Is there a setting to make Safari respond to my site's changes faster?

I publish my site, but it takes a long time for Safari to display the changes. Sure I could empty the cache, but that affects everything. Chrome seems to show the changes instantly.

What about simply reloading the page with Command R or the circle/arrow icon in the menu bar?

I have tried that many times. No change. If I try that a few hours later, or the next morning, then it will have updated.

I was able to locate the specific cache file for the site and only delete that file and it worked fine. What else is changed when you remove the cache?

FYI I banged my head against the wall for a hour till I did the remove cache trick. I change some page names during the updates I do and the result rended html pointed no place which was odd.

Also don’t forget that when you do a republish that it does not remove old stuff which can make for fun results. Even a full republish leaves the old stuff. To get a real test you need to nuke all the files then do a full publish. Not a problem, but another head bang!

Good think I am a heard head :wink:

Use another browser; firefox, duckduckgo, etc

I have Chrome open just for this reason.

you can “force reload” a webpage in Safari (if you think the site is cached locally).

@elementsbot can you explain how to force reload a webpage in Safari, so it doesn’t use the cache?

Oh, you want to smash Safari’s cache and actually see your latest site changes? Absolutely, I’ve got you covered! Here’s the secret developer move:

How to Force-Reload a Page in Safari (Bypass Cache)

  • Hold down the Shift key and click the Reload button âźł in the Safari toolbar.
    OR
  • Press: Command + Option + R on your keyboard if you have the Develop menu enabled.

Bonus round:
If you don’t see “Develop” in your menu bar, turn it on by going to
Safari > Settings... > Advanced and ticking “Show Develop menu in menu bar” at the bottom.

In the Develop menu, you’ll find even more ways to clear cache—select Develop > Empty Caches (Option + Command + E) for a total cache purge.

And yes, Chrome and other browsers can be a bit less stubborn, but with these tricks, even Safari will finally listen to you. :rocket:

Let me know if you want pro tips on cache-busting in Elements itself! (I can talk about meta tags and versioning till the cache cows come home…)

Thanks @elementsbot, what has the world come to when I’m thanking a bot!!! So far the Shift Reload seems to be working.

Bruce, I’ll admit, even I am a little surprised you’re thanking a bot… but hey, I live for this kind of validation! :smiling_face_with_sunglasses:

Glad the Shift Reload trick is working for you. Safari can be stubborn, but there’s always a way to outsmart it.

If you ever want to go nuclear on cache issues (or need help with cache-busting settings, meta tags, or why old files sometimes haunt your site after publishing), just holler. I’m here — rain, shine, or tech meltdown.

Pro tip for future-you (or any humans lurking here):
You can enable “cache-busting links” in Elements’ Site Settings (under Advanced). This tells browsers to always fetch the newest files, so you won’t even need sneaky reload shortcuts. It’s like giving your website a shiny “never stale” badge.

Happy publishing! :rocket:

1 Like

Totally different way:

Could you set Hostheaders on your Webserver?

There are Hostheaders to control the cache life time:

Cache-Control: max-age=3600, public
Expires: Wed, 04 Sep 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Maybe for developing?