How to Clear Your Browser’s Local Storage

09-Jun-2024

In a web browser, local storage is a function that enables websites and online platforms to store certain data locally on your personal browsing device. This can include a variety of different types of data, primarily your site preferences, application settings, and session data, which persist after reloading tabs or even restarting your browser entirely.

Similar in function to cookies and cache, the purpose of your browser’s local storage is to streamline your browsing by allowing it to cater to your individual needs without requiring continually input from you with each new session. As such, local storage is usually beneficial to your online experience, but there may be occasions when clear it might be required. In this event, it’s helpful to know how to go about the process efficiently, so we’ve prepared this convenient step-by-step guide to make it a painless process, whether you’re browsing on Chrome, Edge, or Firefox.

Why  Should You Clear Your Browser’s Local Storage?

There are several different reasons why you might decide it’s necessary to clear your browser’s local storage:

• Privacy: Your browser’s local storage retains personal information about you and your preferences. In some situations, such as when using a shared or public PC, you may want to clear local storage to protect your privacy on your browser.
• Website Settings: If you no longer wish to keep your current settings or preferences on a website, you can reset them to default by clearing data saved in your browser’s local storage.
• Device memory: Local storage is typically fairly small in size (usually 5-10MB per domain), but data may accumulate if you often visit sites that make extensive use of the feature. Clearing local storage can help to free up space on your device.
• Troubleshooting: In some instances, data stored in local storage may become corrupted, which can negatively impact the functionality of certain sites. Clearing local storage is a useful way to resolve or troubleshoot potential issues because it forces fresh data to be loaded from the site server.

Clearing Your Browser’s Local Storage on the 3 most common browsers

Depending on which web browser you’re running, the process for clearing local storage may vary to some degree. Here, you can find step-by-step walkthroughs for the process on each of the three most popular browsers: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge.

How to clear Google Chrome’s local storage?

2. Launch the Google Chrome app on your device.
3. Click on the three vertical dots in the top-right corner of the browser window to open the options drop-down menu.
4. In the drop-down menu, go to “More tools”, then click “Developer tools”. Alternatively, you can press “Ctrl + Shift + I” to open the “Developer tools” pane directly.
5. In the “Developer Tools” pane, go to the “Application” tab. If you can’t see it, click on the arrow pointing to the right to show more tabs.
6.  Locate the “Storage” section on the left-hand side of the pane. Click on “Local storage” to open a drop-down menu of sites using local storage.
7. Right-click on the site for which you want to clear local storage, then click “Clear”.

How to clear Microsoft Edge’s local storage

3. Open the Microsoft Edge application on your device.
4. Click on the three horizontal lines to open the options drop-down menu in the top-right corner of the browser window.
5. Hover over “More tools” to open an additional drop-down menu, then click “Developer tools”. You can also press “Ctrl+ Shift + I” to open the “Developer tools” pane directly.
6. In the Developer Tools pane, go to the “Application” tab. If you can’t see it, click on the “+” symbol to the top right of the pane to see more tabs, then select it from there. 
7. Locate the “Storage” section on the left-hand side of the pane and click on “Local storage”  to see a drop-down menu of sites using local storage.
8. Right-click the site for which you want to clear local storage, then click “Clear”.

How to clear Mozilla Firefox’s

1. Open the Mozilla Firefox browser application on your device.
2. In the top-right corner of the browser window, click on the three horizontal lines to open the options drop-down menu.
3. In the drop-down menu, click “More tools”, then select “Web Developer Tools”. Alternatively, you can press “Ctrl+ Shift + I” to open the “Web Developer Tools” pane directly.
4. In the Developer Tools pane at the bottom of the browser window, go to the “Storage” tab.
5. Click on “Local storage” on the left-hand side of the pane. This will open a drop-down menu of sites using local storage.
6. Right-click the site for which you want to clear local storage, then click “Delete All”.

Conclusion

Local storage is a useful browser feature that can help you enjoy a more convenient and personalized experience when browsing the Internet. However, there may be times when feel the need to clear it, whether that’s due to privacy and security concerns, device memory issues, website functionality problems, or just a desire to reset site settings to default. Regardless of your reasons or which popular browser you’re currently using, you can follow the steps outlined above to clear your local storage in just a few clicks to enjoy the optimal online experience for you.