How To Refresh a Webpage: Desktop & Mobile

PDF download Download Article
Refresh webpages in mobile and desktop browsers
PDF download Download Article

This wikiHow article teaches you how to refresh a page in your browser. Refreshing a page will cause it to update with the latest version of that page's information; you can also fix some site errors, such as the ones encountered when a page doesn't fully load, by refreshing. Refreshing a page is simple, but the steps can differ across different browsers, or between computers and mobile devices.

Things You Should Know

  • Refresh a webpage on browsers such as Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge using common keyboard shortcuts such as pressing F5 or holding down Ctrl and R simultaneously.
  • Refresh a webpage on Firefox Desktop by pressing Shift and F5 simultaneously.
  • Refresh a mobile webpage on Chrome or Safari by pulling down from the top of the page.
  • Refresh a mobile webpage on Firefox for Android by tapping ⋮ and selecting the
    Android 8 Refresh
    icon from the pop-up menu.
  • Refresh a mobile webpage on Firefox for iOS by tapping the
    Android 8 Refresh
    icon in the corner of the address bar.
Method 1
Method 1 of 4:

Refreshing on Desktop

PDF download Download Article
  1. Go to the web address of the page (or click the tab for the page) that you want to refresh.
  2. It's a circular arrow-shaped icon at the top of the browser window, typically found in the upper-left side.
    Advertisement
  3. In virtually all browsers, pressing the F5 key will cause the current page to refresh (on some Windows computers, you may have to hold down Fn while pressing F5 ). If you can't find the F5 key, there are other operating system-specific shortcuts you can use:
    • Windows — Hold down Ctrl and press R .
    • Windows (Firefox) — Hold down ⇧ Shift and press R .
    • Mac — Hold down ⌘ Command and press R .
  4. When you right-click on most browsers, the pop-up menu will include the option to either Refresh or Reload . Click the appropriate option to refresh the page.
  5. Force-refreshing a page will clear that page's cache , allowing you to see the most recent version of the page as opposed to any information your browser saved in the past: [1]
    • Windows — Press Ctrl + F5 . If that doesn't work, hold down Ctrl and click the "Refresh" icon.
    • Mac — Press ⌘ Command + ⇧ Shift + R . In Safari, you can also hold ⇧ Shift and click the "Refresh" icon.
  6. If clicking the "Refresh" icon, usi#ng the "Refresh" shortcut, and attempting to force-refresh the page didn't do anything, your browser may be corrupted or encountering an error. You can fix most browser problems by doing one of the following (if one step doesn't work, try the next one):
    7. Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 4:

Refreshing Chrome on Mobile

PDF download Download Article
  1. Open
    Android 7 Chrome
    Google Chrome .     Tap the Chrome app icon, which resembles a red, yellow, green, and blue sphere.
  2. As with desktop browsers, refreshing on mobile will only affect the page you're currently viewing.
  3. The quickest and easiest way to refresh a mobile webpage on Chrome is to pull down from the top of your screen until you see the
    Android 8 Refresh
    icon. Allow the icon to complete its full rotation, and let go to complete the refresh.
    • You must first scroll to the top of the webpage.
    • If this method does not work for any reason, continue on to find out how else you can refresh a mobile page within Chrome!
  4. This option is in the top-right corner of the screen. Tapping it prompts a drop-down menu.
    • Android owners (where Chrome is the default browser) will find this symbol. If you are using Chrome on an iOS or other device,
  5. It's at the top-right corner of the drop-down menu. Doing so will cause your current page to refresh.
    6. Advertisement
Method 3
Method 3 of 4:

Refreshing Safari on Mobile

PDF download Download Article
  1. Tap the Safari app icon, which resembles a blue compass on a white background.
  2. As with desktop browsers, refreshing on mobile will only affect the page you're currently viewing.
    • Wait for the page to finish loading if necessary. Safari's "Refresh" icon may not appear until the website has fully loaded.
  3. The quickest and easiest way to refresh a mobile webpage on Safari is to pull down from the top of your screen until you see the
    Android 8 Refresh
    icon. Allow the icon to complete its full rotation, and let go to complete the refresh.
    • You must first scroll to the top of the webpage.
    • If this method does not work for any reason, continue on to find out how else you can refresh a mobile page within Safari!
  4. It's in the bottom-right corner of the screen in the address bar. Doing so will prompt the current page to refresh.
    5. Advertisement
Method 4
Method 4 of 4:

Refreshing Firefox on Mobile

PDF download Download Article
  1. Tap the Firefox app icon, which resembles an orange fox on a blue background.
  2. As with desktop browsers, refreshing on mobile will only affect the page you're currently viewing.
    • Wait for the page to finish loading. The Firefox "Refresh" icon won't be available until the page has fully loaded.
  3. This will open a pop-up menu for Android owners. iOS users will find the "Refresh" icon available in the bottom-right corner of the address bar.
    • Unlike most other mobile browsers, Firefox does not allow you to swipe down from the top of your screen to refresh a page.
  4. It is located at the top of the pop-up menu on Android. Your page will then refresh.
    5. Advertisement

Community Q&A

Search
Add New Question
  • Question
    Can I charge a laptop while using it?
    R2_d2000
    Top Answerer
    Yes. You can charge your laptop and use it at the same time. You can also charge it when you are not using it.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 5 Helpful 2
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Video

      Tips

      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
      Advertisement

      Warnings

      • Refreshing a page that you've filled out (e.g., an account creation form) will usually erase your progress.
        Thanks
        Helpful 1 Not Helpful 3
      Advertisement

      You Might Also Like

      6 Easy Ways to Use Shortcut Keys to Shut Down a Windows PC
      How to
      Check Your Mouse DPI on Windows & Mac
      5 Quick Ways to Change Your Desktop Wallpaper on Windows
      How to
      Bring an Off Screen Window Back on Windows
      6 Simple Ways to Create a .ZIP File from Files or Folders
      How to
      Copy and Paste on Any Device
      4 Easy Ways to Paste Text Using Keyboard Shortcuts
      How to
      Automatically Shut Down Your Computer at a Specified Time
      How to
      Change a File Extension
      3 Easy Ways to Merge Objects in Blender: Step-by-Step
      3 Easy Ways to Customize EXE Program Icons in Windows
      How to
      Copy and Paste a Link
      How to
      Open XML
      How to
      Select All
      Advertisement

      References

      1. ↑ https://refreshyourcache.com/en/cache/
      2. ↑ http://refreshyourcache.com/en/cache/

      About This Article

      In other languages
      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 596,297 times.

      Is this article up to date?

      Advertisement