Updated My Site But Still See Old Pages

You updated your website, but when you visit it you still see the old version. This is almost always a caching issue. Your browser, your CDN (Cloudflare), or a WordPress caching plugin is serving a stored copy of the old page instead of the new one. Here's how to fix it at each level.

01. Browser Cache (Most Common)

Your browser stores copies of web pages, images, CSS, and JavaScript to load sites faster on repeat visits. When you update your site, the browser may still serve the cached version.

Hard Refresh

Press Ctrl + Shift + R (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + Shift + R (Mac) to force the browser to reload everything from the server, ignoring cached files.

Clear Browser Cache

If hard refresh doesn't work, clear your full browser cache. In most browsers: Settings > Privacy > Clear Browsing Data > select "Cached images and files."

Try Incognito/Private Mode

Open an incognito/private window and visit your site. Incognito mode uses no cached data. If you see the updated version in incognito, the issue is definitely your browser cache.

02. WordPress Caching Plugins

If you use a caching plugin (LiteSpeed Cache, WP Super Cache, W3 Total Cache, AccelerateWP), it stores static HTML copies of your pages. When you update content, the cached copy may still be served.

Purge the Cache

Most caching plugins add a "Purge Cache" or "Clear Cache" button to the WordPress admin toolbar. Click it after making changes. For AccelerateWP, purge from cPanel > AccelerateWP.

03. Cloudflare Cache

If your site uses Cloudflare, it caches your pages on its global network. Even if your server has the new version, Cloudflare may serve the old cached copy.

To purge: log into Cloudflare > Caching > Purge Everything. Or purge individual URLs under "Custom Purge."

04. Server-Side Cache

If none of the above fixes it, the server's nginx reverse proxy may be caching the old page. This is less common but can happen with static HTML files.

Try adding a query string to the URL to bypass the cache: yourdomain.com/page?v=2. If that shows the new version, the server cache is the issue. It will expire on its own within a few minutes, or open a ticket and we can flush it.

Quick Recap

1. Hard refresh - Ctrl+Shift+R (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+R (Mac)
2. Clear browser cache - or test in incognito mode
3. Purge WordPress cache - admin toolbar > Purge/Clear Cache
4. Purge Cloudflare - Caching > Purge Everything
5. Check the file on the server - confirm the update actually saved

Last updated March 2026 · Browse all General articles