Hard Refresh Shortcut (Ctrl+Shift+R / ⌘⇧R)
A hard refresh reloads a page ignoring the cache: ⌘⇧R on Mac, Ctrl+Shift+R (or Ctrl+F5) on Windows.
| Action | Mac | Windows | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hard refresh (bypass cache) | ⌘⇧R | Ctrl+Shift+R | |
| Hard refresh (alt) | ⌘⇧R | Ctrl+F5 | |
| Normal refresh | ⌘R | Ctrl+R or F5 | |
| Empty cache & hard reload (DevTools open) | hold ⌘⇧R | hold Ctrl+Shift+R |
Reload without the cache
⌘⇧R on a Mac or Ctrl+Shift+R (also Ctrl+F5) on Windows forces the browser to re-download the page instead of using its cached copy — the fix when a site looks stale after an update.
Normal vs hard refresh
A plain refresh (⌘R / Ctrl+R or F5) may serve cached files. A hard refresh skips the cache. With DevTools open you also get “Empty Cache and Hard Reload” from the reload button’s menu.
FAQ
What is a hard refresh?
A hard refresh reloads a web page while ignoring the browser cache, forcing fresh files. Press ⌘⇧R on a Mac or Ctrl+Shift+R on Windows.
What is the difference between refresh and hard refresh?
A normal refresh (⌘R / Ctrl+R) can reuse cached files; a hard refresh (⌘⇧R / Ctrl+Shift+R) re-downloads everything.