How to Use F5 for Refresh
By Alasdair Smith
You can use the "F5" key to refresh in Microsoft Windows, which can come in as a handy shortcut when you are online. When browsing the Internet, you may find that pages commonly freeze. Additionally, if you regularly visit a particular website, your computer stores certain elements of the site in the computer's cache memory. This speeds up browsing but can introduce errors -- especially if the page has been updated.
Log into Internet Explorer, and select a Web page to view.
Locate the "F5" key on your computer's keyboard. Depending on your keyboard, this may be along the top edge with the other function buttons numbered "F1" to "F12," or it may be highlighted on the number keys on a laptop computer.
Press the "F5" key once to refresh the page. This will cause your browser to attempt to re-load the page you are viewing. The page should reload and appear correctly on your screen.
Press "Ctrl" and "F5" together to perform what computer experts call a "force reload." This clears the computer's cache memory and ensures the pages you are viewing on-line are the most current available.
References
Tips
- To perform a forced reload on different operating systems use these commands. For Mac/Apple: "Apple" + "R" or "Command" + "R". For Linux: "F5."