Knowledge
How to clear the cache in WordPress: every plugin and host, step by step
If a change does not show up on your site, a cache is still serving an old copy. Which button you need depends on your plugin and your host. We installed eleven free cache plugins ourselves and recorded where the button is and which WP-CLI command works for each. For the hosts we follow their own documentation, with dates. We make the cache plugin Spark Speed ourselves; it is included, as is WP Rocket.
In short
- In most plugins the button sits in the admin bar at the top, usually as Purge All or Clear All Cache
- There are six layers: browser, plugin, builder CSS, host, CDN and object cache; each layer has its own button
- Eleven plugins tested by us on WordPress 7.0.2, with screenshot and WP-CLI command
- Then check in a private window and with the response headers, not only in your own browser
First: which cache do you mean?
"Clearing the cache" can mean six different layers. If you still see the old version after a change, it sits in one of these layers. Start with your plugin, then your host, then the CDN, and finally test in a private window. No content is lost: a cache only holds copies that are rebuilt automatically.
| Layer | What it holds | Where you clear it |
|---|---|---|
| Browser cache | Files on the visitor's device | Hard refresh: Ctrl+Shift+R (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+R (Mac), or a private window |
| Your plugin's page cache | Ready-made HTML of your pages | Button in the admin bar or on the plugin page, see below |
| CSS/JS and builder cache | Minified files and the CSS of Elementor, Breakdance or Divi | In the optimization plugin or in the builder itself |
| Your host's server cache | Copies on the server, before WordPress starts (Varnish, LiteSpeed, Nginx) | In the hosting panel, sometimes also via a button in WordPress |
| CDN | Copies on servers worldwide | In the CDN dashboard (Cloudflare, Bunny, your host's CDN) |
| Object cache | Database data in Redis, Memcached or similar | wp cache flush or the button of your object cache plugin |
Overview: the button per cache plugin
We installed every free cache and optimization plugin in this list ourselves and looked where the button is. We also ran the WP-CLI commands; anything that did not work or did not exist is noted.
| Plugin (tested) | Admin bar button | WP-CLI (tested) |
|---|---|---|
| LiteSpeed Cache 7.9.1 | Purge All | wp litespeed-purge all(LiteSpeed only) |
| W3 Total Cache 2.10.7 | Performance, Purge All Caches | wp w3-total-cache flush all |
| WP Super Cache 3.1.4 | Delete Cache | Not built in |
| WP Fastest Cache 1.5.3 | Clear All Cache | wp fastest-cache clear all |
| WP-Optimize 4.7.0 | Purge cache for all pages | Not built in |
| Breeze 2.6.2 | Purge All Cache | wp breeze purge --cache=all |
| Speed Optimizer (SiteGround) 7.8.4 | Purge SG Cache | wp sg purge |
| Hummingbird 3.21.2 | Clear all cache | Not built in |
| Cache Enabler 1.8.17 | Clear Site Cache | wp cache-enabler clear |
| Super Page Cache 5.3.7 | Purge whole cache | wp cfcache purge_cache |
| Autoptimize 3.1.16 | Clear CSS/ JS Cache | wp autoptimize clear |
Tested by SparkCore on a clean test install of WordPress 7.0.2, 16 October 2026. Every plugin installed separately from wordpress.org and activated on its own; the red outline on the screenshots is ours.
Clear the LiteSpeed Cache
Quickest route: the diamond-shaped LiteSpeed icon in the admin bar, then Purge All. In the dashboard the same button lives under LiteSpeed Cache, Toolbox, Purge tab, as Purge All - LSCache. The page cache of this plugin only works on a LiteSpeed web server or through QUIC.cloud; on our test server (not LiteSpeed) the plugin said so itself.
- Hover over the LiteSpeed icon in the admin bar
- Click Purge All
- Or: LiteSpeed Cache, Toolbox, Purge tab, Purge All - LSCache
WP-CLI: wp litespeed-purge all. Exists, but returned an error on our test server without LiteSpeed (Got 400): the command sends the purge to the LiteSpeed server. Hostinger lists the same command in its own guide.
Clear W3 Total Cache
In the admin bar the menu is called Performance; it contains Purge All Caches. In the dashboard, Performance, Dashboard has the Empty All Caches button. Purge Modules in the admin bar empties a single layer, such as only the page cache.
- Hover over Performance in the admin bar
- Click Purge All Caches
- Or: Performance, Dashboard, Empty All Caches
WP-CLI: wp w3-total-cache flush all. Worked in our lab: "Everything flushed successfully."
Clear WP Super Cache
WP Super Cache puts a single Delete Cache button in the admin bar. In the dashboard the same button is under Settings, WP Super Cache, Easy tab, in the Delete Cached Pages block.
- Click Delete Cache in the admin bar
- Or: Settings, WP Super Cache, Easy tab, Delete Cache
WP-CLI: No built-in WP-CLI command: in our lab wp super-cache did not exist. That needs a separate WP-CLI package.
Clear WP Fastest Cache
The WP Fastest Cache admin bar menu has Clear All Cache for the whole site, and on the front end also Clear Cache of This Page. In the dashboard: WP Fastest Cache, Clear Cache tab. Clear Cache and Minified CSS/JS also empties the minified files.
- Hover over WP Fastest Cache in the admin bar
- Click Clear All Cache
- Or: WP Fastest Cache, Clear Cache tab, Clear All Cache
WP-CLI: wp fastest-cache clear all. Worked in our lab: "The cache has been cleared!"
Clear the WP-Optimize cache
In WP-Optimize the button is under WP-Optimize, Cache, Page cache tab: Purge cache, visible once the page cache is on. According to the plugin code an admin bar menu then appears with Purge cache for all pages and, on the front end, Purge cache for this page.
- Go to WP-Optimize, Cache, Page cache tab
- Click Purge cache
WP-CLI: We found no WP-CLI command in the free version; WP-Optimize itself lists WP-CLI as a Premium feature.
Clear the Breeze cache (Cloudways)
Breeze is the Cloudways plugin. The admin bar has Breeze, Purge All Cache; under Purge Modules you pick a single layer, such as the internal cache or the object cache. On Cloudways, Breeze also empties Varnish, see the host table further down.
- Hover over Breeze in the admin bar
- Click Purge All Cache
WP-CLI: wp breeze purge --cache=all. Worked in our lab: "Breeze all cache has been purged."
Clear SiteGround Speed Optimizer
The SiteGround plugin puts Purge SG Cache in the admin bar. The Dynamic Cache itself runs on SiteGround servers, so outside SiteGround that button has less to empty. The full route through Site Tools is in the host table.
- Click Purge SG Cache in the admin bar
WP-CLI: wp sg purge. Worked in our lab for the assets folder, with a warning that the file cache was off. On SiteGround it empties the Dynamic Cache.
Clear the Hummingbird cache
In Hummingbird the Clear cache button sits at the top right of Hummingbird, Caching. According to the plugin code the Hummingbird admin bar menu also has Clear all cache once a cache layer is active.
- Go to Hummingbird, Caching
- Click Clear cache at the top right
WP-CLI: We found no WP-CLI command in the free version.
Clear Cache Enabler
Cache Enabler puts Clear Site Cache on the right of the admin bar, and on the front end also Clear Page Cache for just that page. On the settings page, Save Changes and Clear Site Cache empties the cache when saving.
- Click Clear Site Cache on the right of the admin bar
WP-CLI: wp cache-enabler clear. Worked in our lab: "Site cache cleared."
Clear Super Page Cache
Super Page Cache (formerly WP Cloudflare Super Page Cache) has Super Page Cache, Purge whole cache in the admin bar, and a red Purge Cache button on its own dashboard. With Cloudflare connected the plugin also empties the Cloudflare cache.
- Hover over Super Page Cache in the admin bar
- Click Purge whole cache
WP-CLI: wp cfcache purge_cache. Worked in our lab: "Cache purged successfully."
Clear the Autoptimize cache
Autoptimize is not a page cache: it stores minified and combined CSS and JavaScript. The admin bar has Autoptimize, Clear CSS/ JS Cache. If you also use a page cache, empty that one too, otherwise stored pages still point to old files.
- Hover over Autoptimize in the admin bar
- Click Clear CSS/ JS Cache
WP-CLI: wp autoptimize clear. Worked in our lab: "Cache flushed."
Clear WP Rocket and Spark Speed
These are paid plugins. Without a licence we could not fully open WP Rocket, so here we follow its own documentation. We make Spark Speed ourselves; the steps come from our documentation.
- WP Rocket: admin bar, WP Rocket, Clear and preload cache, or Settings, WP Rocket, Dashboard tab, the same button. A single page is cleared with Clear this cache in the page list. WP-CLI
wp rocket clean --confirmneeds the separate WP Rocket CLI package (source, WP-CLI). - Spark Speed: admin bar, Spark, clear everything and rebuild, or on the front end clear this page's cache. In the dashboard: Cache tab, Rebuild cache. The object cache has its own button, Clear object cache. WP-CLI:
wp spark-speed purgeandwp spark-speed flush-object-cache(documentation).
Builder cache: Elementor, Breakdance and Divi
Page builders keep their own CSS files. If the layout looks wrong after an update, first clear the builder cache and then your page cache; the other way round, a stored page still points to the old CSS file.
- Elementor 4.3.5: Elementor, Tools, General tab, Clear Files & Data (Regenerate Files & Data in older versions). WP-CLI
wp elementor flush-cssworked in our lab. - Breakdance: Breakdance, Settings, Tools, Regenerate CSS Cache.
- Divi 5: Divi, Theme Options, Clear CSS Cache button at the top right (Elegant Themes, updated 8 Jul 2026; we did not test Divi ourselves).
Per host: Hostinger, SiteGround, Kinsta, WP Engine, Cloudways and Cloudflare
Many hosts have their own cache layer above WordPress. You clear it in the hosting panel, and sometimes also with a button the host adds to WordPress. Note what each button does and does not clear: Kinsta and WP Engine document that per button.
| Host | How to clear the cache | Source (official documentation) |
|---|---|---|
| Hostinger | hPanel: Websites, your site's Dashboard, WordPress, Overview, Core card, Flush Cache. CDN separately: Performance, CDN, Flush cache. With LiteSpeed Cache also via Purge All in WordPress. | updated 15 Sep 2026 updated 24 Jul 2026 |
| SiteGround | Site Tools: Speed, Caching, Dynamic Cache tab, Flush Cache icon next to the URL. Memcached separately on the Memcached tab (for all sites at once). | updated 28 Nov 2025 |
| Kinsta | MyKinsta: Sites, your site, Caching, Server Caching, Clear cache (also edge and Redis cache, not the CDN). CDN: Caching, CDN, Clear CDN cache. In WordPress: Clear Cache in the admin bar. WP-CLI: wp kinsta cache purge --all. At most once every 10 seconds. | updated 3 Jun 2026 |
| WP Engine | User Portal: Sites, your environment, Cache (sometimes under Manage), Clear all caches. In WordPress: WP Engine, Caching, Clear All Caches (does not empty the object cache). | updated 30 Sep 2026 |
| Cloudways | In WordPress: Settings, Breeze, Varnish tab, Purge Varnish Cache. At server level: Servers, your server, Manage Services, purge Varnish. | Breeze and Varnish Manage Services, 20 Jan 2026 |
| Cloudflare | Dashboard: Configuration page, under Purge Cache, Purge Everything and confirm. Cloudflare itself recommends purging by URL where possible: purging everything causes a spike of requests to your server. | updated 29 Sep 2026 |
Taken only from each host's own documentation, checked on 16 October 2026. We have no access to these control panels and therefore show no screenshots of them. Menu names change; when in doubt, follow the source.
Check that it worked
Do not only look in your own browser, because that adds another layer. This is how you check what a visitor gets:
- Open the page in a private window where you are not logged in: many plugins do not show logged-in admins a cached page.
- Look at the response headers, for example with
curl -I https://yoursite.com/or the Network tab in your browser. - Cloudflare:
cf-cache-statusis MISS right after purging and HIT again afterwards. - Varnish and many CDNs: the
ageheader starts again at 0 after purging. - LiteSpeed:
x-litespeed-cacheshows miss or hit; Spark Speed:x-spark-speed-cache.
When to clear the cache, and when not to
Most cache plugins clear the affected pages themselves when you save a post or page. Manual clearing is needed after changes outside the editor: a theme or builder update, a change to menus or widgets, edits via FTP or directly in the database, or a redirect. Prefer clearing a single page over everything: after a full purge pages are slower until the cache is rebuilt, and Cloudflare warns that purging everything causes a spike of requests to your server.
Clear the builder cache first, then your page cache, then your host and the CDN. In that order no stored page still points to old files.
Spark Speed clears the affected pages itself when something changes and rebuilds them afterwards.
Frequently asked questions
WordPress itself has no page cache, so without a cache plugin there is nothing to clear inside WordPress except the object cache (wp cache flush). If you still see an old version, it sits at your host, your CDN or in your browser.
No. A cache only holds copies. Your posts, pages and settings stay; the copies are rebuilt on the next visits. The site may be slower for a short while.
Work through the layers: builder cache, page cache, host cache, CDN, and test in a private window. If the old version keeps coming back, check the response headers to see which layer serves the page.
A hard refresh with Ctrl+Shift+R on Windows or Cmd+Shift+R on a Mac reloads the page without the browser cache. A private window works too.