Why a refresh can show an older page

Reuse is ordinary behaviour

Images, style sheets and pages can carry instructions about how long a stored response may be reused. Avoiding a new transfer makes familiar pages quicker to open. It also means the screen may reflect a previously received response rather than a new copy of every file.

This cache is distinct from the resolver's cache of network addresses. Clearing one does not necessarily change the other.

Check whether content was revalidated

Sometimes a browser asks whether a stored response is still current and receives permission to reuse it. The displayed body can then remain the same even though a new exchange occurred. A normal refresh and a fresh browsing session can therefore take different paths to a similar screen.

When checking a deliberate content change, choose a short visible phrase or a known resource to compare. Record the expected content rather than judging only whether the page appears to load.

Keep the remedy proportionate

Start with one page or resource. Clearing every browsing record can remove useful state without helping identify the stale response. If a clean session and the normal session disagree, preserve that difference as evidence and narrow the check to the relevant resource.