Internet browsing is a seemingly simple matter. Entered the address, set a search, opened the page - and found everything that is needed. Unfortunately, not all novice users know that the browser used to surf the World Wide Web should be cleaned periodically. But a lot of saved items can not only negatively affect the operation of the web browser itself, but also cause a decrease in the speed of the entire operating system. What exactly needs to be cleaned and what methods can be used for this, will be discussed later.
What is meant by cleaning the browser?
First, let's see what these actions are. For a complete understanding of this issue, each user should pay attention to all the actions that he performs when entering a website or downloading information from it. In the simplest case, we can talk about the primitive fixing by the browser of all the resources visited by the user and the entered search queries, not to mention the fact that the search services themselves also save such calls. The preservation of such information in browsers is allegedly used to provide quick access to once visited sites. But far from all Internet users are aware that the acceleration of the loading of the resource itself is also associated with the preservation of the main or additional elements of the Internet sites themselves (for example, multimedia components), which in the normal access mode can be downloaded for a long time. It goes without saying that all such files are not stored on the remote servers on which the pages are located, but on user computers.
In the same way, most of today's well-known observers offer the user to remember their entered logins and passwords, which are required for authorization in certain services or in the same social networks. But from the side of the Internet resources themselves, requests are often sent to save the so-called cookies, which are necessary to ensure full access to the sites and use all the opportunities presented to them in full. It goes without saying that these objects are also stored on the hard drive.
Finally, most browsers have very limited capabilities, as a result of which, to expand the functionality, users are invited to additionally install various kinds of extensions, panels or other add-ons that can significantly slow down browsers. By the way, sometimes even viruses are masked under them. When downloading files from the Internet, they, again, in most cases are stored on the hard disk, and often users forget about them, and then wonder why the free space on the disk is catastrophically disappearing.
Basic items to delete
Now let's talk about cleaning the browser in more detail. It is generally accepted that the following temporary elements that are stored in the process of Internet surfing are subject to deletion:
- history of visits and downloads;
- Cookies and other resource data
- cached data (images and other files);
- data for autocomplete forms;
- usernames and passwords;
- statistics on the use of news and search queries.
The last item when cleaning the browser in the settings of the browser itself may be missing. It all depends on which program is used.
Windows operating system tools
Unfortunately, on Windows systems, native tools for performing such actions are provided only for browsers built into their shell (Internet Explorer and Edge). That is, to clear the history of the Yandex browser or any other third-party application of this type by the means of the system will not work. But for embedded programs, you can use such tools. It is enough in the browsers themselves to simply select the appropriate items and delete the selected items.
You can also use the standard disk cleaner where temporary Internet files are marked. If the cleaning is not performed completely, garbage files from their storage directories (usually these are all TEMP and Temporary Files folders) can be deleted manually.
But first you need to enable the display of hidden elements. If the files are not deleted, you may need to shut down the main program or use the Unlocker tool.
Clear browser history and related items
As for the third-party software, which is preferred by the vast majority of users, every now-famous browser has a special item for clearing the history.
As a rule, after activating it, the user only needs to choose which elements will be deleted (clearing browser cookies, browsing history, cache and temporary files, etc.), and sometimes it will be necessary to specify the time period for which cleaning should be performed (for the last hour, day, week, month or from the very beginning). Passwords, logins and data for auto-completion, unless they contain confidential information, usually do not need to be deleted. But this applies only to those cases when you are firmly convinced that there are no viruses on your computer that can steal them.
As for the downloaded files, in most browsers you can only clear the download log. But the files themselves, usually downloaded to the Downloads folder, will have to be deleted manually. With search queries, it’s not so simple either. For them, it is necessary to use additional programs, which will be discussed separately.
The simplest cleaning method
However, for cleaning, you can use a no less effective, but simpler method, which is especially suitable when the browser has too many extensions (add-ons) installed, or it has been infected with a virus. The most complete cleaning of the Yandex browser or any other browser that you prefer using their own means can be done quite simply by resetting all settings.
This will correspond to the situation as if you just installed the browser, but did not use the installed application. Only in this case, absolutely all of the above elements will be deleted (only files uploaded by the user are an exception).
Specialized Optimizer Programs
But very often it’s advisable to use third-party programs, often called optimizers, that delete all elements with virtually no user interaction with one click. Among them, the most powerful are programs like CCleeaner, Advanced SystemCare, etc. But they also differ somewhat in their capabilities, although the default settings in these applications can not be changed.
For example, in the ASC program for one-click optimization, it is enough to note the desired privacy module, and in CCleaner, deleted items can be selected independently.
Despite this, the result will be the same. In such utilities, you can often find special tools for removing statistics from search queries.
However, if you do not like the comprehensive maintenance of the entire system, you can use any other narrowly targeted program to clean the browser, although, by and large, this is completely impractical.
Removing additional panels and extensions
But the panels and extensions, especially if they are virus applets that are self-integrating into browsers, are better removed using special uninstall programs (for example, iObit Uninstaller).
In such applications, you can often find special sections in which all installed extensions will be presented for all available browsers in the system. The main advantage of such programs is that they delete both the main files of the selected software and the possible residues after removal (in particular, this applies to files and registry entries).
How often should cleaning be done, and how to automate these processes?
How often to clean the browser, everyone decides for himself. But, it seems, it is necessary to perform such actions, if not after each session on the Internet, then at least once a week. By and large, in the browser settings, you can even set the automatic removal of selected items at the end of the program. You can also not turn off optimizer tools located in the system startup section, which will monitor Windows performance in the background, and if necessary, delete temporary elements stored in the system when working with browsers.
Please note that this did not address issues related to cleaning browsers of all kinds of advertising viruses, since this requires several other steps.