What are Cookies and Cache? Why and How to Clear Them?

Cookies and Cache

Have you ever noticed how our search results come immediately for the second time? How does Google search your query in a short period?

It is all due to storing cookies and caches. If you find these terms hard to understand, then you are at the right place to learn about cookies and cache. 

What are Cache and Cookies?

Cache:

The cache remembers parts of HTML pages and collects data to display information. Cached data includes images, videos, and audio.

When you visit a site that contains graphics, it will store in its temporary storage to enhance your user experience.

When you surf the same website the next time, it will load immediately. It cuts down our loading time.

Cookies:

Netscape introduced the concept of cookies. Cookies are the files stored in the storage of the computer that contains user-specific information.

It is a small file that comprises helpful information for the website. Such as password, preferences, and browser.

It tracks information about your visit to a specific site and the time you spend on that site, for example, selection in a form, shopping cart content, or authentication data.

Cookies have a lifespan; after that time, they will be removed automatically. Otherwise, it will also remove manually. 

Examples of Cookies and Cache

Let us take examples to clarify these terms. Suppose you visit an online shopping website. You see different shoes from their sites, but you don’t buy anything.

When you visit another website, say a news website. It will generate ads for shoes of the same brand you searched for or another brand. Do you know who performs these tasks?

Well, cookies do it for you. It knows our preferences. The role of cache is to store pictures, audio, and videos. Next time, it will reload your search more quickly.

Difference Between Cookies and Cache

Cookies and cache are the temporary storage of data within the system. Its main aim is to assist the user experience. These two terms are different from each other in many aspects.

We are here to discuss these differences. 

Cookies
Cache
Cookies store data to track the information of the user
The cache is the loading of web pages
Cookies stores information according to user preferences.
Cache stores data, like, images, video, and audio.
Cookies have a lifetime. After that time they expire. You can also remove them manually.
Cache has no life span. You can only remove it manually.

Why is it Important to Clear Cache and Cookies?

Every site has hundreds or even thousands of files. Cookies are responsible for tracking such a large number of files and storing it. 

It is necessary to remove cookies and cache after some time, as they slow down the computer.

Web developers update each site after a certain period. If cookies already save an old version of files, they cannot reach the most recent files. In this way, you are unaware of new files.

It can cause run time errors, buttons missing on the page, unable to save the timesheet, and time-out errors. It is necessary to remove cookies and cache from time to time.

How Do I Delete a Specific Cookie in Chrome?

No doubt, it is easy to delete cookies from chrome. It takes the following simple steps :

  1. Open chrome
  2. Click three dots at the top right corner of the new tab
  3. Tap on setting and then choose privacy and security
  4. Select cookies and site data
  5. Confirm by tapping on clear all

Unfortunately, the data present in cookies are not in a human-readable form. You cannot understand it. Anyhow, you can successfully remove such cookies. 

Where are the Cookies Stored On My Computer?

In the past, computers stored cookies in separate text files in the user’s folder or browser installation. It was harder to find cookies on your computer.

During these days, we can find it by the following procedure:

  1. First, go to the File Explorer
  2. Insert the given pathway, “C:\User\Your-User-Name\AppData\
  3. Replace user name with window’s user name
  4. Go to Google chrome where it stores its cookies

Note: The data present there is in encrypted form. You can not read it.

What are the Cookies On An Android phone?

The cookies on an android phone are the same as on your laptop. It is easy to find out cookies on an android phone.

Following are the steps to remove cookies from your Android devices:

  1. First, open the Google Chrome
  2. Tap three dots on the top right corner
  3. Go to the setting and select privacy and security
  4. Move to clear browsing data and then choose cookies and sites data
  5. Then tap on clear data

What Happens When You Clear Cookies and Cache on Your Phone?

We have already discussed cookies and cache; when we delete cookies from our phone, it will delete all the site data. Later on, we need to re-enter our password. 

When we remove cache, then our phones take more time to load already visited sites.

How Often Should I Clear My Browser Cache?

It is a good idea to remove cache from your devices frequently to get an updated version or updated information. The recommended time to clear cache is once or twice a month. 

Also, Read How to Clear DNS Cache? 

Final Words

Cookies and cache are terms that we hear frequently, but we cannot explain these terms to someone. Because of this reason, we have tried to jot down every point with deeper insight.

In simple words, cookies are any files created by our browser and stored in the temporary memory, and cache are the images, audio, and video that the browser will save.

We have also discussed how we can remove cookies and cache from our devices. Hopefully, you have learned a new concept from our blog post. If you still have any questions, feel free to comment down. 

An Amazing Read Why is My Data So Slow?

Author

Allen

Allen is a tech expert focused on simplifying complex technology for everyday users. With expertise in computer hardware, networking, and software, he offers practical advice and detailed guides. His clear communication makes him a valuable resource for both tech enthusiasts and novices.

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