Prefetch / preload cache
Also known as: prefetch, preload, predictive loading
Prefetch and preload caches hold pages and resources a browser downloads ahead of time, guessing what you’ll open next so it appears instantly. They are part of the browser cache, take temporary space, and clear with cached files — safe to remove anytime.
- Content fetched early to make loads feel instant
- Part of the cache — temporary and re-downloadable
- Clears with cached files; safe to remove
Loading before you click
To make navigation feel instant, browsers fetch some content early. Prefetch quietly downloads a page or resource you are likely to visit next; preload pulls in assets the current page will need very soon. Both store the result in the cache so the eventual load is immediate.
This speculative data is temporary and re-downloadable, exactly like the rest of the cache. It can use space for links you never actually open, which is the small trade-off for faster browsing.
Clearing and controlling it
Prefetched and preloaded files clear when you clear cached files — in Chrome via Delete browsing data > Cached images and files, and on iOS by clearing Safari’s cache or website data. There is no separate button just for prefetch.
Chrome exposes the behavior under Settings > Performance > Preload pages, where you can turn predictive loading down or off if you would rather not spend bandwidth or space loading ahead.