Solved How often do you clear browser history, cookies and cache and why?

[KGIII]

Aye, most of 'em have it somewhere in the settings.

Yeah, they're in the settings. I didn't find either of those too difficult to find. I just used the search function to narrow it down and find it more quickly. I didn't want to wade through the settings, so search narrowed things down for me. I guess it could be more intuitive in the case of some Chromium-based browsers. I was mostly confused about the easy and simple bit. I also think I've seen all the standard settings in many browsers because I'm a bit of a browser nut and I've played with pretty much all of them that are built for Linux.

 

[hasser33]

Curious if you delete browsing history, cookies and cache, how often and for what reason?

Reason I'm asking is because I used to clear it every now and then but figured out it serves no real purpose other than loosing your history in case you need it.
Troubleshooting web site navigation is an exception though to clear cache or cookies.

How long is your browsing history?
Do you maybe back it up? 192.168 l 8.1 is a common private IP address used by certain routers for their admin panel login. It allows users to access and configure network settings. If you're having trouble accessing it, ensure your device is connected to the correct network, and check if the router uses this IP.

I clear my browser history, cookies, and cache every week, and it’s made a big difference. I used to experience slow page loading and login issues, especially when using multiple platforms for work. Once I started clearing them regularly, everything ran smoother—fewer glitches, faster browsing, and better security. I also noticed that I get more accurate website versions without outdated content. It’s especially helpful when managing online payments or accounts. It’s a simple habit that keeps things tidy and my personal info safer. I definitely recommend doing it regularly!

 

[KGIII]

I used to experience slow page loading and login issues, especially when using multiple platforms for work.

I wonder what the difference is and why some of us (perhaps most of us by a wide margin) haven't any issues at all.

I don't clean my history, cache, or cookies. Nothing ever breaks. I can't even remember when I last had to use CTRL + F5 to load a fresh web page instead of relying on what's already in the cache. When I have had to do that, it's a specific site that is the problem, not my browser.

Heck, I even have an absurd number of open tabs across four open browsers. A quick look and some arithmetic says I need to clean that crap up. LOL I have like 350 open tabs right now.

 

[CaffeineAddict]

LOL I have like 350 open tabs right now.

lol, how much memory does that consume?
sounds like royal waste of memory unless you have plenty of it.

 

[KGIII]

lol, how much memory does that consume?

I have plenty of RAM but I cheat. All but 5 tabs (per browser) are asleep (more or less). Chromium-based browsers can perform this function automatically, but I use an extension called 'Auto Tab Discard'. In Firefox, only a few of the tabs have been clicked on so only a few of them are open.

I don't like sticking things in my bookmarks because I never get back to them. I have good intentions in that they're all tabs I want to get back to for one reason or another.

However, the reality is that I should cull a bunch of those tabs. The reality is that I'm not going to get back to a bunch of them.

I use most of them in good-faith, but I could cull the number down to about half and be okay.

I actually know what the tabs are open for, more or less. Just mousing over the tab reminds me of why it is open. I do bookmark things but that's for long-term storage. Tabs are also clustered together. They aren't 'groups' or anything like that. I just keep them near each other.

Also, the browsers are all for different things. One browser is dedicated entirely to YouTube. The rest have more purposeful functions. I really need to clean up the YouTube browser (Brave) because I'm never going to have time to watch all those videos. It's just not going to happen. There's more content created than I have time to watch.

 

[GatorsFan]

I clear my browser (Firefox) out every-time I close it - I use BleachBit to accomplish this - stops a thing called browser profiling - so everytime I go back online it is like starting anew

 

[KGIII]

I use BleachBit to accomplish this - stops a thing called browser profiling - so everytime I go back online it is like starting anew

Have you verified that you don't have a unique fingerprint?

 

[GatorsFan]

Yes I use this site to verify - https://coveryourtracks.eff.org/

 

[Fanboi]

I have plenty of RAM but I cheat. All but 5 tabs (per browser) are asleep (more or less). Chromium-based browsers can perform this function automatically, but I use an extension called 'Auto Tab Discard'. In Firefox, only a few of the tabs have been clicked on so only a few of them are open.

I don't like sticking things in my bookmarks because I never get back to them. I have good intentions in that they're all tabs I want to get back to for one reason or another.

However, the reality is that I should cull a bunch of those tabs. The reality is that I'm not going to get back to a bunch of them.

I use most of them in good-faith, but I could cull the number down to about half and be okay.

I actually know what the tabs are open for, more or less. Just mousing over the tab reminds me of why it is open. I do bookmark things but that's for long-term storage. Tabs are also clustered together. They aren't 'groups' or anything like that. I just keep them near each other.

Also, the browsers are all for different things. One browser is dedicated entirely to YouTube. The rest have more purposeful functions. I really need to clean up the YouTube browser (Brave) because I'm never going to have time to watch all those videos. It's just not going to happen. There's more content created than I have time to watch.

Minus the open tabs plus the bookmarks, this is me in a nutshell. I think this last reinstall I exported about 400 bookmarks. A lot of Youtube videos I'll never watch and articles I'll never read, and how-to's I'll never build (to be fair the latter is not entirely my fault, I no longer even have a drill thanks to events most unpredictable). I also need to clean all the rentals I bookmarked, lol, each time I find a place, I mean to, then I forget and it just builds up. And I have >1k screen shots I take for "quick info". So I quite understand the feeling.

 

[KGIII]

I also need to clean all the rentals I bookmarked,

I did that in one browser, not long after making the post - like within a day or so.

I just went to the furthest right tab, right clicked on it, and told it to remove all the tabs to the right. I then trimmed it down even further. I don't know what I missed out on watching but that's okay. If they were important, I'd have watched them already. Also, pretty much nothing on YouTube is important to me. It's just background noise or watching a whole video or two when I have nothing more pressing to do.