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Do the F12 developer tools in Internet Explorer 11 also have the "Always refresh from server" feature of the developer tools in IE 8-10?

I see the "Clear browser cache... (Ctrl + R)" button on the Network tool, but clicking on it appears to do nothing (the Temporary Internet Files folder still has files in it afterward). I also have the "Check for newer versions of stored pages:" setting set to "Every time I visit the webpage", but this does not appear to always refresh external assets.

Can the cache be completely disabled in IE 11 for development?

For now I am just holding down the Ctrl key and clicking on the refresh button (per Wikipedia's instructions to bypass the cache), but this is easy to forget to do.

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5 Answers 5

Reset to default
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Refresh from Server button

It seems they have added the "Always Refresh from Server" button in the RTM version of IE11 that ships with Windows 8.1

It is found in the Network tab of the developer tools, 3rd button from the left.

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  • 7
    I have this on, and I can view the response body of the downloaded JS to see my changes, but it's still running the old JavaScript !? It's probably due to the "connect" issue that ceasar links to in his answer.
    – Sam Hasler
    Commented Apr 25, 2014 at 11:32
  • The only way I could get it to work for IE11 was : Developer Tools, Network Tab, Click on the clear session button. For me it is then doing an immediate refresh.
    – CYoung
    Commented Apr 26, 2017 at 4:34
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March 12th, 2016 Update

The fourth icon from the left highlighted in blue Internet Explorer 11 on Windows 10:

Internet Explorer 11 on Windows 10

The fourth icon from the left highlighted in blue Internet Explorer 12 "Edge" on Windows 10:

Internet Explorer 12 on Windows 10

Older versions, IE11 and possibly IE10 on Windows 7 before a Windows Update:

The Internet Explorer Developer Toolbar was thankfully revised however apparently no one updated their answer so you can disable the cache here:

Revised Developer Tools for Internet Explorer 11

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19

Hey you can set this setting in internet options. Under the general tab choose settings.

Browsing History

Then in settings choose 'Every time I visit the webpage', it should have the same effect.

Setting

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Official version IE 11 windows 7 still has this problem. I have reported this at the IE forum

http://connect.microsoft.com/IE/feedback/details/800257/ie11-clear-browser-cache-in-developer-tools-does-not-clear-the-browser-cache

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    Thank you for this. IE11 Dev Tools were shipped way too early it seems. Such a disappointment as IE10 was getting quite good at things.
    – smhg
    Commented Nov 17, 2013 at 17:26
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Unfortunately I can confirm your suspicions, there is no 'Always refresh from server' feature in F12 tools in IE 11 preview as far as I can tell.

There is clear browser cache button you mentioned which does nothing.

enter image description here

Currently the only way to get fresh content from the server is to refresh IE11 with Ctrl+F5 keys combination.

IE 11 is still in preview, so let's hope MS will at least fix clear browser cache button before official release.

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  • +1 Thank you for checking. It looks like you are using IE 11 for Windows 8.1 Preview? I am using the IE 11 Preview for Windows 7, and I was wondering if there was a difference in behavior in the version for Windows 8.1 Preview. I guess not...
    – Daniel Trebbien
    Commented Aug 6, 2013 at 22:03
  • Yes, I'm using Win 8.1 Preview. Yeah, looks like behavior is the same on both systems.
    – T W
    Commented Aug 7, 2013 at 8:34

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