How to Clear Cache and Cookies in Firefox (Fix Broken or Stale Pages)

A site looks broken, shows an old version, or keeps logging you out — clearing Firefox’s cache and cookies usually fixes it.

Why: Firefox stores copies of page files (the cache) and login/session data (cookies and site data) to load sites faster. When those copies go stale or corrupt, pages render wrong or behave oddly. Clearing them forces a clean reload.

Fix 1: Clear everything (cache + cookies)

1. Open menu (≡) → Settings → Privacy & Security.
2. Scroll to Cookies and Site Data and click Clear Data….
3. Tick Cookies and site data and Temporary cached files and pages.
4. Click Clear, then confirm with Clear Now.

Shortcut: press Ctrl + Shift + Delete, set When to Everything, tick the same two items, and click OK / Clear Now.

Note: clearing cookies signs you out of websites. To keep logins but fix display problems, clear only Temporary cached files and pages in step 3.

Fix 2: Clear one site only (keep other logins)

1. Visit the problem site, then click the padlock icon to the left of the address bar.
2. Click Clear cookies and site data… and confirm with Remove.

Or remove a single site from settings: Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data → Manage Data…, search the site name, click Remove Selected, then Save Changes.

Fix 3: Clear cache automatically on close

1. Open Settings → Privacy & Security and scroll to History.
2. Set Firefox will to Use custom settings for history.
3. Tick Clear history when Firefox closes, click Settings… beside it, tick Temporary cached files and pages (leave cookies unticked to stay logged in), and click Save Changes.

FAQ

Will this delete my bookmarks or saved passwords? No. Clearing cache and cookies only removes cached files and site session data. Bookmarks, passwords and history are untouched unless you separately tick Browsing & download history.

Page still broken after clearing? Try a Refresh Firefox to reset corrupted settings, or test in Troubleshoot Mode in case an extension is rewriting the page.

Sources: Mozilla Support — Clear cookies and site data in Firefox, Mozilla Support — How to clear the Firefox cache