always clear the cache. This action ensures your visitors see the most recent version of your site.
Unfortunately, cached versions might still display the old content. In turn, this leads to inconsistencies between what you’ve updated and what your customers see. If you have an important new design or offer on your website, this can be a tremendous issue.
2. Troubleshooting
If your Shopify doesn’t function perfectly on browsers like Chrome, Safari, or Firefox—clearing the cache should be the first step in troubleshooting issues. Cache-related issues can also prevent your store from loading properly or displaying recent changes.
3. Store Speed Optimization
Over time, an outdated or unused cache can accumulate and slow down your Shopify store. However, you can enhance your store’s speed and performance by clearing your cache, leading to a better user experience.
Moreover, faster load times contribute to higher customer satisfaction and can positively impact your conversion rates.
4. Third-Party App Cache
For Shopify stores relying on third-party apps, cached data might interfere with your apps’ functionality—especially after updates or modifications.
Clearing the cache for these apps ensures that they run smoothly and integrate well with your store, which can stop disruptions or errors.
5. Preventing Display Issues
Cache can sometimes cause display problems, where changes made to your site don’t appear as intended. This problem can be frustrating for you and your customers.
That said, clearing the cache ensures any visual updates or modifications are accurately reflected on your store, thus maintaining a consistent and professional appearance.
6. Improving SEO Performance
Clearing your Shopify cache can also positively impact your store’s SEO performance. Search engines—like Google—prioritize websites that load fast and display up-to-date content with high-quality, informative information.
Unfortunately, if your store is serving outdated cached pages, it can harm your SEO rankings. That’s because it provides users and search engine crawlers with incorrect or old information, damaging your rankings.
7. Ensuring Accurate Analytics Data
If you use analytics tools to track your store’s performance, cached data can interfere with the accuracy of the reports. For example, outdated pages might not properly trigger tracking codes, which leads to discrepancies in your analytics data.
How to Clear Shopify Cache From Google Chrome
Clearing your cache in Google Chrome is straightforward and can help resolve issues like Shopify not working on Chrome.
Here’s how:
- Go to settings: You should open Chrome, click the three-dot menu in the upper right corner, and select “Settings.”
- Go to advanced settings: Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on “Advanced” to access additional settings.
- Click clear browsing data: Under “Privacy and security,” click on “Clear browsing data.”
- Choose cached images and files: In the pop-up window, select “Cached images and files.” You should ensure other options are unchecked unless you want to clear other types of data.
- Click on delete data: Click “delete data” to remove the cache. This may take a few seconds, depending on the amount of cached data.
How to Clear Shopify Cache From Firefox
Clearing the cache on Firefox is also essential, especially if you’re experiencing issues specific to this browser.
Follow these 3 steps:
- Go to history: Click on the menu button in the top right corner of Firefox, and select “History.”
- Click Clear Recent History: From the dropdown menu, click on “Clear Recent History.”
- Click on cache and then clear: In the pop-up window, check the “Cache” box and click “Clear.” This will delete all cached files stored in Firefox.
How to Clear Shopify Cache From Safari
Safari users should also clear their cache periodically to ensure the smooth operation of their Shopify store.
Here are four steps:
- Select Preferences in Advanced: Click “Safari” in the top menu, then select “Preferences.”
- Click on Advanced: In the Preferences window, go to the “Advanced” tab.
- Click on Show Develop Menu: At the bottom of the window, check the box next to “Show Develop menu in the menu bar.”
- Click on Empty Cache: Now, go to the Develop menu and select “Empty Caches” to clear the cache.
How to Leverage Browser Caching
Browser caching is often a double-edged sword. Although it speeds up load times by locally storing static files, it can also cause issues when you make changes to your Shopify store.
These changes may include updating themes, modifying product images, adding new features, or running time-sensitive promotions.
Nevertheless, if you understand how to manage and leverage browser caching, you can improve your store’s performance without compromising on the accuracy of displayed content.
Here are some tips:
- Optimize Cache Settings: You should adjust your store’s cache settings to balance performance with up-to-date content.
- Regular Cache Clearing: It’s also wise to set a schedule for clearing your cache to avoid the build-up of outdated files.
- Use Tools: You must utilize browser tools or Shopify apps that help manage and automate cache clearing, ensuring your store remains responsive and accurate.
How to Delete Your Cache on Shopify
Alongside clearing your browser cache, you may also need to delete your cache within Shopify. This is useful if you’re an advanced user, a Shopify Plus merchant, or you’re using custom themes or third-party apps.
Here are three options:
1. Clearing Theme Cache
Themes often store cache to speed up loading times; however, this can cause problems when making design changes. So you should consider clearing your theme cache regularly. This change will ensure your website reflects these updates.
2. Clearing Third-Party App Cache
Third-party apps integrated with your Shopify store may cache data for performance reasons. Therefore, if you experience issues with an app after making changes, clearing its cache can often resolve the problem.
3. Shopify Plus Merchant
Shopify Plus merchants with large stores and high traffic frequently experience significant cache issues. That’s why regular cache clearing is essential for maintaining performance and ensuring customers see the current version of your store.
How Often Should You Clear Cache in Shopify?
The frequency you clear your Shopify cache depends on various factors, such as store updates, testing activities, and the overall performance requirements of your store.
That said, regularly clearing your cache ensures your store operates efficiently; it also guarantees your customers always see the most up-to-date version of your site.
Here are some times when you should clear the cache:
1. Following Major Updates
After implementing significant updates to your Shopify store—such as installing a new theme, redesigning the layout, or adding substantial new content—you must clear the cache. This action assures visitors will see the latest version of your store without displaying outdated information.
Shopify has recently updated to Shopify 2.0. After updates like this, it’s essential to clear the cache on your site.
2. During Feature Testing
Clearing the cache is crucial when testing new features, apps, or functionalities. This is because cached data from previous versions of the site can interfere with testing—leading to inaccurate results.
However, by clearing the cache continually, you ensure you’re working with the most current data. You’ll then be able to enjoy the performance and integration of the new features.
3. When Addressing Display Issues
Display issues, such as incorrect images, outdated content, or misaligned elements, can often be traced back to a cached version of the site that hasn’t been updated.
If you notice that changes you’ve made to your store aren’t being reflected properly, clearing the cache can often resolve these problems.
4. Based on Historical Traffic Patterns
During periods of high traffic, such as seasonal sales or promotional events, your store may gain a large amount of cached data. This can slow down your store’s performance and impact the user experience.
However, clearing the cache during or after these high-traffic periods can help maintain optimal performance, ensuring that your store remains fast and responsive even during peak times.
5. Following Code Deployments
Whenever you deploy new code, custom scripts, or make backend changes to your Shopify store—clear the cache. This guarantees new code is correct and that any old versions of the website don’t interfere with the changes.
6. During App Integration/Removal
Integrating new apps or removing old ones from your Shopify store can lead to cache conflicts. These can prevent apps from functioning as intended or cause old app data to linger, leading to potential errors or inconsistencies.
However, clearing the cache during the integration or removal process ensures your store operates smoothly. It also ensures the apps function correctly without interference.
7. High-Volume Shopping Periods
You should clear your cache in preparation for high-volume shopping periods like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, or holiday sales. Before these events, clearing the cache ensures your store is at peak performance with no outdated data.
After the event, you can also clear out any accumulated cache. It ensures your store stays fast and efficient for future customers.
Troubleshooting Cache Issues
If you continue to experience issues after clearing your cache, you should consider these troubleshooting steps:
- Check for Browser-Specific Issues: Sometimes, the problem is isolated to a specific browser. Testing your store in multiple browsers can help identify the issue.
- Remove Unused JavaScript: Excessive JavaScript can slow down your store, so you should consider removing unused scripts to improve performance.
- Consult Shopify Support: If problems persist, Shopify’s support team or your theme developer can provide additional assistance.
Final Thoughts
Clearing cache regularly on your website is truly fundamental. It will help your website remain fast, responsive, and up-to-date. In contrast, failing to clear your cache can significantly harm your e-commerce business.
For critical insights into your e-commerce competitors, countless hours of saved time, and improved marketing campaigns—check out Koala for free today.
