Top 5 Ways to Clear Cache in cPanel and Boost Your Site Speed

Website performance plays a vital role in user experience, search rankings, and overall online success. However, when updates or design changes don’t reflect immediately, cached data is often the culprit. Cache helps websites load faster by storing temporary copies of pages, images, and other resources. But over time, these cached files can become outdated and prevent your visitors from seeing the latest version of your website. That’s where clearing your cache becomes essential.

Learning how to clear cache in cPanel ensures that your website always delivers fresh, updated content without compromising on speed or functionality. Whether you’re updating a blog post, tweaking your design, or fixing technical issues, clearing cache through cPanel helps maintain smooth performance and an accurate display of your site’s content for every visitor.

What Is Cache and Why Does It Matter

Cache is a temporary storage system that saves copies of web pages, images, scripts, and other resources to speed up loading times for users. When someone visits your website, their browser or server retrieves data from the cache instead of reloading everything from scratch, which reduces bandwidth usage and significantly boosts website performance.

However, caching can sometimes lead to issues when you update your website such as editing content, changing the design, or fixing bugs because old cached files may continue to display outdated versions. This is why it’s essential to clear cache regularly to ensure visitors always see the latest, most accurate content.

By learning how to clear cache in cPanel, you can easily remove outdated cached files and force your website to load fresh, updated data. This helps maintain accuracy, improve speed, enhance user experience, and is especially beneficial when using premium WordPress themes that rely on optimized performance and caching for fast loading.

Accessing cPanel

To begin the process, you first need to access your hosting control panel, commonly known as cPanel. Start by logging into your web hosting account using the credentials provided by your hosting provider. Once logged in, locate the “cPanel” option on your dashboard, it’s usually under “My Accounts” or “Advanced Settings.” Click on it to open your cPanel interface.

Inside cPanel, you’ll find various tools categorized for website management, email, security, and performance. The most relevant sections for cache management are “Software,” “Advanced,” and “Files.” These sections may include tools like “Optimize Website,” “LiteSpeed Web Cache Manager,” or access to your File Manage, all essential for controlling cached data. Knowing where these tools are located is the first step in learning how to clear cache in cPanel effectively and maintaining smooth website performance.

Methods to Clear Cache in cPanel

Clearing your website cache through cPanel can be done in several ways depending on your hosting setup and the caching tools available. Each method below shows you how to clear cache in cPanel effectively to ensure your site always loads the latest version for every visitor.

1. Clear Cache Using LiteSpeed Web Cache Manager

If your hosting provider uses LiteSpeed servers, the LiteSpeed Web Cache Manager tool in cPanel offers one of the fastest and most efficient ways to clear cached data. To get started, log in to your cPanel dashboard and locate LiteSpeed Web Cache Manager under the Software or Advanced section. Open the tool and select Flush All to clear cache for all hosted domains, or choose Flush by Domain to target a specific website.

This approach is one of the easiest methods to learn how to clear cache in cPanel, as it automates the process without altering other server settings. Once the cache is flushed, LiteSpeed automatically rebuilds fresh cache files, ensuring improved performance and instant visibility of your recent changes. Pairing this with one of the best WordPress cache plugins further enhances speed, stability, and user experience.

2. Clear Cache via Optimize Website Tool

Another efficient method for learning how to clear cache in cPanel is by using the Optimize Website tool.

Log in to your cPanel, scroll to the Software section, and click Optimize Website. This feature manages content compression and server-side caching. To refresh your cache, temporarily disable compression and click Update Settings. Then, re-enable it to generate a fresh cache version.

This process clears outdated data and replaces it with new compressed files for faster delivery. It’s particularly helpful if your site runs on Apache or non-LiteSpeed servers. By using this tool, you can quickly fix slow loading times or outdated content problems while ensuring your site runs smoothly with the latest files.

3. Clear Cache Manually Using File Manager

If your hosting plan doesn’t offer built-in caching tools, you can still clear your WordPress cache manually through cPanel using the File Manager. Log in to cPanel, open File Manager, and go to your website’s root directory, typically public_html. Locate folders such as /cache/, /tmp/, or /wp-content/cache/ (for WordPress sites). Carefully delete only cached files or cache-specific folders avoid modifying core or configuration files.

After removing the cache, your site will automatically regenerate fresh data when users revisit. This manual method is particularly useful for troubleshooting stubborn content display issues, resolving plugin conflicts, or ensuring your latest changes take effect instantly. It also provides complete control over what’s removed, making it a reliable alternative when automated tools are unavailable.

4. Clear Cache via Command Line (Advanced Method)

For users with technical expertise, using SSH commands is another powerful way to understand how to clear cache in cPanel.

Start by connecting to your server through an SSH client like PuTTY and navigating to your website’s directory using cd public_html. Then, run commands like rm -rf cache/* to remove all cache files.

If your site runs on WordPress, execute the command wp cache flush (using WP-CLI) to clear your website’s object cache instantly. This method works quickly and provides total control over cache operations. However, it’s best suited for advanced users because incorrect commands can delete critical files. When done correctly, it ensures your website reloads the freshest and most accurate version of every page.

5. Clear Cache Using CMS or Plugin Tools

If your site uses a CMS like WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal, you can easily learn how to clear cache in cPanel using built-in plugin tools.

To clear cached data in WordPress, open your caching plugin (such as W3 Total Cache, WP Super Cache, or LiteSpeed Cache) and select “Empty All Caches” or “Purge Cache.” This instantly removes stored temporary files, ensuring that your latest website updates appear correctly. Using one of the 5 best WordPress cache plugins makes this process quick and efficient.

For Joomla, go to System > Clear Cache and select items to delete. In Drupal, visit Configuration > Development > Performance and choose Clear All Caches.
This method is beginner-friendly and doesn’t require direct file or server access. It’s a practical solution for quickly refreshing cached data after site updates, ensuring your website’s performance and accuracy stay consistent across all devices.

Clear Browser and CDN Cache (Optional but Recommended)

Even after you clear cache in cPanel, some users may still see old content due to browser or CDN caching. Browser cache stores local copies of web files, while CDNs (Content Delivery Networks) store cached copies on servers worldwide.

To ensure complete cache clearing, advise users to refresh their browsers using Ctrl + F5 or manually clear their browser cache via settings. For CDN services like Cloudflare or Akamai, log into your account and select the “Purge Cache” option for your site. Doing this ensures that visitors access the latest content, designs, and updates from your website, no matter their location or device.

Tips for Managing Cache Efficiently

Set a Cache Clearing Schedule: Don’t wait for issues to appear, plan to clear your cache periodically, especially after content or design updates.
Use Reliable Caching Tools: Integrate caching plugins or server tools that work smoothly with cPanel for automated cache maintenance.
Test After Every Clear: Each time you clear cache in cPanel, check your site’s pages to ensure new content loads correctly and performance remains stable.
Avoid Over-Clearing: Clearing too often can increase server requests and slow down your website temporarily. Balance speed and stability.
Combine with CDN Caching: For larger sites, pair server-side caching with a CDN for optimal performance and faster content delivery across regions.

Conclusion

Clearing cache in cPanel is one of the most effective ways to maintain your website’s performance, accuracy, and speed. Whether you use built-in tools like LiteSpeed Web Cache Manager, Optimize Website, or prefer manual and plugin-based methods, each approach ensures your visitors always view the latest updates. Regular cache maintenance helps prevent outdated content, improves loading times, and enhances the overall browsing experience.

Now that you understand how to clear cache in cPanel step-by-step, make it a regular part of your website maintenance routine. This simple yet crucial practice keeps your site reliable, fast, and consistently updated benefiting both search engines and users. For even smoother management and improved site performance, consider using a WP theme bundle that supports optimized coding and caching compatibility for better speed results.