Incognito Mode & Caching
Are changes to your website not showing up when you visit your site? Caches might be the culprit!
So, you made changes to your website, but they don’t show up for you or your users when visiting the site. The solution– Try visiting your website in a Private or Incognito Window.
What is an Incognito Window?
An Incognito or Private tab/window is a browsing feature of web browsers that doesn’t store things like cookies, caches, and other site data. These are things that are traditionally remembered and stored on your device when in the standard browsing mode.
Why is an incognito window useful when it comes to seeing my page edits?
Browsers cache website data to ensure a faster reload time and better user experience the next time you visit that same site. When a cache contains information from a past visit and hasn’t been refreshed or reloaded, you could see outdated information. This is when private, or incognito, windows can be helpful, because they do not rely on website data from your device’s caches, nor do they store any. When using an incognito window, you should be able to see any updates or changes you’ve made because it will be like opening your website for the first time.
How do I use a Private Window in:
Chrome
For desktop: open Google Chrome, and in the top right corner of the browser, click the three vertically arranged dots. In the dropdown menu, select, “New Incognito Window”.
For mobile: open Google Chrome and click the three horizontally arranged dots in the bottom right of the page. A menu screen will pop up, and you’ll want to select “New Incognito Tab”.
Edge
For desktop: open Microsoft Edge, and in the top right corner of the browser, click the three horizontally arranged dots. In the dropdown menu, select “New In Private Window.”
For mobile: open Edge and in the bottom center of the page, tap on the horizontally arranged dots that are encircled in an oval. A menu will pop-up and you will click on the “New InPrivate tab” option. description for this entry.
Firefox
For desktop: open Firefox, and in the top right corner of the browser, click on the three horizontal lines. In the dropdown menu, select “New Private Window”.
For mobile: open Firefox, and in the bottom right, tap on the number encased in a box that lets you know how many tabs you currently have open. Then at the top of the page, select the middle mask icon. Lastly, tap on the “+” in the bottom right corner of the page.
Safari
For desktop: open Safari, and on the top left side of your Menu Bar, click “File”. A menu will drop down, and you’ll then click “New Private Window”.
For mobile: open Safari and tap on the tabs icon in the lower-left corner of the page. All your opened tabs will show up, and you’ll click the Tab Groups menu in the bottom of the tab bar. A menu will pop up, and you should click “Private.”
Published on Jun 15 2023
Last Updated on Mar 14 2024
Categories: Kindra Goehler, Small Business Websites, Web Design
Tags: Browser Cache, incognito mode