How to Hard Refresh in your browser, on a Mac (Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Opera)

How to Hard Refresh in your browser, on a Mac (Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Opera)

A hard refresh completely reloads a web page, clearing your browser's cache for that specific page. The most recent version of that web page is loaded and displayed instead, and all the elements previously stored in your browser's cache (to make that page load faster) get downloaded again. A hard refresh helps if you want to see the latest changes made to a page, ensuring that your web browser does not display an older version. In this tutorial, we show you how to hard refresh websites using the most popular web browsers available for your Mac:

Advertisement

NOTE: This guide covers Mac OS Mojave or newer. The features shared in our guide may not work on older versions of Mac OS.

How to hard refresh a web page in Safari, on your Mac

Safari is the default browser for your Mac, and there are two ways to hard refresh a page while using it. The first involves using the keyboard shortcut Command(⌘)-Option-R.

The keyboard shortcut for the Hard Refresh on Safari
The keyboard shortcut for the Hard Refresh on Safari

The second method involves holding down the Shift key on your keyboard while clicking the Refresh button in Safari.

The <em>Refresh</em> button in Safari
The <em>Refresh</em> button in Safari

How to hard refresh a web page in Google Chrome, on your Mac

Available on multiple platforms, Google Chrome is the most popular browser on the internet, and there are two ways to hard refresh a page with Chrome. The first way involves using the keyboard shortcut Command(⌘)-Shift-R.

The keyboard shortcut for the Hard Refresh on Google Chrome
The keyboard shortcut for the Hard Refresh on Google Chrome

Another method is to hold down the Shift key on your keyboard while clicking the Refresh button in Chrome.

The <em>Refresh</em> button in Google Chrome
The <em>Refresh</em> button in Google Chrome

How to hard refresh a web page in Mozilla Firefox, on your Mac

Plenty of people, including yours truly, use Mozilla Firefox, and there are two ways to hard refresh a page while using it.

Advertisement

The first method involves using the keyboard shortcut Command(⌘)-Shift-R.

The keyboard shortcut for the Hard Refresh on Firefox
The keyboard shortcut for the Hard Refresh on Firefox

The second is to hold down the Shift key on your keyboard while clicking the Refresh button in Firefox.

The <em>Refresh</em> button in Mozilla Firefox
The <em>Refresh</em> button in Mozilla Firefox

How to hard refresh a web page in Opera, on your Mac

Opera is becoming more popular with Mac users, and there are (you guessed it!) also two ways to hard refresh a page while using it. The first way is using the keyboard shortcut Command (⌘)-Option-R.

The keyboard shortcut for the Hard Refresh on Opera
The keyboard shortcut for the Hard Refresh on Opera

Another way to hard refresh is to hold down the Shift key on your keyboard while clicking the Refresh button in Opera.

The <em>Refresh</em> button in Opera
The <em>Refresh</em> button in Opera

What browser(s) are you using on your Mac?

Thank you for taking the time to read this guide, and we hope our tips have been helpful! Here at Digital Citizen, we are very passionate about browsers, so much so that we even come up with ways developers could improve certain features, like privacy. We are curious to know what browsers our readers use and why, so please take a moment to let us know what your favorite browser(s) are and the reasons for your preference(s) in a comment below.

Discover: Productivity Ease of Access Google Chrome macOS Mozilla Firefox Opera Programs Tutorials