Buzz
This article will show you how to refresh (reload) a page in your browser. Refreshing the page will load the most current version of the information and can also help you fix some website errors, such as incomplete page loading issues.
Steps
Refreshing a Page on a Computer
Open the page you want to refresh. You can navigate to the page’s web address or click on the tab of the page.
Use a keyboard shortcut. In most browsers, pressing the F5 key will refresh the current page (on some Windows devices, you may need to hold down the Fn key while pressing the F5). If the F5 key is missing, you can use these shortcuts for other operating systems:
- Windows — Press Ctrl + R.
- Mac — Press ⌘ Command + R.
Force refresh the webpage. A forced refresh clears the cache, allowing you to view the most recent version of the page rather than the cached one. Here's how you can do it:
- Windows — Press Ctrl + F5. If that doesn't work, try holding down Ctrl and clicking the "Refresh" icon.
- Mac — Press ⌘ Command + ⇧ Shift + R. In Safari, you can also hold down ⇧ Shift and click the "Refresh" icon.
Troubleshooting when a page won't refresh. If clicking the "Refresh" icon, using the shortcut, or forcing a refresh doesn't work, your browser might be malfunctioning or corrupted. You can resolve most browser issues with these steps (if one doesn't work, try the next):
- Close and reopen the page.
- Exit and restart the browser, then try loading the page again.
- Update your browser.
- Clear the cache.
- Clear DNS.
Refresh Chrome browser on mobile device
Go to the page you want to refresh. Just like on a computer browser, refreshing will only affect the page you're currently viewing.
Tap on ⋮. This option is located at the top-right corner of your screen. A dropdown menu will appear.
Swipe down to refresh. You can trigger a page refresh by swiping down until you see the "Refresh" arrow appear at the top of the screen.
Refresh Firefox browser on mobile device
Open the Firefox browser. Tap on the browser icon, which is a picture of a fox with an orange color on a blue background.
Go to the page you want to refresh. Just like on a desktop browser, refreshing on a mobile device only affects the page you are currently viewing.
Wait for the page to fully load if necessary. The "Refresh" icon in Firefox will only appear after the page has completely loaded.
- On Android devices, first, tap the ⋮ icon at the top-right corner of the screen, then tap the "Refresh" icon at the top of the dropdown menu that appears.
Refresh Safari browser on mobile device
Open Safari. Tap on the app icon, which features a blue compass on a white background.
Go to the page you want to refresh. Just like with desktop browsers, refreshing on mobile only affects the page you are currently viewing.
Wait for the page to load completely if needed. The "Refresh" icon in Safari will only appear once the page has fully loaded.
Tip
- Clearing the cache can help fix many common browser issues, including the problem of a page not refreshing.
Warning
- Refreshing a page where you’ve entered information (such as filling out a sign-up form) will often erase your progress.
