To clear WordPress cache, open your site as an administrator and click the “Clear cache” or “Purge” button in the WordPress admin bar, or clear it from your caching plugin’s settings in the dashboard. Then hard-refresh your browser. If the page is still stale, purge your CDN cache last.
When you update a post, change a price, or swap an image and the change refuses to show up, the culprit is almost always cache. WordPress and its plugins store a saved copy of each page so visitors load it faster, and that saved copy can go stale. This guide shows you how to clear WordPress cache with every common method: from the admin bar, from each major cache plugin, without a plugin at all, plus the browser cache and CDN cache that trip people up most.
A WordPress cache is a temporary storage of pre-built pages and files that lets your site skip repeat work and load faster. The trade-off is that an outdated cache can keep serving the old version of a page after you change it. Clearing (or “flushing”) the cache throws away that saved copy so WordPress builds a fresh one. It is a safe, routine action, and knowing where each clear cache button lives is all it takes.
The 30-second way to clear your WordPress cache
The quickest WordPress clear cache method is the admin bar button, because your caching plugin adds a control there automatically. Most sites can clear the cache in a few clicks. When you are logged into your WordPress site, look at the top toolbar on any page:
- Log in and load your site so the WordPress admin bar appears across the top.
- Find the cache button (it reads “Clear cache”, “Purge cache”, or the plugin name).
- Click the clear cache button and pick “Clear all cache” or “Purge everything”.
You can also clear the cache from the WordPress dashboard: go to your cache plugin’s settings page and use its “Clear cache” or “Delete cache” button. Either route flushes the saved pages so the next visitor gets a freshly built version of your site. There is nothing to lose here, so clearing the cache never deletes your posts, settings, or media.
The types of cache on a WordPress site (and which to clear)
“Clearing the cache” can mean several different things, because a WordPress site usually has more than one layer of cache running at once. Knowing the type of cache that is stale tells you exactly what to clear, so you do not have to blindly clear the entire cache every time. The right way to clear cache WordPress serves depends on which of these layers is holding the old copy.
| Type of cache | What it stores | Clear it when |
|---|---|---|
| Browser cache | Files saved on the visitor’s own device (CSS, images, JavaScript) | You updated the design but only you still see the old look |
| Page cache | Full HTML pages saved by your cache plugin | Content edits are not appearing for logged-out visitors |
| Object cache | Database query results held in Redis or Memcached | Dynamic data (menus, widgets, counts) is stale |
| Server cache | Host-level cache such as Nginx, Varnish, or LiteSpeed | Nothing updates even after the plugin cache is cleared |
| CDN cache | Copies held on Cloudflare or another CDN edge network | Visitors far from your server still load the old file |
A good rule of thumb: clear the browser cache first (it is free and instant), then the page cache from your plugin, then the object cache and server cache, and purge the CDN cache last. If you want a deeper look at how these layers interact and which one to reach for first, our edge, page, and object cache decision tree maps every scenario.
How to clear cache in each WordPress caching plugin
Every WordPress caching plugin puts its clear cache control in a slightly different place. Here is where to click in the five most popular caching plugins. If you are not sure which one you run, check Plugins in your dashboard, or compare options in our guide to the best WordPress caching plugins.
WP Rocket
WP Rocket is the most common premium cache plugin. Clear it from the admin bar dropdown labeled “WP Rocket”, then choose “Clear cache”. From the dashboard, go to Settings > WP Rocket > Dashboard and click “Clear cache”. WP Rocket also rebuilds the page cache automatically after you save a post.
W3 Total Cache
With W3 Total Cache, use the “Performance” item in the admin bar and select “Purge All Caches”, or open Performance > Dashboard and click “empty all caches”. Because the W3 Total Cache plugin manages page cache, object cache, and browser cache settings together, “Purge All” clears each of them in one action.
WP Super Cache
WP Super Cache is the free plugin maintained by Automattic. Go to Settings > WP Super Cache and click “Delete Cache” on the Easy tab, or use “Delete Cache” from the admin bar. You can read the full options on the official WP Super Cache plugin page.
WP Fastest Cache
Open WP Fastest Cache from the dashboard menu, switch to the “Delete Cache” tab, and click “Clear All Cache” (or “Delete Cache and Minified CSS/JS” if you also changed styles).
LiteSpeed Cache
If your host runs LiteSpeed, the LiteSpeed Cache plugin is the fastest option. From the admin bar choose “LiteSpeed Cache > Purge All”, or open LiteSpeed Cache > Toolbox > Purge and click “Purge All”. LiteSpeed Cache also controls server cache directly, which saves a separate step.
How to clear WordPress cache without a plugin
You can clear the WordPress cache without a plugin when your caching happens at the hosting layer or you have removed the plugin. There are three reliable ways to do it:
- Use your host dashboard. Managed WordPress hosting (Kinsta, SiteGround, WP Engine, Cloudways) adds its own “Clear cache” or “Purge cache” button in the hosting control panel. On SiteGround it sits under SG Optimizer, on WP Engine under the “Caching” tab, and on Kinsta under “Tools”. This clears the server cache the host runs in front of your site, which a plugin cannot always reach.
- Delete the cache files manually. Connect over SFTP or your host file manager and delete the contents of the
wp-content/cachefolder. WordPress and your plugin rebuild those cache files on the next visit. - Toggle WP_CACHE. Setting
define('WP_CACHE', false);inwp-config.phpdisables the drop-in page cache, which forces WordPress to serve uncached pages until you turn it back on.
Slow rebuilds after a manual clear often point at a deeper bottleneck. If your first uncached load is sluggish, see how to reduce server response time on WordPress.
Clear your browser cache and CDN cache
Two caches sit outside WordPress entirely, so a plugin purge never touches them.
Browser cache: your own browser saves a copy of the site on your device. When you clear your WordPress cache but still see the old version, clear your browser cache with a hard refresh: press Ctrl+Shift+R on Windows or Cmd+Shift+R on a Mac. An incognito or private window is a quick way to confirm whether the browser cache is the problem.
CDN cache: a CDN such as Cloudflare keeps copies of your files on servers around the world. To clear your CDN cache in Cloudflare, open Caching > Configuration and click “Purge Everything”. Cloudflare documents the full process in its cache purge guide. Always purge the CDN cache last, after the WordPress and server layers are already clear.
Still seeing the old version? Troubleshooting stale cache
If you cleared the cache and the site is still stale, one of these is almost always the reason:
- Layered caches. A page cache plugin, a server cache, and a CDN cache can each hold an outdated cache. Clear them in order (plugin, then server, then CDN) rather than clearing one and refreshing.
- Logged-in versus logged-out. Most cache plugins serve logged-in admins a live, uncached view, so what you see may differ from a visitor. Check in a private window.
- Browser cache. If only your machine shows the old design, your browser cache is holding it. Hard-refresh or clear your own browser cache.
- Cache not rebuilt yet. After a full purge, the new cache is rebuilt on the next visit, so the very first load may feel slow while WordPress regenerates the page.
How often should you clear your WordPress cache?
Only when you need to. A well-configured cache plugin clears the relevant page cache automatically whenever you publish or update a post, so there is rarely a reason to clear the entire cache on a schedule. Clear it manually after a design change, a plugin update, or when you edit content directly in the database. Frequent, unnecessary cache clearing just forces slow uncached rebuilds and can hurt the very Core Web Vitals you are trying to protect, as we cover in our Core Web Vitals for WordPress guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I clear my WordPress cache without a plugin?
Use your host dashboard’s “Clear cache” button, delete the contents of the wp-content/cache folder over SFTP, or set WP_CACHE to false in wp-config.php. Each method clears cached files that a plugin would otherwise manage.
Why is my WordPress site still showing the old version after clearing the cache?
Another cache layer is still holding it. Clear the plugin page cache, then the server cache, then purge the CDN cache, and finally clear your own browser cache with a hard refresh. Checking in a private window confirms whether the browser cache is to blame.
Does clearing the WordPress cache delete my content or settings?
No. Clearing the cache only removes the temporary saved copies of your pages. Your posts, media, plugins, and settings are untouched, and WordPress simply rebuilds a fresh cache on the next visit.
How often should I clear my WordPress cache?
Only when something looks stale after an edit. Modern cache plugins clear the affected page cache automatically on publish, so a manual clear is mainly for design changes, plugin updates, or database edits.
What is the difference between browser cache, page cache, and object cache?
Browser cache is stored on the visitor’s device, page cache is the full HTML page saved by your plugin, and object cache holds database query results in Redis or Memcached. Different symptoms point to different types of cache.
How do I clear the cache on WordPress from my phone?
Log into wp-admin in your mobile browser and use the same WordPress admin bar or plugin dashboard button. The clear cache control works identically on mobile, so how to clear cache on WordPress from your phone is no different from doing it on a laptop.
Keep your cache working for you, not against you
Knowing how to clear cache in WordPress is a five-minute fix, but a caching setup that constantly needs manual clearing usually points at a configuration problem underneath. If you would rather hand off caching, updates, and speed entirely, our team manages it as part of ongoing WordPress performance management, so your pages stay fast and your content always shows up on time. A current cache setup pairs well with a current server stack too: see our guide on how to update PHP in WordPress for the other half of that equation.
