Change your browser's cache size

What is cache? Your browser's cache is a temporary storage area on your hard disk where frequently or recently visited Web pages are stored, so that they do not have to be re-downloaded the next time you visit them. This can speed up the load time for the Web pages.

Is a larger cache size better? The size of the Microsoft Internet Explorer cache can affect how fast you can use the Web. In general, the faster your Internet connection speed, the smaller the cache should be. By default, Internet Explorer is designed to use a percentage of the total amount of available hard drive space, however, the bigger the cache, the slower the system response. If you have a high speed Internet connection, your computer can probably download all the image files faster then it can pull them off your hard drive’s cache. Also, when the cache gets too large, it tends to become corrupted or excessively slow, and you may have to delete your cache to reset the cache database.

What size is recommended? High speed connections (such as cable or DSL) should be set around 50MB to 80MB of cache. Dial-up modem connections should be set for no larger than 150MB.

To adjust your browser's cache size

1. Open Internet Explorer and choose Tools from the menu bar and then click Internet Options.
2. When the dialog box opens, click the General tab (if necessary) and then click the Settings button.
3. When the Settings dialog opens, adjust the “Amount of disk space to use” slider to increase (or decrease, if necessary), your cache size.
4. After you make your changes, click OK.
5. In Internet Options, click OK again to close the dialog box.

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