How to Clear Cache in WordPress Without a Plugin

Clearing your cache in WordPress without using a plugin can be done by manually clearing both your browser and server caches to ensure your site reflects the latest changes. Start with your browser cache, as it may store an outdated version of your site; simply go to your browser’s settings and clear cached images and files. On Google Chrome, for example, you’d go to Settings > Privacy and Security > Clear Browsing Data, then select “Cached images and files.” Next, clear your server cache—many hosting providers, like SiteGround or Bluehost, offer built-in caching solutions accessible through your hosting dashboard. Look for options to purge or clear the cache. Finally, if your theme or CDN (like Cloudflare) has additional caching, clear those as well to ensure all cached versions are removed and your latest updates are displayed. This straightforward process refreshes your site’s cache and improves the chances that your content updates display correctly across all users’ screens.

Clear Your Browser Cache

Your browser stores cached versions of web pages to load them faster on subsequent visits. Clearing your browser cache ensures you are seeing the most recent version of your website.

Steps to Clear Browser Cache:

• Google Chrome:
  1. Open Chrome and click on the three-dot menu in the upper right corner.
  2. Go to More Tools> Clear browsing data.
  3. Select Cached images and files and click Clear data.
• Mozilla Firefox:
  1. Open Firefox and click on the three-line menu in the upper right corner.
  2. Go to Options > Privacy & Security.
  3. Under Cookies and Site Data, click Clear Data.
  4. Select Cached Web Content and click Clear.
• Safari:
  1. Open Safari and click on Safari in the top menu.
  2. Select Preferences > Privacy.
  3. Click Manage Website Data and then Remove All.

Also Read: What Is The Best Caching Solution To Use On A LearnDash site?

2. Clear Server Cache

If your hosting provider has server-side caching enabled, you’ll need to clear it from your hosting control panel.

Steps to Clear Server Cache:

• Login to Your Hosting Account:
  1. Access your hosting provider’s control panel (e.g., cPanel, Plesk).
• Find Cache Management Options:
  1. Look for options like Cache Management, Performance, or Speed.
• Clear Cache:
  1. Use the available tools to clear the server cache. This might be labelled as Clear Cache, Flush Cache, or similar.

Example:

• cPanel:
  • Log in to your cPanel.
  • Look for Cache or Cache Manager under Software or Advanced.
  • Clear the cache from there.
• Managed Hosting Providers:
  • Providers like SiteGround, Kinsta, or WP Engine have their caching mechanisms. Refer to their documentation for specific instructions on clearing the cache.

Also Read: How To Install and Setup WP Super Cache Plugin

3. Clear Opcode Cache

If your server uses PHP opcode caching (like OPcache), you might need to clear it as well.

Steps to Clear Opcode Cache:

• Create a PHP Script:
  1. Create a new file named clear-opcache.php.

Add the following code to the file:
php
Copy code
<?php

opcache_reset();

echo “OPcache cleared!”;

?>

• Upload and Run the Script:
  1. Upload the file to your WordPress root directory.
  2. Access the script by navigating to yourwebsite.com/clear-opcache.php in your browser.
  3. After running the script, delete the clear-opcache.php file for security reasons.

Also Read: How To Test Your WordPress Site Speed?

4. Clear CDN Cache (If Applicable)

If you use a Content Delivery Network (CDN) like Cloudflare, you’ll need to clear the CDN cache.

Steps to Clear CDN Cache:

• Login to Your CDN Account:
  1. Access your CDN provider’s dashboard (e.g., Cloudflare, StackPath).
• Purge Cache:
  1. Navigate to the caching settings.
  2. Look for an option to Purge Cache, Clear Cache, or Flush Cache.
  3. Select the appropriate option to clear the cache.

Example:

• Cloudflare:
  1. Log in to your Cloudflare account.
  2. Select your website.
  3. Go to Caching > Configuration.
  4. Click on Purge Everything to clear all cached files.

Also Read: The new WordPress plugin from Cloudflare

Conclusion on Clear Cache in WordPress

Clearing cache in WordPress without using a plugin involves several steps, including clearing your browser cache, server cache, opcode cache, and CDN cache if applicable. By following these steps, you can ensure that you and your visitors are seeing the most up-to-date version of your website. Regularly clearing the cache can help resolve issues related to outdated content and improve website performance.

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