How Do I Update My Browser and Clear the Cache?

Help! I was told to "update my browser," "clear my cache" or "delete my browsing history" or "delete cookies."
What does this mean and how do I do it?

First of all, a little bit of tech-talk:

Your browser is the tool you use to access the internet. You are probably using one of these:

Browser Icons

Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox can be used on any computer; Safari is used on Mac, iPad, iPod, and iPhone.

It's a good idea to first check to see if you are using the latest version of your browser. If you have not set up your browser to automatically update itself, you may be using an outdated version. If you have an older version, you will probably be prompted to update it.

Here's how to check your browser version and how to update it if necessary:

Clearing out the temporary files can speed up your browser and can keep your computer from going down previous paths (following the cookie crumbs) that you have taken, even if that's not where you want to go now. Plan to do this routinely - once a month is a good idea.

Here are the instructions to clear the cache for each browser:

Internet Explorer
Google Chrome
Mozilla Firefox
Safari (Mac computer)
iPad, iPod, and iPhone