Clearing your cache (browser, DNS, LiteSpeed and Cloudflare)

Websites are saved, or cached, in several places so they load faster. After you change something, one of these saved copies can keep showing the old version. Work from your own computer outwards.

Quick test: open your site in a private or incognito window. If the change shows there, only your browser cache needs clearing.

1. Your browser

• Reload one page without cache: press Ctrl + F5 (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + R (Mac).
• Clear everything: press Ctrl + Shift + Delete (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + Delete (Mac), choose Cached images and files, set the time range to All time, and clear.

See Clearing a web browser cache and cookies.

2. Your computer’s DNS cache

Clear this if you changed nameservers or DNS records and your computer still goes to the old server.

System	What to do
Windows	Open Command Prompt and run ipconfig /flushdns
macOS	Open Terminal and run sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder
Linux	Run sudo resolvectl flush-caches
Chrome	Go to chrome://net-internals/#dns and click Clear host cache
Phone	Turn airplane mode on and off

DNS changes still need time to reach everyone. See DNS propagation explained.

3. Your website’s cache

Ruachost servers run LiteSpeed, and many WordPress sites use the LiteSpeed Cache plugin.

• WordPress with LiteSpeed Cache: in your WordPress dashboard, hover over the LiteSpeed Cache icon in the top bar and click Purge All.
• Other caching plugins (WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache, WP Fastest Cache and others): use the plugin’s Clear cache or Purge button.
• Page builders such as Elementor have their own CSS cache. In Elementor, go to Elementor → Tools → Regenerate CSS & Data.

See Clearing the cache in WordPress.

4. Cloudflare

If your domain uses Cloudflare, it keeps its own copies of your pages and files.

1. Log in to Cloudflare and select your domain.
2. Go to Caching → Configuration and click Purge Everything.

While you make lots of changes, turn on Development Mode to skip Cloudflare’s cache for 3 hours. See Clearing the Cloudflare cache.

Still seeing the old version?

• Check you edited the right file or site, for example not a staging copy.
• If you moved your site, check your domain points to Ruachost. See Previewing your website.