A hard refresh: how to load the latest version
Have you updated an image or another element in Asteriks, but the website still shows the old version? Your browser is probably displaying a previously saved file. A hard refresh tells the browser to reload the page without using its regular cache.
Why does your browser store old files?
A website consists of various files, such as images, stylesheets and JavaScript. Your browser temporarily stores some of these files in a cache. This means it does not have to download them again every time you visit, allowing the page to load more quickly.
The browser will usually check whether a newer version is available. Even so, an updated image or modified layout may not appear immediately. A normal refresh is sometimes not enough.
What does a hard refresh do?
During a hard refresh, your browser reloads the current page and tries to bypass the stored versions of the files it needs. This causes images, styles and scripts to be requested from the website again.
A hard refresh does not automatically clear your entire browser history, cookies or all stored files. That is different from clearing your entire browser cache. For a recent change to a single page, a hard refresh is usually the simplest first step.
How do you perform a hard refresh?
Google Chrome
Windows and Linux: press Ctrl + Shift + R. Ctrl + F5 also works on many systems.
Mac: press Command + Shift + R.
Microsoft Edge
Windows: press Ctrl + Shift + R or Shift + F5.
Mac: press Command + Shift + R.
Mozilla Firefox
Windows and Linux: press Ctrl + F5 or Ctrl + Shift + R.
Mac: press Command + Shift + R.
Safari
Mac: press Option + Command + R. Safari calls this reloading the page from its original source.
Still seeing the old version?
A hard refresh only resolves problems involving files in the browser cache. Sometimes an older version is still being stored by the website, the web server or an intermediary caching service. It may also be that a change has not yet been saved or published.
First, check that the change is correct in Asteriks. You can also open the page in a private window or another browser. If the new version appears there, the problem is probably in your local browser cache.
If the old version remains visible everywhere, there may be more to the problem than your browser cache. Send us the URL of the page and tell us which change you expect to see. We can then investigate exactly where the older version is still being stored.
