How to clear the cache or do a hard refresh in Safari?

Solution 1:

Go to Safari > Empty Cache, or hit ⌘ Command+⌥ Option+E. To refresh, click the refresh button on the addressbar or press ⌘ Command+R.

Another tip. If you want to restore Safari, like completely clear all the caches, or parts of it, go to Safari > Reset Safari. I use it usually when I need to clear a lot of memory from Safari, for it will clear the webpage screenshots, the cookies, the favicons, etc.

Edit: On the latest version of Empty Cache isn't on the Safari menu any more. It's now on the Develop menu. To show the Develop menu it, go to Safari > Preferences..., click the Advanced tab, and check Show Develop menu in menu bar. The keyboard shortcut remains unchanged, though.

Safari > Reset Safari isn't an option any more. To clear history you can use History > Clear History... and to clear cookies/local storage data, go to Safari > Preferences..., click the Privacy tab, and either click Remove All Website Data... or Details... to view and remove it for individual sites.

Solution 2:

⇧ Shift and clicking the Refresh button generally does a full refresh. You can also empty cache with ⌘ Command+E, and then refresh.

Solution 3:

If you haven't already, enable developer tools: open settings (Cmd + ,), go to the advanced tab, and check the box that says "Show Develop menu in menu bar."

Empty caches a single time: Develop > Empty Caches

Keyboard shortcut to empty caches a single time: Opt + Cmd + E

If you want to disable caching (for example, if you are developing a website and need to consistently reload changes to files on your site) you can do so: Develop > Disable Caches. Select this option again to reenable caching.

Note: for Safari 11 the disable caching feature was moved to the Network section of the web inspector. Open the web inspector with Cmd + Shift + I, go to the Network tab, and click the icon on the far right that looks like this:

disable caches button

Solution 4:

You must click References->Advanced->check to Show develop menu in menu bar. Later in Inspect Element press ShiftCmdR.

Note: Your mouse must click into the element within "Elements tab", then you can press Shift+Cmd+R.

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Solution 5:

⌘ Command⌥ OptionR

This is the correct answer for people looking for Safari's equivalent for ⌘ Command⇧ ShiftR in Chrome. This works for both Safari and the Web Inspector when connected to an iPad/iPhone.

Keep in mind this does not clear cache, it simply does a "Hard Refresh".