Clear Temporary Internet Files When IE Closes

Yes, you can automatically clear the temporary internet files folder when Internet Explorer closes. This setting is built into Internet Explorer (versions 8 through 11) as the “Delete browsing history on exit” checkbox, located in the General tab of Internet Options. When enabled, IE purges the entire Temporary Internet Files cache, along with cookies, history, and other selected data, every time the browser shuts down.

What Are Temporary Internet Files?

Temporary Internet Files (TIF) is a cache folder where Internet Explorer stores copies of web pages, images, scripts, and other resources you have visited. The purpose is simple: when you revisit a page, IE can load these local copies instead of downloading everything again, making browsing faster and reducing bandwidth use. The folder is stored on your hard drive, typically at C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\INetCache (or C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files on older systems).

Over time, this cache can grow to hundreds of megabytes, especially if you stream videos or visit media-heavy sites. Clearing it on exit helps reclaim disk space and removes traces of your browsing activity from the local machine, which is useful on shared computers.

How to Enable Automatic Clearing in Internet Explorer

Follow these steps to configure IE to delete temporary files every time you close the browser:

1. Open Internet Explorer.
2. Click the gear icon (âš™) in the top-right corner, then select Internet options.
3. In the General tab, under Browsing history, check the box that says Delete browsing history on exit.
4. Click OK to save the setting.

That’s it. From now on, IE will clear the cache (and other selected items) automatically when you close the browser. Note that this setting only takes effect when you exit IE completely; if the browser crashes or is killed via Task Manager, the cleanup may not run.

What Exactly Gets Deleted?

When you enable “Delete browsing history on exit,” IE clears the following by default:

• Temporary Internet Files and website files
• Cookies and website data
• History
• Download history
• Form data
• Passwords
• ActiveX filtering and Tracking Protection data

You can fine-tune which items are cleared by clicking the Delete… button next to the checkbox, then selecting or deselecting individual categories. However, note that the checkbox itself is a master switch—if you uncheck it, none of these items will be deleted on exit, regardless of your selections in the Delete dialog.

Why You Might Want This (and Why You Might Not)

Enabling automatic clearing is beneficial in several scenarios:

• Privacy on shared computers: If you use a public or family PC, clearing the cache on exit prevents the next user from seeing your browsing history or retrieving cached pages.
• Disk space management: On systems with small SSDs, a bloated cache can consume valuable storage. Regular clearing keeps the folder small.
• Troubleshooting: Sometimes a corrupted cache causes pages to load incorrectly. Clearing on exit can help resolve such issues.

However, there are downsides. Clearing the cache every time means you lose the speed benefit of caching—every page load will be a fresh download, which can be noticeably slower on slow connections. Additionally, you’ll be logged out of most websites because cookies are also deleted, so you’ll need to re-enter credentials frequently.

Common Problems and How to Work Around Them

Some users find that the setting doesn’t seem to work, or that it causes unexpected behavior. Here are common issues and solutions:

• Cache still exists after closing: If you check the folder and find files, it’s possible that IE didn’t close properly (e.g., it crashed or was force-closed). Also, the setting only applies to IE, not to other browsers like Edge or Chrome.
• You lose all saved passwords: Since passwords are cleared by default, you may want to uncheck “Passwords” in the Delete dialog to keep them, while still clearing the cache.
• Websites load slower: This is expected because the cache is empty. If it becomes too annoying, consider clearing the cache manually once a week instead of on every exit.
• Setting doesn’t persist: On some systems, Group Policy or third-party security software may override the setting. Check with your IT administrator if you’re on a managed network.

Alternatives: Manual Clearing and Other Browsers

If you don’t want to clear the cache on every exit, you can clear it manually. In IE, go to Internet options > General > Delete… under Browsing history, then choose what to delete and click Delete. This is useful when you want to keep the cache most of the time but occasionally wipe it.

Also note that Internet Explorer is largely deprecated. Microsoft has replaced it with Microsoft Edge, which uses a different engine and has its own settings. In Edge, you can configure “Clear browsing data on close” under Settings > Privacy, search, and services. The principle is the same, but the interface differs.

Security and Privacy Considerations

Clearing temporary files on exit reduces the amount of locally stored data that could be accessed by someone with physical access to your computer. However, it does not make you anonymous online—your ISP, websites, and network administrators can still see your traffic. Also, clearing the cache does not delete files that other programs (like Windows itself) may have stored, nor does it affect server-side logs.

For sensitive activities, consider using InPrivate Browsing (Ctrl+Shift+P in IE), which automatically discards browsing data when the session ends, without affecting your normal cache settings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this setting also clear cookies?

Yes, by default it clears cookies and website data. If you want to keep cookies (to stay logged in), uncheck “Cookies and website data” in the Delete dialog, but then you’ll also keep some tracking data.

Will this slow down my browsing?

Yes, initially. Without a cache, every page load requires downloading all resources again. On fast broadband, the difference may be minor, but on slow or metered connections, it can be significant.

Can I set it to clear only the temporary files, not history or passwords?

Yes. In the Delete dialog, uncheck the items you want to keep. The checkbox “Delete browsing history on exit” will still clear whatever is checked.

Why doesn’t the folder become completely empty?

Sometimes files are locked by running processes or are in use by the operating system. IE may skip those files. Also, the folder may contain subfolders that are not immediately visible. In most cases, the cache is sufficiently cleared for privacy purposes.

Does this work in Windows 10 and Windows 11?

Internet Explorer 11 is available in Windows 10 and Windows 11 (in the latter, it’s disabled by default). The setting works the same way in both, as long as IE is installed and functioning.

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